Archive for July, 2009
Happy Friday!
Heaven picked up her birthday gift yesterday. Thanks to the combined efforts of her Nanny & Poppa, Uncle Dave, Emily & Me, and the special PASTOR/FRIEND price offered by Chris & Stephanie of Pets N Pals in Staunton, VA… Heaven now has ANOTHER animal living in this house! (photo)
Her name is Lucy Balsamo, a Chug breed… half Chihuahua and half Pug. Very cute, ultra hyper… and so far no potty accidents in the house! The speech we gave Lucy on the ride home must have helped! Thank God! lol
Thanks for all your prayers over Emily’s dad… and all the encouragement you’ve given to our family… means so much to us! His condition has not improved YET… but we remain hopeful! We’re all going to cross over one of these days… and there are not many people more prepared for eternity like Merle… but we still NEED his loving influence in our lives… so we stand in front of this mighty mountain and we HAMMER it down with our FAITH.
I meditated on a few verses from Psalm 77 this morning… they JUMPED off the page and GAVE ME LIFE. Maybe it’ll have the same affect on you!
Psalm 77:16-19
16 When the Red Sea saw you, O God,
its waters looked and trembled!
The sea quaked to its very depths.
17 The clouds poured down rain;
the thunder rumbled in the sky.
Your arrows of lightning flashed.
18 Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;
the lightning lit up the world!
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your road led through the sea,
your pathway through the mighty waters-
A PATHWAY NO ONE KNEW WAS THERE!
Obviously, this text references the time of the Israels exodus from Egyptian slavery… the most miraculous deliverance of all time, led by the legendary prophet MOSES.
As you know, Moses opened a fury of plagues on Egypt until Pharaoh finally released his slaves. Right after Israels initial departure, Pharaoh changed his mind and chased Israel with the fiercest military on the face of the earth.
Israel was on foot… Pharaohs bloodthirsty warriors raced on chariots! As if things were not already so far beyond the scope of HOPE… Israel runs straight up to the banks of the Red Sea!
So often, we find ourselves in similar moments of absolute IMPOSSIBILITY! We too feel as if we are being HUNTED by all the armies of hell… and just when things cant get any worse, we run into the DEADEST ENDS OF OUR LIVES.
In these times, we should MEDITATE on these verses from Psalm 77 and CONVINCE OURSELVES that GOD ALWAYS HAS A PATHWAY!
- We should remember: When the Red Sea saw you, O God… its waters LOOKED and TREMBLED!
- We should remember: The sea (our obstacle) QUAKES to its very depths!
- We should remember: The clouds pour down rain, the thunder RUMBLES IN THE SKY… the arrows of lightening FLASH!
- We should remember: Gods thunder ROARS from the whirlwind… his lightening LIGHTS UP THE WORLD!
- We should remember: The earth TREMBLES AND SHAKES!
- We should remember: Gods ROAD leads THROUGH THE SEA… his pathway leads through the might waters… and THROUGH OUR MIGHTY OBSTACLES!
- We should remember: God ALWAYS HAS A PATHWAY NO ONE KNOWS IS THERE!
So never give up… never quit… never lose hope… even where there seems to be NO WAY. God CAN ALWAYS MAKE A WAY!
I hope that todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives. Please leave a few lively comments… and have a super day!
Happy Thursday!
A few weeks ago, I invited our drummer to preach his first sermon at DFC on a Wednesday night. Well, last night was the magic moment… and Greg Baker led his MOM and his COUSIN to the Lord at the end of his message. He taught about having the courage to STEP UP and STAND OUT… and about demonstrating boldness to endure all the persecution that comes with living for Christ. Great first message for Greg Baker!
Recently, I’ve been doing so much thinking about the word LEGACY. Here’s a clip from page 2 of chapter 3 of my book, Make me a Legend! Some of this material was just written this morning… and it’s unproofed. So be kind… and ENJOY!
redefining purpose: destiny verses legacy
Since I’m on the subject of destiny vs. legacy, let me describe the contrast I see between the two. Ever since I can remember people have told me, “One of these days son, you’re gonna change the world!” I’ve been commended over and over for my “winning personality” and all my God given talent. Nearly every person I’ve ever had a long conversation with has made a prediction about my influential future.
