Taking a Stand for Yourself

Readers, we have only one life to live that given by our loving God. Are we living it with self-respect, with purpose, with a strategy for continued growth?

When we are born each of us is given a white piece of blank paper to write down whatever that we want. Some write only a little, some write a lot but some just allow others to write for them. Whose fault is it?

Sheep, for self-preservation, always remain with their herd. Why do so many of us act as if we were sheep? Why do we abandon the management of our lives to others while we stumble forlornly through each day waiting only for the next command to jump or perform for our breakfast?

Nena and George O’Neil reminds us that “If we do not rise to the challenge of our unique capacity to shape our own lives, to seek the kinds of growth that we find individually fulfilling, then we can have no security: we will live in a world of sham, in which our selves are determined by the will of others, in which we will be constantly buffeted and increasingly insolated by the changes around us. Without choice we can have no direction; without a life strategy that is our own we lose our sense of self and become a cipher, a nothing.”

And Og Mandino one of the best self-improvement authors that I admired most added, “Whenever we allow others to control our lives we place our future in their hands, we abdicate our right to make choices beneficial to us, and we stifle all opportunity for growth. With no goals, no priorities, no life strategy of our own, we drift with the herd through an endless meadow of mediocrity, unable to break loose, to achieve even a small part of the dreams we once cherished.”

Taking a stand in life, a stand for yourself, is integral to shifting gears, to growing through self-directed change. Nena and George O’Neil gave seven keys to creative self-management that can help you to develop a stand in life:

1. Don’t ask permission. Do it.

2. Don’t report. Check things out with yourself, not others.

3. Don’t apologize unnecessarily. This is telling others you are a self-diminisher.

4. Don’t recriminate yourself. The missed-opportunity syndrome keeps you from moving forward.

5. Don’t say “I should” or “I shouldn’t.” Ask “Why?” or “Why not?”

6. Don’t be afraid to say no or yes. Act on what you think and feel.

7. Don’t put yourself completely in the hands of another. Be a self-determiner.

Nena and George explained, “Each of these keys is a negative because it is necessary to counteract our too frequent capitulation to cultural and social dicta that insist upon our conformity, that tells us security lies in being like other people instead of fulfilling our individual needs through continuing growth. But this negative cast doesn’t mean that we must forsake others or fail to take others into account.”

They further explained, “The truth is that we can have understanding and consideration for others only to the extent that we ourselves are strong. If we are ciphers, ruled by others, then we have nothing to give others. It is only when we begin to manage our own change that we can truly give ourselves in a caring and sharing way, we give to another or to a project or situation out of our feelings of independence, self-reliance, and security, not out of self-diminishment and weakness. A corollary to these key is: be kind to yourself. Few of us can reach a compassionate kindness for others unless we can be kind to our selves first.”

I encouraged you that love yourself first before you say “I love you” and serve other people. Do not let others rule over you! Remember, our Loving God gave us the mind, the two eyes, the two hands, and two feet to use for our self-growth and improvement. So use it…don’t allow others to control your destiny and ambition in life!

I encouraged you, Just Build a Better You! Be a productive individual, becoming a source of encouragement and a source of inspiration to other people!

Before I conclude my message, I would like to request you to read and think of this carefully:
John Maxwell my favorite authors in leadership and self-improvement books, which writings changed and improved my life to becoming a productive individual reminds you that “The only person who can stop you from becoming what God intends you to become is you!"

Wish you many blessings to come and God Bless!

Moises Padin Reconalla

About the Author

Moises Padin Reconalla is an alumnus of Adventist UNiversity of the Philippines. And a graduate student of Manila Theological College. Worked as a Guidance Counselor and College Instructor at North Davao Colleges, Panabo City, Philippines. You can send your comments about this article through his email wisdomisgreat@gmail.com or wisdomisgreat@yahoo.com

All rights reserved. Copyright September 2006 by Moises Padin Reconalla

NOTE: You're free to republish this article on your website, in your newsletter, in your e-book or in other publications provided that the article is reproduced in its entirety, including the author information.

[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

Striving To Become a Prolific Article Writer

I confess that I am in awe of some of the top producers in the article-marketing game. Lance Winslow, for one, has now crossed the 10,000 article barrier. And he did it in 20 months of writing.

So here am I, with just over 100 articles to my credit. How can I increase my productivity without sacrificing quality? This is a matter I have been giving a lot of thought to these last few months.

I left my full-time job 56 days ago and have written 71 new articles in that time as I try to build a business as a freelance copywriter.

That puts me at about 1.5 articles per day. Pitiful.

Some writers out their write ten to twenty, good articles a day. My goal is to write seven articles a day, every day. (So far I’ve the most I’ve ever written were six articles in a single day.)

Seven articles a day is almost 50 a week. I can write one extra article per week to get me at that 50 level.

50 articles a week equals 200 articles a month, which equals 2400 a year. Now that’s what I’m talking about!

So that is my goal, 50 articles a week. How do I accomplish this?

The latest discovery I’ve made is to write my articles in clusters. This past weekend, I turned off my computer screen and wrote non stop on the topic of rainmaking for professionals or people with service businesses.

When I turned my monitor on I found, in addition to many spelling and grammar mistakes, were about 2200 words on the subject of rainmaking. I printed these three pages out and let them sit for two days. Then I came back to the pages and highlighted interesting sections, drew arrows connecting one part to another, and wrote some notes in the margins.

From this I have now written three articles on rainmaking. But I allowed some other things to interrupt my writing time and believe I can write about two or three more.

