Tag Archives: marriage

Grow where you are planted

180 Blog, , , , , ,

Many people that we talk to feel that because they screwed up their life in the past,  they have no future in leadership.  They feel that because of their past and past choices that no one will ever listen to them as a leader nor allow them into a leadership role. We teach them what God says in  Jeremiah 29

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

We then talk about the fact that we are created to good things that were planned long ago.  To reiterate that we use Ephesians 2

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

But to undo our “go to behaviors”, which sabotage our futures and make us believe we can never be good enough, we have to “transform our thinking”, so we add Romans 12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT)

So when people say they can’t become a leader or something different in their life because of their past, we challenge them to start seeing themselves worthy as God sees them and to do something different with their life. As Paul writes in Colossians 4

 “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you” 

grow in rock

You may have a past that has lots of rocks and very little soil, but as you can see in this picture that this TREE has grown anyway and is full of color and alive.

 Or maybe your life has been flooded with bad choices that would stop you and, because it doesn’t look like the perfect circumstances to grow, you allow fear to stop you.  But as you can see in this picture even being surrounded by a lot of water these trees are still growing.

water grow

So don’t let others or your past stop you from doing what God has asked of you:

Be sure to GROW where GOD PLANTS YOU….

Soy, Decaf, Peppermint, Extra hot…Choices

180 Blog, , , , , , , , , ,

Choices.

Everyday is filled with choices. Some choices are habits. For example: getting up when the alarm goes off and leaving for work and turning down the same road just like you do every work day.

Some choices have to be made in a split second: if I don’t react to this car that’s backing out into oncoming traffic and this truck pulling out in front of me, I will total my vehicle and possibly injure myself and my passenger.

Other choices need to be prayed over, thought over, and sometimes weighed out with the pros and cons.

 

The issue with choices is that when we get into a routine with the habitual choices. For example: we always take a certain way to work. Today because of a storm last night our normal route has been closed.

road closed

We are so focused on the fact that this is how we have ALWAYS gone to work that we sit in front of the road closed sign paralyzed with fear.

Because of fear we make a CHOICE to sit there and wait. Why? Because that’s how it’s always been done and to try something new is not a CHOICE you are willing to make.

Because of a CHOICE you now have missed work, gotten written up or maybe this was your last chance and now you have lost your job… All because you were so focused on “the way it’s always been done” that you missed the sign that clearly showed you “tree down, take detour at next right”.

detour

Now you may think that this is silly, I would never do that.  Well it may not be this same scenario but the CHOICE is the same….sit in front of a “road closed” waiting for it to open back up so you can finish your goal. That road closed has been put in your way for a reason. Your CHOICE now is to back up look for the detour sign and travel it with thankfulness.  Our issue becomes when we look at detours as setbacks and grumble and pout.

So next time you have to take a detour you have 2 choices:

opportunity

Who’s opinion are you living by?

180 Blog, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today while teaching I realized that there was a new twist on the same story.  We teach that an event happened, that created an opinion that started an expectation (good or bad) which in turn led to an action.  This cycle goes around and around.  Some will call it the cycle of insanity if its producing negative consequences.   But today as I was teaching I had an epiphany as a participant (who happens at this time to be a resident of our local jail) says “yes but you are different, you don’t see me as a felon”.

So I stopped teaching sat on the table and went one by one till all 15 young men had told me: their name, who they are i.e. a father, grandfather, son, uncle, and/or husband.  Then I had them tell me what they had accomplished, i.e. graduate high school, GED, College, successful business owner and so on and so forth.

I wanted them to see who they were, not what society was calling them.  They were allowing the opinion of others to dictate who they were going to become.

I have put this cycle in so you can see how this works.

Self Fulfilling prohecy template crop

 

 

 

So my question to you is; what is the opinion you have about yourself? Now go back and rework the cycle with that opinion as your starting point.  If it is negative then please contact us so that we can help you get the cycle started on a positive cycle.  And the best way to do that is to start with an EXPECTATION that you want for yourself.  So the cycle would look like this.

Self Fulfilling prohecy template expectation crop

 

 

 

 

So today what are you believing in for yourself so that your Self-Fulfilling Prophecy will start to take a positive turn. What is your EXPECTATION in life? And quit living by the negative opinions that others have about you.

 

**disclaimer** when I talk about EXPECTATION I am not talking about winning the lottery, I am talking about: Education, Career, Home, being a good parent, being sober, going to church… real life goals that are achievable.