Believe me; it’s electrifying to hear these kinds of things predicted about my life. For me, and for so many others, fulfilling this kind of destiny starts out with the illusion of becoming some kind of celebrated person. Yeah, we do want to make a difference, but we really like what DESTINY means for us way more than we’re willing to admit. At first this is an energizing ambition, but over time it loses its luster. For me, even though I had a very big destiny to carry out, something vital was missing. That’s when I stumbled upon the bigger meaning of life… LEGACY!
Please don’t get me wrong here. I do believe very strongly that every human has a beautiful destiny. I’m not suggesting that legacy is a replacement term for destiny. What I am suggesting is that legacy is a far more encompassing gauge of purpose.
Destiny says, “I am created to do something great, so I need to discover whatever this is… so I can zoom around the world, do a bunch of extraordinary things, and kick it all the way across my finish line at death to receive the trophy of a civilization.”
Legacy begins the same way and then adds, “The greatness of my destiny is measured by what I pass on to the coming generations. I fulfill my purpose in life by honoring those who have gone before me, serving those who are with me today, and blessing those who will follow in my steps.”
When talking about destiny, most people seem to focus on the “me” factor. We ask questions like, what am “I” called to do with “my” life? Legacy demands a shift of focus. Legacy asks questions like, what are “they” called to do with “their” precious lives? Destiny is about me, legacy is about them. Legacy opens you and I up to the much bigger picture of them! It makes us feel more responsible for their future than our own.
To illustrate this point, let me tell you about my friend Jimmy Floyd. A few years back, he was the most passionate softball players I had ever met! Still today, his enthusiasm for sports is unprecedented. One of my favorite things to do in life is to bring up sports to Jimmy Floyd… and watch him go! Last year, I asked Jimmy if he was getting excited for the coming softball season. Jimmy’s response taught me so much about legacy!
Once Jimmy’s two babies had progressed into toddlerhood… and once Jimmy’s kids were able to play catch with daddy, Jimmy Floyd lost his passion for winning home run competitions and being the star player of our league. Jimmy Floyd became enlivened with a far more encompassing gauge of purpose… the LEGACY of his children and all children! Was Jimmy excited about the coming softball season? His response: “I don’t know if I’m gonna play as much this year. I’m more excited about seeing all these teenagers step up… and I’m really starting to get cranked up about living through my kids!”
This is what legacy is all about. Loving someone else’s home-run MORE than our own. Shedding tears of joy when an apprentice knocks one out of the park…
Please chat about this section of my book… leave your comments and have a super Thursday everyone!
Happy Wednesday!
Photo: Emily Wall Balsamo (since this blog is going to be about her)
If you haven’t done so YET… go back and read the past two blog posts AND comment with your personal verbs! It’s one of the funnest brainy things I’ve done with myself in a long while. Try it… you’ll see!
My aunt Kim is in from Maine… so we decided to host my entire family at our house last night. Even though a few couldn’t make it… the moment was a classic one for Emily and I.
Acts 20:25b You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: It is MORE BLESSED to give than to receive.
Isn’t that true!
The older I get, the more I find myself wanting to SERVE and GIVE to other people, rather than to be served and given to. I mean YES, I love receiving gifts and I really appreciate when people serve me and my family.
All gifts are a BLESSING and GIVING gifts is a GREATER BLESSING!
Gifts are an expression of LOVE.
John 3:16 For God LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH that HE GAVE his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
As you might know… Emily’s dad is in the hospital really going through it. I think he’s been there for more than a week now… and after something like 8 blood transfusions, his white blood cell count remains at zero. Please don’t feel bad for us… instead, believe with Merle and with us that his body will respond to our FAITH and PRAYER! Believe that things will change for Merle over the next few days… and he will come home from the hospital to continue with us as a solid rock of character and inspiration!
When we scheduled last nights dinner at our house, we hadn’t planned on Merle still being in the hospital. So as the day got started, my Aunt Sherry sent a very kind facebook message stating that everyone decided to let us off the hook by postponing the party to another day sometime in the future.
So I met with Emily and asked her how she felt… and her response was instant. She couldn’t think of ANYTHING else she would rather do than to SERVE people we love at our house last night. She said, “I spent quality time with my dad yesterday and we’re going to see him tomorrow… so tonight I want to have this party.”
In the middle of Emily’s trial, she knew without hesitation… that it is MORE BLESSED to GIVE than it is to receive. This is ONE reason I admire Emily so fanatically!