So the question is, can I do this again and again and again? Can I write a raw draft, set it aside for a day and come back to it and produce seven articles? Each day?

I haven’t done it yet, but I think writing articles in clusters is the way to go. My mind simply cannot move from one topic to another on a dime. But when I try to write articles one at a time I tend to belabor certain points and try to squeeze every single thought into a single article. Bad move.

Psychology has shown that behaviors can be changed with the right tools and with measurement. I have established my baseline level of article writing. I have my 50 article-per-week goal and now I have a promising tool (clustering). Can I succeed?

Stay tuned and find out.

COPYRIGHT(C)2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.

Download your free copy of 99 Ideas For Writing Irresistible Web Content, written by Charles Brown, a Dallas, Texas based freelance copywriter who writes web copy, advertisements, white papers and direct mail. Subscribe to his "Freelance Copywriter Secrets" at http://dynamiccopywriting.blogspot.com or contact him at 817.715.3852 or **charbrow@gmail.com**.

[tags]article marketing, article writing,[/tags]

Stress

Stress. The word brings to mind many different definitions doesn’t it? It is an individual thing in many ways – although the Canadian Stress Institute’s founder, Dr. Hans Selye was the first one to define the condition. He is known as the Father of Stress. Let’s say you are walking through the park. All of a sudden, out of the bush at the side of the path, a black bear appears. Fear surges through every cell of your body. Your mind and body are stressed, and together they will prepare physiologically and psychologically for the “fight or flight” stress response. The heart pumps faster and blood surges through the blood vessels, lactic acid is released into the muscles, adrenalin and other chemicals are released, breathing becomes shallow, and the bowels loosen.

Your mind is racing and desperately trying to remember what it is you do when you see a Bear. Do you make yourself bigger looking? Do you run and climb a tree (even though as a kid you were lousy at this)?. You try to yell HELP, but only a little squeak comes out. The bear looks at you and quickly lumbers off in the opposite direction. Oh sweet relief. Your body relaxes. Half an hour later you feel exhausted and you wonder why. Fear elicits the stress response. It doesn’t matter if it is a bear in the park, any life threatening situation, a rude customer, accidents, challenges at home, problems at work, financial lack – your body is programmed, when stressful stimuli are presented, to react in this manner.

You don’t have to think about it. Courtesy of Mr. Bear, you have experienced the body’s stress response. It leaves you feeling like your energy was stolen. So, imagine if you are someone who lives a stressful life and this response happens over and over and over, many times every day. You will be one exhausted human being. With fatigue – the offshoot of continual stress – comes an entire set of other problems. Depression, lack of energy, more colds/flu, weight gain or weight loss, memory loss, higher risk of heart attack/stroke, and the list goes on. But don’t despair. There is a solution.

Psycho-neuro-immunology was the field of study that Hans Selye created in the 1960’s. It is the study of the mind, the nervous system and the immune system and how they all work together. Simplistically put, Dr. Selye proved that your mind controls how your body responds. You may remember hearing the phrase – you are what you think. Herein lies the key to stress and how to control it in your life. Dr. Wayne Dyer once said, “If you change the way you think about things, the things you think about, change.” Confused? We all know people for whom the phrase “if it wasn’t for bad luck, they’d have no luck at all” applies. The thing is, once you have experienced a whole run of non stop negativity in your life, it is very easy to slip into that space where you begin to notice all the negative things that happen every single day to most of us. You know, bumping into things, dropping things, running into grumpy or rude people, things that don’t work or break.

Then you start to almost fixate on this and all the negativity starts to grow in your life Your inner voice joins in and soon you are heard to be saying things like “Yeah, that always happens to me” or “With my luck, it probably wouldn’t work anyway”. The key is to stop focusing on the negatives in your life – because whatever you focus on becomes bigger in your mind. We all have upsetting things happen in ours lives. Some things take longer to deal with than others.

That’s just how life is. But once we’ve grieved, or recuperated, or whatever it was we had to do, we can start to turn this around by becoming aware of each and every time we respond in a negative way. Deal with it and then move on. Don’t stay stuck in negativity. Stop and think about how you could turn your situation around and start to re-train your brain to see the positive. Happiness is a choice – make it yours.

Carole Fawcett is a Stress Management expert and laughter therapist who lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. Check out her website at http://www.afunnybusiness.ca

[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

Starbucks Please Don't

There they go again. Starbucks Corp. is on a mission to boost sales of glittery snow globes and other non-coffee items.

Been there, done that, and not very well.

I joined Starbucks in the mid-'90s, left to start my consultancy in the late '90s, but remain a committed believer in the brand and its core purpose. In other words, I am a faithful Starbuckian, whose duty it always will be to love the Company and to speak out when I think it is going astray.

Starbucks, to me, is a brand that should be emulated by anyone wanting to build a business the right way. But even the greatest companies get off coarse occasionally, and for Starbucks merchandise sales seems to be its recurring Achilles' heel.

Without going into all the history, Starbucks core purpose is not about cookie trays, Christmas ornaments or warm and fuzzy "bearistas." It is about the Third Place Experience and providing the best coffeehouse value in the world. Starbucks partners (employees) understand this and so do Starbucks loyal customers; nevertheless, executives, in an effort to add more profit, once again delude themselves into believing that merchandise that goes beyond the coffeehouse experience fits into the Company's core purpose. They have even hired a new Vice President to make it happen.

