The following story is from “Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul” a compilation of stories from entrepreneurs. This one is from Jim Rohn.
“I was lounging at home one day when I heard a knock at the door. It was a timid, hesitant knock. When I opened the door I looked down to see a pair of big brown eyes staring up at me. There stood a frail little girl of about ten. She told me, with all the courage and determination her little heart could muster, that she was selling Girl Scout cookies. It was a masterful presentation -- several flavors, a special deal, and only two dollars per box. How could anyone refuse? Finally, with a big smile and ever-so politely, she asked me to buy. And I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to!
“Except for one thing. I didn't have two dollars! Boy, was I embarrassed! Here I was -- a father, had been to college, was gainfully employed -- and yet I didn't have two dollars to my name.
“Naturally I couldn't tell this to the little girl with the big brown eyes. So I did the next best thing. I lied to her. I said, "Thanks, but I've already bought Girl Scout cookies this year. And I've still got plenty stacked in the house."
“Now that simply wasn't true. But it was the only thing I could think of to get me off the hook. And it did. The little girl said, "That's okay, sir. Thank you very much." And with that she turned around and went on her way.
“I stared after her for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, I closed the door behind me and, leaning my back to it, cried out, "I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had it with being broke, and I've had it with lying. I'll never be embarrassed again by not having any money in my pocket." That day I promised myself to earn enough to always have several hundred dollars in my pocket at all times.
“This is what I mean by a nitty-gritty reason. It may not win me any prize for greatness, but it was enough to have a permanent effect on the rest of my life.
“My Girl-Scout-cookie story does have a happy ending. Several years later, as I was walking out of my bank where I had just made a hefty deposit and was crossing the street to get into my car, I saw two little girls who were selling candy for some girls' organization. One of them approached me, saying, ‘Mister, would you like to buy some candy?’
"’I probably would,’ I said playfully. ‘What kind of candy do you have?’
"’It's almond roca.’
"’Almond roca. That's my favorite. How much is it?’
"’It's only two dollars.’
“Two dollars. It couldn't be! I was excited. ‘How many boxes of candy have you got?’
"’I've got five.’
“Looking at her friend, I said, ‘"And how many boxes do you have left?’
"’I've got four.’
"’That's nine. Okay, I'll take them all.’
“At this, both girls' mouths fell open as they exclaimed in unison, ‘Really?’
"’Sure,’ I said. ‘I've got some friends that I'll pass some around to.’
“Excitedly, they scurried to stack all the boxes together. I reached into my pocket and gave them eighteen dollars. As I was about to leave, the boxes tucked under my arm, one of the girls looked up and said, ‘Mister, you're really something!’ How about that! Can you imagine spending only eighteen dollars and having someone look you in the face and say, ‘You're really something!’
“Now you know why I always carry a few hundred dollars on me. I'm not about to miss chances like that ever again.
“And to think it all resulted from my own embarrassment, that when properly channeled, acted as a powerful motivator to help me achieve.”
What a neat story. I just had to share it with you, but let’s ask ourselves, “What is our motivation to get, to achieve in life?” Is is to get more toys, more things, bigger houses, more expensive cars? Or do we want to be in a position to give to others, to send missionaries around the world, or meet other needs of our society. I am not suggesting that everything and everyone that presents a need is a legitimate one to give to. If you give to some people you are only helping them continue their irresponsible lives instead of helping them become responsible citizens. Nor am I saying it is wrong to live in a nice house and drive a nice car. What I AM saying is that we should not allow these things or even the desire for these things to keep us from doing the more important things like being in a position to help those who really deserve help and giving to worthy causes. No nation on earth is as great as these United States of America. The primary reason we are great is that we are founded on Biblical principles. The second is that no nation has been more giving than the U.S.A.
The Bible says, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 (NIV)
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the heart of a “giver” not just a “getter.” May I find joy in giving and finding ways to give that really help and make a difference in the world. Show me, reveal to me those needs and equip me to respond to them, Help me to respond now at the level of my capacity so that capacity can then increase. Thank You for giving the gift of Your life so I that I now have eternal life. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Friday, February 9, 2007
Thursday, February 8, 2007
The Power of Giving
If you have one of the “red letter” editions of the Bible it is easy for you to identify the words of Jesus because they are the ones in red. Most of them are found in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John). In the book, Acts of the Apostles, you will find red letters only once. It is in Acts 20:35.
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35 (NIV)
The word for blessed in this Scripture is “makarios” in the Greek and means “happy.” In other words Jesus is saying that it is more fulfilling, will bring you more joy and happiness to give than when you are given to.
Did you ever hear anyone say, “I live to give.” They can say that because they really have discovered the joy of giving. Now, it doesn’t have to be money as in the story, but just what ever you have been blessed with. There is a joy, a happiness that rises up in you when you give that you just can’t describe.