And as we hosted my family… we had the time of our lives. Everyone seemed to have so much fun enjoying good company, admiring the water gardens, feeding the fish, watching the frogs, playing the corn hole game, swimming in the pool, eating GOOD FOOD, and sitting around the fire roasting mellows and making smores!
This was the very BEST thing Emily could have done yesterday… and the BLESSING was all hers… the underrated satisfaction that comes with GIVING! I thank God, my family honored us by coming to our house and ALLOWING us to honor them.
Most people turn INWARD when they encounter hardship… they hoard during times of lack… they cancel life to hover over the pain of their situations. Sometimes, it’s very important to hide away and FIND PEACE and GRACE in seasons of prayer and fasting. But this is not ALWAYS the path of healing.
Many times, our victory is FOUND in reaching out! The answer to lack is not found in hoarding… it comes through GIVING! In times of pain, the answer is not found in hoarding our love… it come when we GIVE OUR LOVE AWAY!
Have the hardships of life driven you into a place of seclusion? Are you wondering why there is no victory… no answer to your prayers for help? Maybe… the answer is found in todays blog! Instead of hiding and hoarding… BE BRAVE… try something NEW! Put yourself OUT THERE and GIVE AWAY ALL THE LOVE YOU HAVE LEFT… and watch what happens NEXT!
Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you GET BACK.
I pray that todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! Please leave your comments… have a super day!
Happy Tuesday!
Congratulations to Kristin Via… thanks for commenting on yesterdays blog. I loved reading through the VERBS of YOUR weekend. Very enlightening! Everyone else… you should TRY it… go back to yesterdays blog and do the FUN exercise! Kristin, I’m curious to know what kinds of things you learned about yourself during that ten minutes? Maybe we’re all curious?
I guess what I’m trying to do here… is in a very gently way… lead each of us to trace our recent steps… to DISCOVER what were really up to with our lives.
Yesterdays blog was my version of an old time management assessment exercise. The experts say that in order to cut out non-productivity and cut down the chaos in our lives, we have to TRACE OUR STEPS for a week… and then ANALYZE the data.
In order to do this successfully, there is a demand for HONEST DATA. We have to be willing to LOOK at our lives… not the fantasy versions we describe to our friends and our bosses… but the real deal everyday US… the good bad and the ugly.
This is why I chose a WEEKEND for our exercise… because weekends are SUPPOSED to be our resting days… and we don’t feel like we have anything to PROVE to ourselves or to anyone else when tracing our weekend steps. But still, there is so much to be learned from the VERBS of a weekend, isn’t there?
Jesus described our lives like branches on a tree… branches that needed to be pruned from time to time so they can become MORE FRUITFUL! This means that over time, activities we once deemed as highly productive areas of our lives… they run their course and become sources of pain and death.
We need to be continually on the lookout for these dead places on our branches.
As we analyze the HONEST DATA… we have to demonstrate courage to PRUNE back every FRUITLESS VERB from our months, weeks, days, and HOURS.
Going through this process is a spring cleaning for the SOUL! Once the clutter has been removed, we are poised for NEWNESS! Creativity emerges… growth happens… delicious fruit is gathered and tasted!
More than the personal reward found in this exercise, is the accountability to GOD it creates in our hearts. How accountable are we currently feeling towards God for the VERBS of our lives? What percentage of our time is God ACTUALLY leading the way? On the contrary, what percentage of our days are spent in fruitless activities?
Don’t you think its time to fix up your branch… to ready yourself for the most EFFECTIVE and FRUITFUL season of your life? Me too!
Pruning positions us to rest more effectively, work more effectively, parent more effectively, minister to others more effectively, and live FAR MORE effectively? It all begins with a transparent tracing of your daily steps… an honest recording of your VERBS.
Here we go again… another OPPORTUNITY FOR INTERACTION. Today… re-read yesterdays blog and consider doing the VERY SAME assignment for YESTERDAY (A MONDAY)!
I hope todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives… we love you and we PRAY for you! Please leave your VERBS… and have a super day!
Happy Monday!
Parachuted, prayed, studied, listened, worshiped, called, gave, pilgrimaged, gagged, experienced, connected, blessed, napped, vacuumed, swam, played, whimpered, visited, went, had, watched, prayed, talked, called, listened, spent, hung out, watched, fell, thanked… all the VERBS of my BEAUTIFUL weekend!