Once and for all, Christmas merchandise is not part of Starbucks core purpose and it does not enhance the Third Place Experience. In fact, it detracts from the experience.What it does do is clutter the floors with items we customers don't want. We become confused and frustrated by the merchandising of non-coffeehouse junk, which results in brand dilution. It makes us feel as if Starbucks is just another retailer trying to get into our pockets.

Why, Starbucks, do you do this? You are too good to fall victim to this wrongful thinking? For all our sakes, get back to your core purpose. Make us proud again.

Lewis Green is the Founder and Managing Principal of L&G Business Solutions, a managing consultancy focused on brand, marketing PR and sales. He is a former Starbucks partner (employee).

by Lewis Green

[tags]Starbucks,marketing,brand,core purpose,merchandise,Christmas[/tags]

Speak, Lord!

"Speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10); "I will listen to what God the Lord will say: he promises peace to his people, his saints" (Psalm 85:8); "Two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving" (Psalm 62:11,12).

There is a philosophical question that if a tree falls and no one is there to hear it, then does it make a sound? The same can be said for our spiritual experiences. God calls us by name but, if we don't listen and respond, then we lose the interest and the principle--and the Principal. What is so touching in the third chapter of 1 Samuel is that Samuel ran into Eli's room three times, thinking that it was the elderly Eli who had called him. The voice was so human-like that Samuel was sure it was Eli. Sometimes we receive calls and rebukes in the familiar voices of relatives and friends. We would do well to be able to distinguish them as messages from God. God often uses human instruments to bring about Divine results.

"Now get up and go...and you will be told what to do" (Acts 9:6). God no longer speaks directly to us as He did to Samuel, but He does speak in His providence through the various people, events and actions in our lives, the new opportunities we have each day to renew our covenant with Him and the new responsibilities of each day that afford us the chance to serve Him and others.

God speaks to us consistently and insistently in nature, in history, and in the gift of reasoning powers. He speaks to us as individuals: "I have called you by name; you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1b). Yes, Lord, I will listen and I will learn that You are a strong and loving God who wants us to be not just hearers but listeners who learn well what You want for us in our lives.

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September Thoughts

September 1

"What you are is God's gift to you; what you make of yourself is your gift to God" (Anonymous). Many years ago Clarence Darrow wrote, "If I were a young man graduating from college this year, I would chuck it all and commit suicide. Life isn't worth living today." How tragic. A young man was complaining that God had surely made a terrible world, and he wondered why. His friend said, "That is the reason God put you into this world--to make it a better place in which to live. Now stop complaining and start doing something about it."

September 2

“Why do you stand looking into the sky?” (Acts 1:11). We mourn that which passes from our lives. But! "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way as you have seen Him go into heaven" (v.11b). Sometimes the loss we so grieve over is a blessing that will strengthen us. We gaze with broken heart and mind at a fading treasure, and yet in the losing is the very grace that we may and can gain. "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you..." (John 16:7). "Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

September 3

"I will give you a new heart..." (Ezekiel 36:26a). Ah, Lord God, a new heart! I beg for a heart that understands my brother's and sister's real needs, not just desires. I beg for a renewed heart that can mesh with my dear friend's, to comprehend the hurts and tangles in both our lives. "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). "Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults" (Psalm 19:12). O my Lord, baptize me in the Living Water that I may be cleansed of all that separates me from You and from Your creation. Wash me, O Father, and I shall be whiter than snow....

September 4

"...We tried to stop him, because he is not one of us" (Luke 9:49b). It is arrogance to assume that we know what is best for all concerned; it is to reach the top rung of pride. "So a young man ran and told Moses...`Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.' Then Joshua...answered and said, `Moses, my Lord, restrain them.' But Moses said to him, `Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!'" (Numbers 11:27-29 NAS). Jesus says, "Do not stop him...for whoever is not against you is for you" (Luke 9:50). Only God knows motives!

September 5

"Unless I shall see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25 NAS). Thomas loved Jesus fervently. Only a few weeks before, he wanted to go with Him to His death (John 11:16). But how could he, a practical, common-sense type of person, accept that this Man he so loved, and who had died and was buried, is now resurrected? Impossible! Unless? We find it so difficult to believe, except on our conditions. But Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).

September 6

"...I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf" (Exodus 32:24). How preposterous! And yet we can give some strange excuses ourselves. "You know the people...that they are prone to evil" (v.22). Aaron said nothing about the mold he made or the graving tool he used. We all sin, and we blame nature or them or the devil. "They" make us do it. Society makes us murderers and adulterers because it makes such stringent laws, so we reason. Moses literally broke the commandments in indignation at the sin he witnessed. We break God's commandments in indignation that our so-called freedom is curtailed and then we fault others when life goes askew.

September 7

"Then man goes out to his work, to his labor until evening" (Psalm 104:23). "A spectator watched three men at work. `What are you doing?' he asked the first man. ‘Working for ten shillings a day.’ He asked the second man the same question. `Cutting stone.' When he asked the third man, the answer was: `Building a cathedral'" (Anonymous). Work can be ordinary or extraordinary. If we have a job which matches our talents and we get paid a good salary, too, then how fortunate we are. But George MacDonald cautions us: "Mind, it is our best work that He wants, not the dregs of our exhaustion. I think He must prefer quality to quantity."

September 8

"The crucible [is] for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart" (Proverbs 17:3). We don't know what is in our heart until life tests us. It is so easy to profess our religion and patience and love, until we must use it. As God permits disclosure of our weaknesses, He is refining us and strengthening us. He is removing the chaff to make us more fruitful. "Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand" (Daniel 12:10 NAS).

