Do What You Say You Are Going To Do

 

How many times have you heard someone tell you they were going to call you?

How often have you told a friend you would pray for them?

One encompassing fault so many have is that we say we will do something….
and we fail to follow through.

Why is that?

Life gets in the way, the phone rings, we get pulled to another meeting, the children have an event to go to, the spouse brings up the plans you both made last week.

Interference.

Interference cause static in relationships and in getting done those things we have promised to do.

Many years ago, before satellite television and even before cable television, everyone had antennas which assisted in reception. There were only three to five channels and the programming actually ended at midnight and a “test” pattern  showed on the screen.

When the reception would get grainy, or the signal wavered….one would go adjust the antenna to improve the picture. At that time …depending on how much one wanted to see the show…..you got out of your chair, walked to the set and moved the antenna to hopefully improve the reception and also the picture.

 

How far into interference do you go before you get up and make an adjustment?

 

In your marriage, if adjustment tarries and one gets accustomed to interference…
the relationship will eventually crack and brake.
Especially after the children are grown and out of the house.

In relationships, when you say we are going to pray for someone,

when you say we will go to the hospital,

when you say you will show up to help…

.and then some degree of interference arises…
what do you do?

When the picture got grainy, it took getting up and removing the interference.

It takes changing your course, getting up and making adjustments.

When we say we are going to pray, show up, or go see someone who is sick….
how important is it to do what we say we are going to do?

Do you not get irritated at people who fail to follow through?

Its a matter of credibility.
Its a matter of how important that person is….to whom you committed an act, word, or visit.

Its an indictment of your care for them when you fail to do what you committed to.

As Christ-followers we should be conscious of what we say we are going to do.

As Disciples we are to be ones who operate with discipline.

Discipline should teach us to follow through.

When you say you will pray for someone….do it, right then.
A suggestion…..pray for them right there, at the moment they ask you to.
On the phone, in Church, at the restaurant table.

Stop. Do not allow any interference to keep you from doing it.

What matters more at that moment?

Does it matter more to pray for them or how you will look in front of people you do not know?
If you do not know them, what does it matter?

Follow through.

Determine to be one who keeps your word.
We might all be imperfect…..
but we can attempt and through attempting develop the discipline to do what
we say we are going to do.

It reflects on our commitment to the person asking.
Our response reflects on us.

Our response reflects on the One we say we follow.

Today, remember and be thankful He did what He said He was going to do.

We can do the same.

Terry
July 2015

Pat Riley said the last comment his father made to him was,

“Son, there will come a time when you have to plant your feet, straighten your back,

take a stand, and be a Man.”

As David lay dying, he said to Solomon, “be strong and show yourself as a Man”.

The world we live in today is somewhat resistant to this advice. The “slouching” of society has been

in another direction.

I will say that we need to reverse this trend. The great Men of history were not emasculated as the current

culture attempts to execute on young males. The heroes we have learned about and admired throughout history were not

meterosexual beings who doubted their gender. They were Men, without apology.

Children of today, women of today, whether they admit it or not, and younger guys…..need men to be Men,

The “cuteness” and cynicism of our current culture has bent the phrase “a Man’s man” ..to have double meaning.

Its time to say….enough of that.

My encouragement to all men today….is to stand up,” Man-up”….don’t worry about verbal “slings and arrows”…

and be a Man. Without apology. Realistically, there is nothing to apologize for.

God made us in His Image. Is that anything to apologize for?

The world needs Men, not anesthetized eunuchs.

Don’t wait until you are 50 to realize this. Your wife needs you to be a Man, now, today.

She may not say it aloud, and the world will disagree, but she needs you to lead. Not manipulate. Lead.

Your son needs the lifelong example, your daughter needs the proper treatment and she needs a

role model for her husband-to-be and all younger guys around you need to see a “Man-in-full”.

What does this mean?

Be strong in The Lord.

Know and know how to use Scripture.

Be what God calls you to be throughout His Word. Seek and Discover what that means.

Fight any and all battles which need to be fought.

Know that Father knows best, without apology. for your family.

Walk with Integrity.

Don’t be or act like a boy after you turn 25.

Learn and live by the proper Principles.

Have transcendent causes such as Faith, Family, Country…..which take precedence over any hobby, or career.

Put away childish things……get help if you do not understand this.

Do not be ashamed or apologetic about being a Man, once again…God made you in His Image.

With all the above evidence, plant your feet….straighten your back,  take your stand…..be a Man.

Terry

July 2015

Do you like what you do occupationally?

It seems that many people do not. That would be the reason for “hump-day” and  T.G.I.F. ,

and other references to the ending of the work week.

If people enjoyed their work…they would enjoy Monday as much as the weekend.

As someone who has enjoyed my vocation for the 30 years I have been in and at it , I recommend to

any young person starting out….do as Mark Twain suggested many years ago…

“Make your vocation your vacation”.

Ask people who know you, get tested, look into and discover what it is that you love to do….

that your talents and desire drive you toward…and build a career out of it.

Even if you are 40…..why suffer through another 20-30 years of drudgery in a career field you

do not like or enjoy.