Parachuted from my high rise bed early Saturday morning, prayed for all my friends, studied like a professor, listened to some really good worship music and worshiped like a crazy person, called a few people and gave them a word of encouragement, pilgrimaged to Richmond, gagged watching everyone eat oysters at the oyster cookout, experienced a most impressive church service @ Destiny Family Center yesterday, really connected with two families at lunch who might start coming to church, was blessed by someone else paying for our meal without telling us they did so, napped for 15 minutes (first Sunday nap in YEARS), vacuumed the pool, swam in the pool…
Played frisbee golf with a very fun group of friends, whimpered when Emily stabbed me with her pencil during frisbee golf (lol), visited Pet’s N Pals to let Heaven look at a new puppy she WANTS (aaagggghhh), went to Blade Bain’s birthday party… outstanding food and FUN with a beautiful collection of people, had meaningful conversations with a few very meaningful individuals…
Ended up with Nathan and Jeremy under the tent in the rain watching a 9 minute you tube video about AWAKENING, prayed for awakening, talked about turning our RELIGION into a MOVEMENT, called Ricky Lee Wade on the way home and listened to his enthusiasm for Jesus Christ and the things he had written in his journal as he reminisced over his past few years, spent some quality time with Ricky on the phone about the subject of mentorship, real time coaching, and teaching… and hung out with my daughter watching Law and Order until I fell asleep thanking God for a super two days!
Have you ever taken the time to TRACK YOUR VERBS? This is my first time… right here, out in front of the whole wide world! You guys should try this exercise. Write out a LONG paragraph (or three) including EVERY detail of your weekend in short statements… then, extract the verbs! Very enlightening!
Verb: any of a class of words expressing ACTION, EXISTENCE, or OCCURRENCE, or used as an auxiliary or copula, and usually constituting the main element of a predicate (Ex.: give, build, run, be, happen, do, have, would, seem)
Ok… so, let’s have some fun together! EVERYONE… write a long paragraph about your weekend… then EXTRACT the verbs and LIST them in a separate sentence as I have done in this post.
MAYBE, we’ll LEARN something about ourselves! Maybe we’ll GET A GOOD LAUGH! Maybe we’ll gain some kind of spiritual revelation…
So PARTICIPATE guys and gals… we’re all waiting to EXPERIENCE YOUR SPECTACULAR VERBS!
26
Jul
The Oyster Cookout
Happy Sunday!
How’s your weekend turning out thus far? Mine’s been EVENTFUL… good times with family! We spent most of yesterday in Richmond, honoring Emily’s oldest brother for turning FIFTY. Poor guy… old fart. lol
At THIRTY-EIGHT fifty doesn’t seem so bad really. I cant elaborate on this thought without slipping in to “where did all those years go” mode… so, I’m moving on to HAPPIER thoughts.
Davids brother Jeff Wall hosted the party… Jeff and Anne are lovely hosts! Ever heard of The Jeff and Anne Show? Check it out on their myspace… and listen to Jeff and Anne perform a folk song! (joke)
They had an OYSTER cookout for Dave… ewwww! (gagging as he types)
Jeff’s brother in law, Eddie has to be the most passionate OYSTER ENTHUSIAST I’ve ever met. He came VERY close to talking the Chuckster here into eating one. Well, one does not actually EAT an oyster… he DRINKS, or SLURPS the slimy mud sucker down his throat… as shivers race up and down his back… and his gag mechanism stands by on ULTRA HIGH ALERT!
After SPANKING Jeff and Wayne at the last horseshoe game on vacation… Wayne decided to bring a new game for us to play. It was called “Chuk”… nice name, but the “stupidest” (word I learned from my President last week, lol) game ever. Actually, it was ok I suppose… if I could have only won a game! Yes, Wayne and Jeff… there it is… I admit, you two beat Coree and me fair AND square. We’ll ALMOST fair and square… next time Coree and I will be sure to have our glasses. lol
The real gaming highlight of the day was when my wife Emily and her cousin-in-law Stephanie DOMINATED the other two “CHUCK’S” of the family at the Chuk game! Oh yeah, I almost forgot to explain… there are THREE Chucks in our combined families. Such a beautiful name by the way!
Good job Emily and Stephanie… you gals were absolutely UNSTOPPABLE with that “Chuk” game! Way to REPRESENT the Balsamo’s, Emily! And don’t even try it Jeff and Wayne… Emily has been a BALSAMO longer than she has been a WALL.