September 9

"I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me...I said, `Here am I, here am I" (Isaiah 65:1). "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). He writes on our seeking hearts, "I am Love." We can lose Him but He will never lose us. Someone wrote, "[Love] is righteousness and benevolence acting in harmony." God is just and good, and He wants us to be happy. He is the only one who knows what is best for us. This is an energy verse for the Christian; the motivating factor for the person who professes His name: "Jesus first loved me!"

September 10

"What are you willing to give me...?" (Matthew 26:15a). Imagine, Judas is asking the chief priests how much they are willing to give him--to betray his Lord. Judas, who once loved and believed in Jesus, is now ready to commit the meanest crime on earth, all for thirty pieces of silver. The weeds in Judas' garden were greed, lack of insight and ingratitude of the highest order. Even being with Jesus who daily sacrificed Himself for others did not convince Judas of his own self-serving ways. Yet who are we to judge Judas, for we serve self daily. How many times a day do we ask, "What are you willing to give me...what do I get?"

September 11

One of my favorite Bible verses is about nobility: “But the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands” (Isaiah 32:8 NIV). Nobility is about integrity, honesty and dignity. It has nothing to do with the era in which we live. Virtue is not confined to time and space. It is timeless and therefore here and now, and more necessary than ever. But to make noble plans we begin with noble thoughts, thoughts we wake up with and go to sleep with; this dictates how we will act in between.

September 12

The lady of the house took her friends on the grand tour of her new residence. She was so proud of her treasures. She even told her friends she didn't want Jesus to come back any time soon, because she wanted to enjoy all this luxury. Hezekiah told Isaiah, "There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them" (Isaiah 39:4). This was after God gave Hezekiah fifteen more years of life, too. Both these people ran into a crisis of prosperity. Jesus tells us, "Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:20).

September 13

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service..." (1 Timothy 1:12 NAS). We are His anointed and appointed to make His rounds our rounds; His work our work. Paul here is thanking God that he has been called to a life of responsibility and hardship. There aren't too many of us willing to do that. The Christian life is a challenge to mind and body. It is development, construction, production, creativity, and originality. Imagine, we are partners with God! “...I came that [you] might have life...abundantly” (John 10:10).

September 14

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault" (James 1:5). Prayer does not change the mind of God but it does open the way to our heart so we will understand what God has in mind for us. This, too, is wisdom. What is so striking about this verse is that God does not reproach us for what we ask; He gives liberally if we ask for what is good for all concerned. "Give me wisdom and knowledge...`Because you...did not ask for riches, wealth or honor...nor have you even asked for long life...wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you'" (2 Chronicles 1:10-12 NAS).

September 15

"...I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her" (Hosea 2:14). Sometimes we have to be brought to the place of desolation and loneliness before God can speak to us and make us understand what we have done to ourselves and what He would like to do for us. God does not drive us but He pleads with us to come out from the world and to come into the wilderness, away from old associations and habits, to a new life. It is there in the seeming barrenness of the wilderness that He will give us vineyards and hope and a new song (v.15). Divine leading is never contrary to our highest good; otherwise, God would be evil.

September 16

Jonah is an interesting character and represents us all at some phase in our lives. Instead of going to Nineveh, he sailed the other way. As one writer put it: "He arose like a pigeon let loose in a strange place, performed the circle of indecision, then darted off in the wrong direction." Perhaps we have done the same thing: heard God's clear call and darted in the other direction. We fear that the call demands everything and we can't give that much. It is easier to resign than to face the unknown. We jump overboard into something worse to escape what God wants us to do.

September 17

"But the centurion...commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves...into the sea, and get to land: and the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship" (Acts 27:43,44 KJV). There are several worthwhile lessons here: 1) our plans and purposes may break up instantly, like this ship; 2) sudden changes may be for our good; 3) our helplessness calls forth others' sympathy and aid; 4) in disaster earthly possessions lose their value; 5) the means of salvation can hinge on little things: broken pieces and people we do not value; and 6) we can break on sunken rocks of unbelief and neglect.

September 18

"Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1). The crafty foe engages an innocent Eve in conversation and controversy and he knows he has her. Humans don't like restraints, especially moral ones. The serpent deftly touched on the one tree Adam and Eve were told was off limits. They didn't even realize what was happening. And he subtlety puts into our minds what we don't have, and so keeps on fostering discontent and distrust. Helen Keller, deaf and blind, said, "So much has been given to me; I have no time to ponder over that which has been denied." What a wonderful thought when we are discontent with our lot in life!

September 19

Albert E. Bailey told the story of two bills: The first bill was from Harry to his mother for jobs he did around the house, "Total that Mother owes Harry, $.12." Mother promptly paid the bill. Harry found a bill from Mother under his pillow the next morning: "For food for Harry, 10 years...$0.00; For clothing and home, 10 years...$0.00; For toys and skates and bicycle...$0.00; For taking care of Harry during pneumonia...$0.00. Total that Harry owes Mother...$0.00." What joy and gratitude we feel when we realize Jesus has paid our bill to God, and it is marked, "$0.00!" We owe nothing but our lives, our praise and our thankfulness.

September 20

It is useless to brag about our ancestry. One thing the Christian knows, we don't need to worry about monkey swingers. Other than that, we aren't sure what a perusal through our lineage might reveal, and we may not want to know. Someone asked an old rabbi why God made only two people, Adam and Eve. He replied, "So that nobody can say, `I come from better stock than you do.'" Will Rogers, proud of his Indian heritage, is reported to have told a member of a prominent New England family who bragged about her ancestors coming over on the Mayflower, "My ancestors were here to meet them." Our Father is our Ancestor.