Recently a man know as “Secret Santa” died. For years he never revealed his identity. He just went around giving hundred dollar bills randomly to people on the street, mostly in laundramats and thrift stores. He gave away over a million dollars in this way.
What changed this man’s life was a random act of kindness. He was the child of an impoverished but nurturing upbringing in small-town Mississippi in the 1950s and ’’60s. He never knew his father, and was raised by his elderly grandparents. A gregarious, athletic kid, he went to college on a football scholarship. After graduation and landing a job as a traveling salesman, he found himself living in his car after the company went out of business. Broke and hungry, he ordered breakfast at a diner and, when the time came to pay his bill, pretended to have lost his wallet.
The diner’’s owner, Ted Horn, came out from behind the counter, reached down toward the floor and came up with a $20 bill. “Son, you must have dropped this,” the owner told Stewart, and the young man, stunned and grateful, used the money to pay his bill and gas up his car. The Santa-to-be never forgot how a stranger’’s kindness could change a life.
Just last November he revealed his identity knowing he was dying with cancer. He died on January 12. This Saturday there is a public celebration of his life. The emcee is a comedian. Some would think, “That’s just not right! That’s disrespectful.” No, in fact, it is appropriate because Larry Stewart, Secret Santa, was happy and filled with laughter because he knew the secret of giving.
Be blessed, be happy today. Give something to someone who can’t give back to you.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, take every shred of selfishness from me and give me a heart like yours, a giving heart. You have blessed me to bless others, and before I ask for anything more I will use what I have to bless someone else. Then, I know I won’t have to ask or beg for more because as long I as use it in the right way You will always keep me supplied. Thank you, Jesus. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35 (NIV)
The word for blessed in this Scripture is “makarios” in the Greek and means “happy.” In other words Jesus is saying that it is more fulfilling, will bring you more joy and happiness to give than when you are given to.
Did you ever hear anyone say, “I live to give.” They can say that because they really have discovered the joy of giving. Now, it doesn’t have to be money as in the story, but just what ever you have been blessed with. There is a joy, a happiness that rises up in you when you give that you just can’t describe.
Recently a man know as “Secret Santa” died. For years he never revealed his identity. He just went around giving hundred dollar bills randomly to people on the street, mostly in laundramats and thrift stores. He gave away over a million dollars in this way.
What changed this man’s life was a random act of kindness. He was the child of an impoverished but nurturing upbringing in small-town Mississippi in the 1950s and ’’60s. He never knew his father, and was raised by his elderly grandparents. A gregarious, athletic kid, he went to college on a football scholarship. After graduation and landing a job as a traveling salesman, he found himself living in his car after the company went out of business. Broke and hungry, he ordered breakfast at a diner and, when the time came to pay his bill, pretended to have lost his wallet.
The diner’’s owner, Ted Horn, came out from behind the counter, reached down toward the floor and came up with a $20 bill. “Son, you must have dropped this,” the owner told Stewart, and the young man, stunned and grateful, used the money to pay his bill and gas up his car. The Santa-to-be never forgot how a stranger’’s kindness could change a life.
Just last November he revealed his identity knowing he was dying with cancer. He died on January 12. This Saturday there is a public celebration of his life. The emcee is a comedian. Some would think, “That’s just not right! That’s disrespectful.” No, in fact, it is appropriate because Larry Stewart, Secret Santa, was happy and filled with laughter because he knew the secret of giving.
Be blessed, be happy today. Give something to someone who can’t give back to you.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, take every shred of selfishness from me and give me a heart like yours, a giving heart. You have blessed me to bless others, and before I ask for anything more I will use what I have to bless someone else. Then, I know I won’t have to ask or beg for more because as long I as use it in the right way You will always keep me supplied. Thank you, Jesus. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Choices
“Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.” The previous quote is by Jim Rohn. Jim Rohn is a motivational speaker and life coach to many successful people.
‘This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life...” Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV
Life is filled with choices. In fact, everything we do involves choices. I spoke with a newspaper reporter the other day and was encouraging her to “spin” an article in a positive way for churches instead of choosing to make it negative. Her response was, “I just report the news. I can’t really control how it comes out.”
I told her, “Sure you can. You have a choice every time you report the news how you will spin it, and you DO put your spin on every article you write.
It’s the truth. Every reporter whether newspaper or other media puts their spin on every article or report. It is very hard not insert your personality and values into everything you do. She did a good job on the article by the way.
My point is that everything in life is a choice. God said to the people of Israel, “I set all these things before you and even tell you what I think you ought to choose, but the final choice is yours.” You can choose to be joyful or grumpy. I can’t control all the things that happen around me, but I do control how I react to them and my attitude as a result.
We make attitude choices that set a tone for our day when we get up every morning. We make attitude choices at work that impact our decisions. We choose to do right or wrong, to lie or tell the truth, to act honestly or dishonestly. I picked up the following story from an illustration resource I use, but it’s been told so many places I am not sure what the original source or original story was. Stories on the internet tend to get expanded as they are told and retold so I can’t even vouch for the truth of all the details, but the message of choices is still there.