We went and visited Emily’s dad in the hospital before the party… had a beautiful time with an amazing guy! I appreciate you guys praying for Merle… he’s had SEVERAL blood transfusions this week and his white blood cell count is still at ZERO. His faith is strong and we’re all believing that yesterdays bedside prayed made the difference! Standby for glorious testimony!
Appointment Reminder: church at Destiny Family Center 10am TODAY! If you can’t make it IN PERSON, watch the entire service ONLINE starting at 10am EST.
Have a super day everyone!
25
Jul
Loving Jerky People
Happy Saturday!
Nearly rumbled with a few jerks yesterday… almost lost my smile… immersed myself in good conversations with beautiful people and OVERCAME the jerks. Some people! I mean we’ve all been a little jerky at times, but some people have no manners.
When this happens, I have to remind myself that jerks are not born, they are created. Most of the time, people get WEIRD and ARROGANT because of some outside INFLUENTIAL FORCE… and they really can’t help it.
Everyone needs to be RESCUED from something. I was a real jerky guy at 19 when I first met Christ… still more jerky than I’d like to be after 18 years of Christian living. So glad God didn’t interview me before LOVING me. So happy he loves me even when my enemies ask him not to. lol
Loving some people is almost IMPOSSIBLE. Jesus said…
“Love your enemies (the jerky people in our lives)! Do good to them (yeah right). Lend to them without expecting to be repaid (OUCH). Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High (thats the goal), for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked (no wonder he is GOD). You must be compassionate (able to see life through others eyes), just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke 6:35-36
God is kind to people who are not kind to him. This is because he is COMPASSIONATE!
Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.
This morning, I am deeply convicted about the feeling of RETALIATION I experienced during this jerky encounter. I got irritated way more than I should have. Instead of praying, I started thinking about what I should say in my comeback speech… and I started to magnify the obvious flaws of my attackers.
This morning, my PEACE returns as I remember my own obvious flaws and my own need for Gods mercy… and all the things I’ve done with my life to place others in misery from time to time. I spent so much of my prayer time asking God to make me a far more loving person… and far less a source of trial for others. I want to BLESS and not curse… and I just like you, I need God’s help to do so.
As I close out this message… I’d like to encourage YOU to seek Gods heart for the antagonistic people in your social circle. Seek for a sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with A DESIRE TO ALLEVIATE IT. Look beyond the PAINFUL SYMPTOMS affecting your own life, and SEE the real need… then pray for transformation like there is no tomorrow.
I hope that todays short message adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! Here’s a song to help…
Happy Friday!
Amazing day yesterday was! The blog site was on fire. I loved the interaction! I actually got butterflies in my gut yesterday thinking about how FAST our stats are climbing and how influential this tribe is becoming.
Yesterday, at my Destiny Family Center office, we experienced the most productive day of the YEAR! Every meeting was highly INNOVATIVE… the ENERGY was epic! It’s SHOCKING to consider HOW FAST THINGS CAN TURN AROUND!
When I was in business, I learned that todays efforts are building (life, business, career, ministry) 90 days out… there is not much I can do to change RIGHT NOW at this moment… but I can change the NEXT QUARTER… RIGHT NOW! Does this make sense?
Whatever is going on in our lives today is the result of things we have done for the past 90 days to several years. We harvest the SEEDS of yesterday… we reap what we have sown or NOT SOWN.
This is a petrifying reality… because most of us need CHANGE as SOON as we RECOGNIZE our need for change! One day we wake up saying WOW, whats happened to my world? My God, I have to FIX this right now! Hurry up everyone… emergency meeting to discuss how to turn this around in 7 days! But, that’s not usually possible, is it?
Life is all about MOMENTUM.
Webster defines momentum as 1: a property of a moving body that the body has by virtue of its MASS and MOTION and that is equal to the product of the body’s MASS and VELOCITY : a property of a moving body that determines the LENGTH OF TIME required to BRING IT TO REST when under the action of a CONSTANT FORCE OR MOVEMENT 2: strength or force GAINED BY MOTION or through the DEVELOPMENT OF EVENTS.
For this topic of discussion, definition two says it best. Momentum is the strength or force gained by MOTION or through the DEVELOPMENT OF EVENTS.
In the world of momentum, there is a POSITIVE MOMENTUM and a NEGATIVE MOMENTUM… and both forces can take us to places we NEVER imagined! Which side of momentum are you on today?