September 21

"When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 5:19); "But remember the Lord your God, for it He who gives you the ability to produce wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18). Religion allows both the acquirement and enjoyment of wealth. What it prohibits is the selfishness which seems to grow like a barnacle if we don't acknowledge the source of our wealth, whether material or spiritual.

September 22

Sometimes we can't win. Jesus told the multitudes: "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say,`He has a demon!' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and `sinners!'" (Matthew 11:18,19). Critics are unreasonable and it is impossible to please them. If a person is reserved and a loner by nature, "they say" he is conceited, narrow and unsociable; if a person is accessible and talkative, "they say" he is worldly and intrusive. We might as well learn to overcome the "They Sayers." Even Jesus had to deal with them.

September 23

"The infinite Jehovah is much more pleased with the gentle melting of a broken heart, and the pious breathings of humble love, than all the noise and clamor in the world" (From the journal of Joseph Pilmoor). "The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools" (Ecclesiastes 9:17); "But I have stilled and quieted my soul" (Psalm 131:2a); "In quietness and trust is [our] strength" (Isaiah 30:15b). God wants an untroubled heart in His kingdom. He is the Author of peace, not the noise and disorientation we have today.

September 24

"The lessons I have culled from the crucible of real life, whatever I know about the undoing of nations and the triumph of man, teach me that as long as hope pulsates within us like blood, redemption is possible, like survival itself, for a society, for a people, for an individual, even for a child without parents, without means, without education, without health, even in conditions that stagger the mind" (Of Blood and Hope, Samuel Pisar). Pisar somehow came through the Holocaust and wrote one of the more uplifting and educational books about that terrible age in history. We only think we have suffered; the survivors of the concentration camps did, and still hoped.

September 25

"...Let them first learn to practice piety...and to make some return to their parents..." (1 Timothy 5:4 NAS). It doesn't have to be a monetary return. Parents long for kind words and actions. The widowed mother would so appreciate for her son to mow the lawn; parents or grandparents would like a night out with the children; a phone call on a special day would make a lonely heart so happy; a note saying "I love you" would thrill a lonely heart. These are not crippling obligations but privileges of love while one's parents and grandparents still live. Love begins at home and it should return for a visit now and then.

September 26

Howard D. Bare shares this insight: "Four men climbed a mountain to see the view. The first wore new and expensive shoes which did not fit, and he complained constantly of his feet. The second had a greedy eye and kept wishing for this house or that farm. The third saw clouds and worried for fear it might rain. But the fourth really saw the marvelous view. His mountaintop experience was looking away from the valley out of which he had just climbed to higher things." God loves beauty, for He created it. Surely He wants us to cherish and appreciate His gifts. Let us pray to recognize them.

September 27

Emerson said, "The hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer." Perseverance is an essential words in the Christian's vocabulary. Jesus told His disciples, "...He who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22). "Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, `My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:8,9 NAS). God's grace is sufficient to keep us going through what we must endure, and it is sufficient to the end.

September 28

"To cease to rebel, to stop fighting back, to be content with half a loaf when you cannot have a whole one--these are hard lessons, but all of us must learn them. I have found that the great word is Acquiescence" (Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau). A motto which used to hang in homes read: "The City of Contentment is in the State of Mind." In Christianity we have the vehicle to drive away discontent, for it takes away the natural causes of discontent: pride, selfishness and greed. If we believe God has the whole world in His hands, and each life as well, then we can't be miserable. Misery, too, is in the State of Mind.

September 29

Procrastination is a killer of time and motivation. It borrows on tomorrow's time. Today is yesterday's tomorrow. God has many promises, but tomorrow isn't one of them. We can't waste a minute of unredeemable time in getting on with our purpose in life while we have time and health to do it. Felix told Paul, "Go away for the present, and when I find time, I will summon you" (Acts 24:25 NAS). There is no record of Felix ever finding the time to summon Paul. Cervantes said, "By the streets of `By and By' one arrives at the house of `Never.'" By and by, we will arrive at never, too, if we don't get on with what we need to do--today.

September 30

Sometimes other people's strength becomes our own. In A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, a young girl observes Carton's composure and says to him, "If I may ride with you, will you let me hold your hand? I am not afraid, but I am little and weak, and it will give me more courage." When the cart reaches the place of execution, she looks at him and says, "I think you were sent to me by Heaven." We all know that special person who has faced his or her crisis with uncommon fortitude, and we draw on that for nerve and energy for our own struggles in life.

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Remember Your Dreams

Looking back behind, I can still see the face of my closest friend how happy and excited he was but a little bit hesitate in saying really? you will treat me in the Jollibee?

I was then in a third year high school, when God showed me His mercy and love in due time, the deepest confusion, inferiorities and hardships of my life.

I’m an ambitious young man and I have a lot of great dreams for my future. But how could it be? It’s the same questioned that always lingering in my mind. I’m the product of a broken home family, grew up in the street, and stayed with different and even with the cruel person in this world! It’s good that was finished! The bitter memory of my childhood! And now, I’m renting in this lonely old small room house with my own at least but working on a construction with P120.00 pesos salary per day paying for house rent, foods, and my studies. With this kind of situation, I felt as if I’m still trapped in misery and strife but living with great hope and determination to reach out even just a single of my dream, to finish my studies as a capital to have a brighter future because I believe in sayings that goes like this, “Do your best and God will do the rest”.

