Back to School

Good morning! I hope your weekend was relaxing and that you have hit the ground running this morning.

Did you hear it this morning? Listen closely! Did you hear it? If you are like me you heard the groans of children officially telling summer goodbye as they return to the schoolhouse. I remember those days of “forced” schooling. I thought they would never end and often times I wondered how in the world what I was learning would ever be of value to my life.

But looking back I am thankful for everything I learned. School taught me more than reading, writing and arithmetic. Maybe even more importantly, school taught me how to deal with life, with people, with success and even failure.

Sadly many of us turn our backs on learning when we graduate from high school or college. Consider the words of Proverbs:

Proverbs 23:12 (NLT)

Commit yourself to instruction; attune your ears to hear words of knowledge.

I find that when I think I’ve arrived in my areas of knowledge that there is always more to learn. There is always someone who has a little more insight, experience or skill than I do. As an adult I have found that I have to continue to be a learner or I fall behind.

With each new area of learning I broaden my horizons. Many of my favorite hobbies these days are things which I have learned over the past few years. It required me to once again become a student. To listen to those who had experience and knowledge. Sometimes it required me to get my hands dirty so I could learn a new skill set.

This week I want to challenge you to take out your spiral notebook and your #2 pencil. Sign up for the school of life and choose some electives to broaden your horizon. Seek out a mentor to teach and coach. Most of all enjoy the journey.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

Working Smarter

Good morning! I hope you had a fantastic weekend and that your week is off to a great start.

Our family is currently undertaking the repainting of our home. Our house was built in 1882 and as you might expect over the past 124 years has accumulated many layers of paint. One of the “joys” of this project is removing the old layers of paint. Originally we started with a scraper which required a lot of muscle and was rather slow and somewhat ineffective.

We next added a heat gun which bubbles up the old layers of paint making them easier to strip off. This process is much more effective than the first, but still is very tedious and time consuming.

A few weeks ago a friend from church was over helping me scrape. After a few hours of scraping, he suggested I use his pressure washer to knock off the old layers of paint. Fortunately I took his advice and this past weekend put his pressure washer to use. What a joy it was having the water do all of the work. Not only was the paint coming off, but it was coming off in half the time it took with the other two methods.

This reminded me of a verse from Proverbs:

Eccles. 10:10 (NLT)

Since a dull ax requires great strength, sharpen the blade. That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

For many years now I have been a practitioner of the “work smarter, not harder” principle. Sometimes we lose our effectiveness, because we work inefficiently. We expend unnecessary energy or take up time that could be better used elsewhere, because we simply refuse to use the right tools or sharpen our skills.

I was amazed when I first began using a day planner by the amount of wasted time I had in my schedule. I would waste precious time getting ready to get ready. When I took the time to organize I found myself becoming much more productive and effective in my tasks.

So how can you “sharpen the blade” in your life? Look for training opportunities to sharpen your skills. Look for areas where time is being used ineffectively. Evaluate the tools that you are using and see if there are not more appropriate tools available for your use.

This week focus on keeping your blade sharp.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours.

Carl

Driver's Ed

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend and that your Monday morning is off to a great start.

This past week my oldest son turned 16. With this milestone of age has come the time honored tradition of learning how to drive. This was a memorable time in my own life. When I was his age, my dad was regularly taking me behind a local shopping center to teach me the basics of vehicle operation.

Following my dad’s lead, I have been doing the same. Taking my son to a local shopping center and teaching him the fundamentals of driving. As we work on his driving, we talk about the rules of the road, safe following distances, blind spots and any other topic that relates to being a safe driver. With my son at the wheel, I give him direction about where to turn, park, back up and yield right of way.

With that thought I want to draw your attention to the following passage of scripture:

Psalm 119:102 (NLT)

I haven't turned away from your laws, for you have taught me well.

For my son, his learning occurs in two formats. He learns first of all from the Pennsylvania Driver’s Handbook. In this book the rules of the road are explained along with safe driving practices. The knowledge he gains from the manual is put into practice when gets behind the wheel for his times of hands on training.

Life is very similar. God has given us His word to guide and direct our lives. We have the examples of God’s interaction with others to show us the cost of sin, the abundance of God’s mercy and the finality of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. In the pages of God’s word we find encouragement, rebuke, admonition and direction.

But just like driving, without hands on application, the words are simply information. God wants us to be complete in our walk with Him. So He takes us on the road course of life. Every day we have opportunities to put the word of God into practice in our lives. We are faced with challenges that require us to draw deep from our knowledge of God and His desires for our lives. With each challenge we come to know God on a more personal and intimate level. We see His hand guiding us through the challenges and we find the reassurance of His affirmations.

Today you may find yourself in a new situation, facing challenges that you’ve never encountered before. Take courage, God is with you and He will guide you safely through.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl

Don't Get Burned

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend and that your week is off to a great start.

This past week I had the opportunity to spend a few days camping with friends. During our trip a few of us went tubing down the Clarion River. I started out my float trip with a t-shirt on, but halfway during the trip, decided to shed the shirt and get some sun.

Here I am 5 days later regretting that clothing decision. My normally “pastie-white” skin is lobster red and sore to the touch. A few moments in the sun has left me with a painful reminder of bad judgment.

This has me thinking about the fire many of us choose to flirt with. Sin is often very appealing. We are tempted by thoughts of pleasure and gain. We know that the ideas and actions we are entertaining are dangerous, yet we take the risk anyway.

Look at what the following two verses:

Proverbs 6:27-28 (NLT)

Can a man scoop fire into his lap and not be burned? [28] Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?

I know many Christians today who dabble with danger. They take the position that “it could never happen to me” and “no one will ever know.” They assume they can safeguard their soul and that they can manage their weaknesses.

Unfortunately sin leaves a stain and painful consequences. Few people knew I was in the sun with my shirt off last Wednesday. But now, nearly a week later it is painfully obvious. In my lifetime, I have seen time and time again when the hidden sins of man became painfully exposed. In almost every instance, there were plenty of opportunities to change behavior and flee temptation, but the warnings were ignored.

My sunburn could have been easily prevented by either leaving my shirt on or applying sunscreen to my skin. The same is true spiritually. If you will take time to prepare your hearts with time in God’s presence through prayer and Bible study, you will find that the temptations are much easier to avoid and resist.

Today you may find yourself flirting with danger. You continue to dabble in things you know are not beneficial or upright, but you think you can handle it. Remember, sin comes with a price….and the pleasure is not worth the price of the pain that follows.

If this describes you today, ask God to give you the courage to change your direction. Make a commitment to flee the temptation and ask God for the strength to follow through. Immerse yourself in His presence and take pleasure in Him.

Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessings be yours this week.

Carl