If one desires to do anything substantial, he or she must learn to BUILD UP EPIC DEGREES OF STRENGTH OR FORCE… by FORWARD MOTION or through the development of POSITIVE EVENTS.
For me, momentum is built by:
- keeping my daily walk with God fresh and vibrant,
- loving and serving my wife and kids,
- being ON when I am ON and OFF when I am OFF,
- meditating on my vision 30 minutes EVERY day,
- taking care of my health,
- keeping my conscious clear by repenting of my sins,
- maintaining confidence and boldness,
- focusing on who I am in Christ and how much God loves me,
- valuing others above myself,
- seeking to bless EVERY person I intersect with,
- sacrificing and serving the people I lead,
- meditating on God’s Word ALL DAY, EVERY DAY,
- spending daily time praising and worship God,
- blogging, twittering, writing, and speaking with epic levels of passion,
- demonstrating FAITH in all my thoughts and actions,
- resolving to be listen for Gods direction and be led by his Holy Spirit!
I’m sure there are more… thats a good start for the discussion! Please share your MOMENTUM BUILDERS with the rest of us… and comment on the 16 I have listed.
Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9LET US NOT BECOME WEARY IN DOING GOOD, for at THE PROPER TIME we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us DO GOOD TO ALL PEOPLE, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
If your world is really messed up today… be very careful not to mull around in the mess. Ask God for ENDURANCE… and START BUILDING UP NEW MOMENTUM for a better tomorrow! Things can change… your big dreams can be realized… with the strength that is gained by FORWARD MOTION and through the DEVELOPMENT OF POSITIVE EVENTS!
I hope todays blog adds TREMENDOUS VALUE to your amazing lives! God bless you all!
Happy Thursday!
I opened a flikr account yesterday… gonna start posting my most unique and artistic photos… check it out sometime.
Todays blog comes from the thoughts contained in chapter 11 of my book, “Get Connected: Mentors, Peers, & Apprentices.”
Over the past few days, I’ve been reconnecting with a few of my old highly influential friends. From different parts of the country… these guys are innovative thinkers, epic dreamers, rising legends for sure!
My purpose for reconnecting is pretty obvious. Over the past seven years, I’ve become far to narrowed in my focus… I’ve lost way too much contact with the outside world. This has caused me to lose quite a bit of my FORESIGHT and CREATIVITY.
So, I decided to change this… and what a difference it’s making!
I believe that God places a DIVERSITY of influences in our lives for the purpose of mutual impartation. There are three groups of people we should be connecting with for the enhancement of our future AND theirs. Show me your NETWORK and I will predict your future!
- Yoda’s
- Fellow Jedi’s
- Apprentice Jedi’s
Yoda’s… are those guys and gals who have already achieved the success you’re currently aiming for. Yoda’s provide mentoring, coaching, training, and teaching… so that emerging Jedi’s can ride on their successes at ACCELERATED levels of growth.
Fellow Jedi’s… are the guys and gals who are on similar levels, learning similar things, and experiencing similar degrees of progress and achievement. Just like the proverb, “As Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” Fellow Jedi’s ACCELERATED growth through the synergy they create for one another.
Apprentice Jedi’s… are the guys and gals who are just now getting a DREAM. They are raw and unrefined… without table manners, or people skills, or anything else besides a PICTURE OF WHAT CAN BE! Apprentices need Jedi’s just like Jedi’s needs fellow Jedi’s and every Jedi needs a Yoda! Make sense?
Wise Yoda’s and rising Jedi’s pay attention to the words and actions of every apprentice… humility opens the way for them to LEARN from everyone and everything.
In a healthy network of influence, there is a CONTINUAL EXCHANGE OF IMPARTATION… up and down… side to side… down and up! We all need people to run ahead, run beside, and follow along!
Connections have to be NATURAL… they should not be FORCED. Therefore, we should pray about this… and then exercise patience as we CONNECT with the RIGHT people for the SPECIFIC purposes we are DESTINED to carry out!
What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have any personal stories that might illustrate my thoughts here? Please, interact with each other today… and may this message add tremendous value to your amazing lives!
If you LOVE this blog and want to help expand our influence, please spread the news to your network through twitter, facebook, myspace, email… whatever. We appreciate you passionately introducing us to your AMAZING NETWORK of Yoda’s, Fellow Jedi’s, and Apprentice Jedi’s! Have a super day!
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