One day, one of my closest friend approached me and said…friend, are you still working? Yes! I said…why? He answered …we have quiz today; please attend the class because if you will missed it then you know absolutely what happened, right? Remember your dreams that you told me! Was the warned word of my friend while leaving. Thanks so much friend, I will! I assured back to him. So I hurried up to finish my work, loading the truck with some cements and gravels. When I finished, I hurriedly headed toward my lonely home to make some quick preparations of my school things that I needed because the class will start at 1:30 p.m. and it was then 12:30 so at least I have one hour to prepare myself. While doing so, this closest friend of mine knocks on my door, so we went to school together.

It was not yet time for the class to start, so we decided to pass by in the library. By there, my adviser saw and called me! Mr. Reconalla, can you go in my office? I have an urgent matter to discuss with you! I paused for a while to think and guess what were going to discuss and oh! What came in my mind just make me feel nervous and makes me a little bit sick! Because I was thinking that most of the cases like mine that the adviser talk privately with his/her students was when you’re a delinquent kind of students on academic, behavior or in any kind of poor performances and despite of that I felt very weak to think a positive one since I didn’t eat and rest well yet before I went here in school. Of course I don’t have any choice, with a heavy feet and heart, I followed and entered into my advisers’ office and there she was waiting patiently. I could hardly wait what she will going to tell me because before she opened her mouth to start, I could not almost hold the different emotions and feelings to the things she going to tell me. I can hear the tremendous pounding of my heartbeat. And at last! She started to talk. I understand what you feel right now my dear! She said, as she was reading the expression in my face and as she was looking straight in the window of my soul….Oh! Thanks I said for minimizing and giving a little relief.

You know, I have a better plan for you! I was aware of the situation you have through your friend and I observing you for so long in your class performance and I salute you! It’s really hard for you to finish your schooling in high school with such kind of situation for it’s only few opportunities here to help you to support your needs than to college, so I encourage you to take a Philippine Examination Placement Test by next week. I have confident with you that you can do it! She said, unaware of my informal education background. I did not passed through a step-by-step grade level from elementary and some of my cards were just faked by merciful teachers to let me jumped to a higher grade and now here in high school with this third year level. And here I am, I could hardly believe, my teacher wants me to jump again to college and she has confident on me!” Confident”, a word that I needed most to hear on that time for inferiorities succumbed me most of the time in my life! Just prepare this so and so…. And I will help you to register when you have all the things that I said you would needed.

Some other things she was talking about were not clear anymore because of my excitement and happiness in replacement of my feelings I felt before I entered in the office. I thank God and my adviser for such good opportunity for me! I really thanked God with great relief and with a deep sighed for providing an instrument so that step by step I can fulfill my dreams. After our class, I shared it with my closest friend and he too was so very happy and excited with me because I told him that I’m going to treat him in Jollibee if I am able to pass this exam, so I let him pray for me. Of course my dear friend! He assured me! So we separated from each other with happiness and excited in our hearts. Night came and I was visited with various emotions in my heart and thought in mind that I could hardly sleep. What if I failed, what if I did not finish my studies… and so many, many what ifs’ questioned that entered in my mind again. Oh! My life maybe has really no direction and worthless after if I failed this good chance for me. So I bowed down and prayed hard to give me wisdom and strength to face another challenge of everyday life that would come especially the coming test that I am going to take! After that, I slept peacefully with a lighter load of burden and cares of uncertainties of life!

A days before examination, I went to my sisters’ house to lent money that I would needed, and when I arrived there she was so happy that I was able to visit her but when I told the real reason why visited her she was a little bit disappointed but grant my request and gave me her last money in her pocket. She said luck for me and I immediately headed to my advisers house because she promised that she’s the one who will go to register me. So we went to the registration office and lo and behold! It was only one blank registration form left for me as if it was really waiting for me because if we were late a little bit or just a second then it might get by others and I need to wait another year or perhaps some other year again. My kind teacher and I were so very thankful to God with that miracle event I could say!

Examination day came. Nervousness haunted me once again for I’m thinking that maybe I’m the oldest guy taking an exam there and can’t imagine I’m surrounded by young persons staring at me to let me feel embarrass and uncomfortable. So again, I prayed fervently to God that just do His Will for me and let me overcome the feelings I had. When I entered and seat in my designated place, I tried to look around if I was right in my imagination and see! There’s a lot, lot older persons than myself, than I was thinking before. The exams were so hard for me and I can’t remember any that I was able to studied and learned from the classroom, why? Because despite of my informal education background, if I’m not late then I was absent then. So I just relied on the Will and Wisdom from above and with some information’s I learned from my personal readings of books which I borrowed for sometimes in some of my good friends.

One month had passed; I could hardly wait for the result of my exams. My closest friend and adviser were also waited for me. Also, sometimes I could hardly sleep to think about it, so I decided to go on the office of the examination center and asked for a result. Surely, I was not disappointed, they gave it to me! When I got to know the result, I want to shout…… shout for joy! Because I made it! But instead I looked up my head up to heaven and ascended my thanks giving prayer! I went to my adviser and thanked her and she said that I am free now to enroll in college. Oh! What a blessing for me! But of course before my story end, for sure we have a little celebration in Jollibee with my closest friend.

How happy I was during those times but for sure I will much, much happy when I had received my diploma last March 2005! As a bachelor holder in History and Minor in Political Science, the fulfilled dream of my life! Now, I am working on to finish my Master’s degree in Christian Education and worked as a Guidance Counselor, College Instructor, and Working Student Supervisor.