I believe a secret to life is searching for and finding that thing you love to do…

and have talent and gifting toward…and commit to building a career around it.

If you like and enjoy your work…..it will not seem like work. You will have a constant craving

to learn, grow and will most likely succeed because you have a God-gifted talent and a

God-gifted desire to do this particular thing.

Recognize that not only did Our Creator bless you with a talent toward something…..

He placed within you desire to draw you toward the thing in which you could realize the most fulfillment and success.

He is not One to trick you. Throughout the message of His Word He continually tells us He is with us.

He is for us….He has good intention toward us.

Know these things.

If you know and believe He made you, He bent you toward certain things. Those things are probably what you enjoy.

These things are what you should seek to build a working-life around. Seek to build around your interests.

I know of many people who work at a career for their whole life ….and never enjoy it. Those people most likely

carry some of that unhappiness home with them everyday. That lends itself to venting about the day. Venting about the unhappiness at work will eventually breed unhappiness at home. It cannot help but occur. A cycle of dreading work can be laid upon children who then hear the constant complaining from an unhappy parent who never took the time nor effort to discover a vocation they found uplifting and enjoyable. That child listens and learns that work is a drudgery. And the cycle continues.

Break it.

Make your vocation your vacation and it will keep you youthful. Your mind and your energies and your creative

juices will be flowing forever. You will not complain at home….you will be sharing Joy. You will be sharing your talent.

My father knew at 19 what he should be doing vocationally. He settled for several other jobs and spent 17 years doing

these other things before becoming what he was intended to be.

At 37, he stepped out and changed his life.

He became the Minister he knew at 19 that he had been gifted and talented and instructed to be.

When he died at 55, he had been so effective in those 18 years that there were about 1500 people at his funeral.

That is effective living.

Work can be fulfilling. Work can be not only productive but pleasing.

What talent or gift within you has been corralled in by doing a job you do not enjoy?

Has it slowly made you into a complaining, unhappy family member?

My encouragement would be to seek the things you know within you that you love. Take a risk.

Take the risk of enjoying a career of working at things you are gifted to be great at.

It can be done. If you have life and breath, it is not too late. There are people who can and will prosper

from your talent, gifts and effective energies.

Vocation. Vacation. Fulfillment.

Terry

July, 2015

On April 11, 2009, Susan Boyle walked onto a stage in England.

She answered questions from the panel of judges. She expressed herself in a funny, quirky way. Even doing a little twist with one answer. She was unknown to the crowd and to the questioning panel. She appeared a bit unkempt and probably out of her element. As she answered questions, the crowd rolled their eyes and shook their heads not really believing she belonged there. The judges were vocally polite, but their eyes and their facial expressions indicated their belief also that Ms. Boyle did not belong in front of them, aiming at a prize.

Then she sang.

Within five seconds the judges expressions changed.

Very quickly the crowd, whose faces looked at Ms. Boyle with skepticism, now had their mouths hanging open in amazement. Within 30 seconds they were applauding.

She sang.

As she sang she was not the quirky, unkempt middle-aged woman. She sounded like a trained artist. As she continued to sing two of the judges rose in admiration, the crowd stood and cheered her on. She won them over with her voice.

She won them over because she opened her mouth and sang in the face of the skepticism she had to see in front of her. Take a moment and go look at the YOU TUBE video of the performance, You can see the faces of the judges and the crowd. Then, as she sang you can see the transformation of the crowd, the judges,  and how they now perceived with amazement this middle-aged woman expressing her beautiful gift.

We are all a bit like Susan Boyle.

We may look different. We might be younger or older than she was that day. We might express ourselves in a more sophisticated manner.

But, we have all seen skepticism on the faces of those around us at times. We have seen others look at us with rolled eyes and shaking heads. We have seen doubt and have probably felt somewhat inferior.

When Ms. Boyle stepped out of herself, and expressed the GIFT within her …..all of the opinions changed. Those in front of her, those judging her, those watching her now saw the GIFT rather than just her.  They now saw and heard the GIFT, rather than the seemingly simple woman who stood on the stage.

Like Susan Boyle, you have a GIFT.

It might not be vocal. It might be another form of Art. It might be one of encouragement or teaching.

Allow the GIFT within you to be seen, heard and experienced by those all around you. It will change the way people view you.

The GIFT within you has been placed and prospered by the One who made you.

Open yourself up, express the GIFT uniquely placed within you, and you alone.

To me, one of the secrets of life is to uncover, decipher and discover the GIFT God has placed within you.

You can develop it and grow it, But, you cannot create it.

Its there, within you.

It may be the thing you like to do the most.

It most likely is something that benefits or blesses more people than just you.

We are all a bit like Susan Boyle.

We all need to be more like the Susan Boyle who sang in front of those who doubted her.

You can and will change doubt into applause.

It might only be the “applause of Heaven”, but you will be fulfilling the Intention behind the GIFT.

When we express the GIFT given us by God, we glorify Him. That is the intention of all of creation…to express the glory placed within us….by fully using the GIFT granted to us.

Susan Boyle sang.

There is a GIFT within you, waiting to be revealed.