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or.... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
"Yeah, right, it’s not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life."
I reflected on what Michael said. Soon after, I left to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter, "Michael replied.”Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read "he’s a dead man. I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me. Said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything.” ”Yes, I replied." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity." Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that everyday we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34 After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Are you like Michael?
What will your choices today be?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I choose to do the right thing today. The right thing according to your word and its values. I choose joy today. I choose life today. I choose You today. AMEN.
‘This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life...” Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV
Life is filled with choices. In fact, everything we do involves choices. I spoke with a newspaper reporter the other day and was encouraging her to “spin” an article in a positive way for churches instead of choosing to make it negative. Her response was, “I just report the news. I can’t really control how it comes out.”
I told her, “Sure you can. You have a choice every time you report the news how you will spin it, and you DO put your spin on every article you write.
It’s the truth. Every reporter whether newspaper or other media puts their spin on every article or report. It is very hard not insert your personality and values into everything you do. She did a good job on the article by the way.
My point is that everything in life is a choice. God said to the people of Israel, “I set all these things before you and even tell you what I think you ought to choose, but the final choice is yours.” You can choose to be joyful or grumpy. I can’t control all the things that happen around me, but I do control how I react to them and my attitude as a result.
We make attitude choices that set a tone for our day when we get up every morning. We make attitude choices at work that impact our decisions. We choose to do right or wrong, to lie or tell the truth, to act honestly or dishonestly. I picked up the following story from an illustration resource I use, but it’s been told so many places I am not sure what the original source or original story was. Stories on the internet tend to get expanded as they are told and retold so I can’t even vouch for the truth of all the details, but the message of choices is still there.
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him, "I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or.... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
"Yeah, right, it’s not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life."
I reflected on what Michael said. Soon after, I left to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I’d be twins. Wanna see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter, "Michael replied.”Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read "he’s a dead man. I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me. Said Michael. "She asked if I was allergic to anything.” ”Yes, I replied." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity." Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that everyday we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:34 After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Are you like Michael?
What will your choices today be?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I choose to do the right thing today. The right thing according to your word and its values. I choose joy today. I choose life today. I choose You today. AMEN.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Knocked Down, But Not Knocked Out
I am sure most of you watched theBig Game yesterday evening. It is the most watched single sporting event in the world. I watched it, and I was in the Colts corner. I am not totally sure why. I don’t have anything against the Bears or their coach. I guess you just have to be for someone. But then, I did feel Tony Dungee just deserved some success after what he went through losing his son and all. The sympathy factor.
My heart sunk in the first 14 seconds of the game when Chicago ran the kickoff all the way back for a TD, the first ever in a Super Bowl (whoops! The Big Game). Then three of Mannings first four passes touched defenders instead of receivers. It didn’t look good at that point.
But I am reminded of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don't know why things happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit. 9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. (TLB)
Tony Dungee (cool Tony) and the Colts didn’t give up. They pressed on to lead by the half and never fall behind again. They could have just given up thinking, “this is our destiny.”
Don’t give up today whatever you may be facing. Don’t give up, get up. Another translation of that Scripture says, “I may be knocked down, but I’m not knocked out.”
I was again pleased at the presentation of the Lombardi tropy that the Colts owner and Coach Dungee gave praise to God for His blessings. Then Coach Dungee took it a step further. There were all kinds of other issues in this game. But Dungee refused to get sidetracked. As important as the other issues may have been (and he acknowledged the importance of the first black coaches in history in the super bowl) but declared the most important thing was that “two Christian coaches showed it can be done the right way.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me what it takes to get up not give up. To overcome my disappointments and poor starts to win the victory. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
My heart sunk in the first 14 seconds of the game when Chicago ran the kickoff all the way back for a TD, the first ever in a Super Bowl (whoops! The Big Game). Then three of Mannings first four passes touched defenders instead of receivers. It didn’t look good at that point.
But I am reminded of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don't know why things happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit. 9 We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. (TLB)
Tony Dungee (cool Tony) and the Colts didn’t give up. They pressed on to lead by the half and never fall behind again. They could have just given up thinking, “this is our destiny.”
Don’t give up today whatever you may be facing. Don’t give up, get up. Another translation of that Scripture says, “I may be knocked down, but I’m not knocked out.”
I was again pleased at the presentation of the Lombardi tropy that the Colts owner and Coach Dungee gave praise to God for His blessings. Then Coach Dungee took it a step further. There were all kinds of other issues in this game. But Dungee refused to get sidetracked. As important as the other issues may have been (and he acknowledged the importance of the first black coaches in history in the super bowl) but declared the most important thing was that “two Christian coaches showed it can be done the right way.”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me what it takes to get up not give up. To overcome my disappointments and poor starts to win the victory. AMEN.
Blessings!
Pastor Roger
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