To you, my readers, I firmly encouraged you Do your best and God will do the rest!

Always remember this: The Future Belong To Those Who Believe In The Beauty Of Their Dreams!

Wish you many blessings to come and God Bless!

Moises Padin Reconalla

About the Author

Moises Padin Reconalla is an alumnus of Adventist UNiversity of the Philippines. And a graduate student of Manila Theological College. Worked as a Guidance Counselor and College Instructor at North Davao Colleges, Panabo City, Philippines.

You can send your comments about this article through his email wisdomisgreat@gmail.com or wisdomisgreat@yahoo.com

All rights reserved Worldwide. Copyright 2006 by Moises Padin Reconalla

NOTE: You're free to republish this article on your website, in your newsletter, in your e-book or in other publications provided that the article is reproduced in its entirety, including the author information. But you are not allowed to alter or change any of the original texts without the prior approval of the author. This to avoid creating confusion to the reader. This article is written intended to help an individual to improve their life not to create confusion that can lead to the destruction of their thinking. If your intention is good...go! Publish my article!

[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace!

“But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm” (Proverbs 1:33).

We can and will have the peace that the world cannot know ("My peace I give you..." [John 14:27]). There may be a hurricane on the surface of the ocean, but underneath it will be calm. "[Jesus] rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died and it was completely calm" (Mark 4:39). He calms our storms of life, too. Remember, "The battle is the Lord's..." (1 Samuel 17:47). It isn't up to us to quarrel all the time about our rights. What serenity there is in knowing that God knows all hearts. Jesus responded with quiet dignity to the vile and deadly charges of His enemies. Before unjust accusations He simply kept His peace, and He gives us the very same strength and peace for our lives.

“Remember that Satan is cunning, not wise! He knows our weaknesses and just how to work them. Let convulsions shake the solid earth, let the skies themselves be rent in twain, yet amid the wreck of worlds the believer shall be as secure as in the calmest hour of rest. If God cannot save His people under heaven, He will save them in heaven. If the world becomes too hot to hold them, then heaven shall be the place of their reception and their safety. Be ye then confident, when ye hear of wars, and rumors of wars. Let no agitation distress you, but be quiet from fear of evil. Whatsoever cometh upon the earth, you, beneath the broad wings of Jehovah, shall be secure. Stay yourself upon His promise; rest in His faithfulness, and bid defiance to the blackest future, for there is nothing in it direful for you. Your sole concern should be to show forth to the world the blessedness of hearkening to the voice of wisdom” (Anonymous).

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Part 4 of 4 - How To Create an Effective Church Ministry Marketing Plan

Getting Started

Often, especially if you are just getting started, you will find that pre-packaged promotional materials are a big time-and-money saver, and you can learn a lot by starting with them. After all, they were designed by professionals in the church marketing field.

On the other hand, such materials are often too generic, and do not specifically address your own church's strengths, ministry message, or calling.

Another option is to employ the services of church marketing professionals or an agency to create customized and tailored promotional materials especially for you to use.

This can "quick-start" your efforts, and save you much time, and many dollars, in "trial-and-error" experimenting, but it usually will involve substantial front-end cost.

In the end however, it is how well that you actually meet needs and wants that will attract and retain people, not how "slick" your promotional materials are. Again, knowing your community and your target audience will better enable you to identify effective and appropriate methods of reaching them.

Step 4 - Following Up

There are two sides to the following-up stage. One is to follow-up with and evaluate the effectiveness of your various marketing and communication efforts, and the other is to follow up with the people that your efforts actually attract.

As we touched on earlier in this report, your efforts will be a colossal waste of time (and money) if they are not producing the results that you want - which is, getting your message out to the people, and getting them to actively respond.

And just what is your intended message? Ultimately, it may be to fulfill your role in the Great Commission, and to "make disciples of all nations", or it may be simply to attract more people to become worshippers and members of your own local church, and thus to increase the amount of resources available for your church to conduct it's ministry mission.

Are your media messages primarily positive "feel-good" inspirational messages? Or are your efforts intended to get people into the church, attending your worship services, and actively participating in your ministries and missions?

If they are the latter, just how effective has the particular channel or media been in inspiring worshippers to attend? Which method or message has been more effective? Time to evaluate, assess, and adjust your planning.

Find out how people found out about you. Ask them what specifically inspired them to begin attending, or participating in your church. What messages have they seen or heard out there in the various media? Do they use your website? Do they read your newsletters?

Assimilation

The other aspect of evangelism and church ministry marketing that is most often ignored, is doing something with the people once we've gotten them in the door.

Is your church a warm, welcoming, and friendly place? Is it really? Most churches think they are, but from the first-time visitor's perspective, they are very often a closed, inward-looking group of insiders.

What programs and mechanisms do you have in place for getting the first-time visitor involved and included in the various activities of your church? Do they have a reason to return, week after week?

Is your church a place that they are likely to want to bring their friends or other family members? Before you say "yes", think about this carefully, and be honest with yourself. You may need to face some unpleasant truths.

In religious circles, this process of involving new members is known as "assimilation", now a popular buzzword for turning first-time visitors into active and continuing participants, and hopefully members.

You need a well-thought-out program and plan of follow-up and assimilation, just as much as you need one for marketing and evangelism.

The fastest-growing churches, and those most likely to survive and thrive, are those who know how to follow-up well with both new attenders, and also with current members, worshippers, and participants.

Recommended Church Development and Ministry Marketing Resources (all are available online through Amazon.com):

Double Your Church Attendance - Bob Hinds

ABC's of Natural Church Development - Christian Schwartz

Market Research Made Easy - Margaret Doman

Focus Group Research Handbook - Holly Edmund

The Purpose-Driven Church - Rick Warren

Permission Evangelism: When to Talk, When to Walk - Michael L. Simpson

The New Marketing Paradigm: Integrated Marketing Communications - Don E. Schultz

Christopher B. Nelson-Jeffers is CEO of Breckshire Communications, which offers a free Church Growth Newsletter and articles to churches interested in church ministry development. He may be contacted at http://Double-Your-Church-Attendance.com

[tags]church marketing,ministry marketing,evangelism,church development,church growth,church attendance[/tags]

Part 2 of 4 - How To Create an Effective Church Ministry Marketing Plan

Does your church or ministry have an Evangelism plan? How effective are you at reaching prospective worshippers and members? Here are the four steps you MUST follow if you want to kick-start your growth for the next 12 months ...

What People Want From Their Church

People want to "belong" to something larger than themselves, something that enables them to feel involved and "relevant", and as someone who is themselves individually loved and valued.

They want a "human connection" that the modern world often lacks, but they want it in a way that reaches out and "grabs" their attention, in ways that are exciting and relevant to them personally.

They want things that challenge and engage them mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. They want an experience that is positive, uplifting, and inspiring.

They also want to be entertained. That may be frustrating to you as a serious and thoughtful man or woman of God, but it's true. People want to have fun - they want to enjoy what they are doing - and they want to enjoy being with the people they are doing it with.

Churches and ministries have to compete not only with the wide, wide world of secular options, but often with each other.

People's time today is severely limited - they have the same 24 hours a day that their parents did, but they now have so much more now to fill it with. You can no longer simply throw open the doors of the church, and expect people to attend, just because it is someplace to go.

You simply have to provide your people with a positive, fun, uplifting experience, and a connection that they are not able to find anywhere else. If you don't, that's where they'll go - somewhere else.

Organizations and institutions (either secular or religious) that do the best job of providing the greatest number of benefits to the greatest number of people (note carefully that I said "benefits"...), and in fulfilling the wants, needs and desires of those people ... such organizations will continually prosper and grow. Those that do not adequately serve those needs or desires will quickly wither away and die.

Here are two classic textbooks for applying marketing concepts to church ministry:

Double Your Church Attendance Deluxe Edition - Bob Hinds

Marketing for Congregations: Choosing to Serve People More Effectively - Norman Shawchuck

Developing an Effective Church Ministry
Marketing / Evangelism Plan

Step 1 - Have a Marketing (Evangelism) Plan

There is now a wide and ever-expanding world of marketing resources and tools available to you out there. Most secular marketing campaigns will use a diverse mix of them in order to effectively get their message out. You must do the same.

For example, did you realize that corporate marketing campaigns will often use up to twenty-seven DIFFERENT marketing channels at the same time? Newspaper advertising is only ONE of those possible channels.

Of course not every available marketing channel will be appropriate for your message, but it is important to identify as many available channels as possible, and to craft a plan that uses as many of them as possible in a balanced and sustained way.

Many churches will spend a great deal of money running one or two splashy display ads, or television ads, or perhaps a radio spot or two, and then become discouraged when they have expended their resources without seeing any apparent results.

Professional marketers will tell you that it takes AT LEAST seven exposures to a specific message for that message to even begin to filter into the mind of a consumer. In addition, you will want your message to actually be in front of the consumer when they are motivated and ready to hear it, and most especially when they have a motivation to buy.

At the very least you want to ensure that that your organization comes immediately to mind when the individual starts thinking about solving a problem or a need that they have, a problem or need that could potentially be fulfilled by your product, organization, or message.

Marketers call this "front of consciousness" positioning, and it is critically important. You simply cannot achieve this "front of consciousness" awareness without some sort of regular and sustained advertising and marketing, to that group of your most likely and desired "customers."

In the same vein, it is important to have some means of actually tracking and monitoring the results of your advertising or marketing, in a way that gives you some indication of the relative effectiveness of your advertising or marketing efforts, especially as it relates to the specific channel or advertisement used to relay a specific message.

This can be difficult at times. For example, if you run a radio ad, how do you effectively measure how many people actually came to church as a direct result of the ad?

You can ask people directly, but often they may not exactly know, or in actuality their response was the cumulative result of several exposures via different mediums, messages or channels, and the final one (the one that they apparently responded to) was only the one that finally "put them over the edge".

This is why a balanced plan is necessary, in order that all elements of the plan work together in a synergistic and sustainable way.

Your plan should include some method of measuring results of a particular communication effort or channel, so that you can periodically evaluate your plan and then re-direct resources (which are limited) to those channels or media which prove themselves to be the most effective (and cost-effective) in reaching those people in your community that you most want to reach.

A well-crafted "master plan" for your marketing and media efforts will be a tremendous help for you as well when it comes time to present an annual budget to your finance committee.

It might also prompt additional donations from members of the church who see the value and effectiveness of your proposed efforts.

Next: Craft Your Ministry Marketing Plan...

Christopher B. Nelson-Jeffers is CEO of Breckshire Communications, which offers a free Church Growth Newsletter and articles to churches interested in church ministry development. He may be contacted at http://Double-Your-Church-Attendance.com

[tags]church marketing,ministry marketing,evangelism,church development,church growth,church attendance[/tags]