This is a post that Ken Davis wrote that I think you have to read! Ken is a motivational speaker, frequent radio and television guest, and a best-selling author. He has written books such as Secrets of Dynamic Communication: Preparing and Delivering Powerful Speeches and Lighten Up! Great Stories from One of America’s Favorite Storytellers. He is also the president of Dynamic Communications International where he teaches speaking skills to ministry professionals and corporate executives.

The following post is written from the perspective of one who has not always made the best decisions.  But I am learning.  And I am happy to pass on to other men and women the principles I have learned that help me make good decisions.

1.  Weigh the decisions you make before they weigh you down.

Every day I meet people who are prisoners of their own body because of poor lifestyle decisions they made throughout the years.   The decisions they made were little choices that ended up having a cumulative affect on their health.  I know this because I have been there.  The temptation of the moment resets the course of their life.  Each action we take must be weighed in light of what we want our life to look like in the future.  Whether your dealing the physical, spiritual, or social dimensions of your life, what you do today matters. Weigh your decisions carefully.

2.  Keep your ultimate goal in mind.

Years ago I read about a pro golfer who prepared for each major tournament by going to the very last hole and working his way backward  He would stand on hole 18 looking back at the course.  From there he would plan where his drive or fairway shot needed to land to give him the best opportunity to get his approach shot close to the pin. Then he would walk back to that spot and calculate what kind of shot he would have to make from the tee box to put him in that position.

He would walk the entire course backward to plan each action to lead to the ultimate goal of success at the 18th hole.  In his book Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, Stephen Covey clarified this principle in a chapter entitled “Begin with the end in mind.”  These are principles essential to anyone who seeks to live fully alive.  Have a purpose.  Know what you want to accomplish with your life. Then work backward from there to so that each shot you take at life puts you in the best position to reach that goal.

3.  Recognize the importance of little things

My friend Phil Waltrep tells a story that illustrates the power of small actions over a period of time.  One day he discovered that the foundation of his house was settling to the point that the structural integrity of his entire home was being threatened.  He called an expert and found out that the problem was due to a small leak in the gutter system.  One drip at a time the defective gutter had deposited tens of thousands of gallons of water that eroded the soil at the foundation of the house.  So little decisions over time can alter the course of life.  But there is hope! Phil recognized the problem, fixed the gutter and repaired the foundation.

You see, little decisions can also add up to create character and foundational strength that leads to living fully alive. As a boy I visited Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.  As I stood in awe of the majestic and beautiful stalagmites, rising hundreds of feet from the cave floor, The guides said that they were formed over thousands of years one tiny drip at a time.  The decisions you make today can be foundation of your success tomorrow.

No decision is a small decision.

Every action is worthy of careful consideration.

Small decisions are the building blocks of success or the emissaries of destruction.

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This past Sunday as we celebrated Mothers Day, we had the very special joy of hearing from Pastor Bernadine Young, FLC’s (and the world’s first woman to be…), Internet Campus Pastor.

We took an in-depth look at Proverbs 31, and what it means to be a godly mother.

Pastor Bernadine encouraged mothers by sharing some of her life experiences.

She said, “Our hearts as moms will always hold our children”.

It is so inspiring to remember that just like our love for our children is constant, so is God’s love for us.

Check out Pastor Bernadine’s complete message to moms below:

After 21 hours of flying I arrived in Bangalore India.

I have had the privilege of preaching the gospel on 5 continents, however I have never seen the magnitude of hunger and spiritual depravity that I witnessed in India.

India is 98% Muslim Hindu and Buddhist and it is illegal to preach the gospel there.  I was grilled upon entering the country about my intentions, and was asked what non-profit I worked for, so I gave them the name “Simple Love”, a human trafficking fighting non-profit that was birthed out of our church.  I was there on a tourism visa as they will not give out a missionary visa, so it was tricky getting in to the country without being arrested.

We hit the ground running in Bangalore late Wednesday night The leadership conference went from Thursday – Saturday 9 AM to 3PM and the evangelistic crusades where in the evenings as well as Sunday morning.

We saw about 80 people pray the prayer of salvation which is huge; however the people at the leadership conference are the real heroes.  They where starved for any principles that would help them grow their ministries and businesses as we even had high profile business leaders from Bangalore in attendance to the conference.

Some who attended the conference were church leaders, some bible college students who would return to their regions in the hard cold north country and circuit ride on horseback taking the gospel from village to village.

No matter what their plans, dreams, and desires were, they were all so hungry to grow in the knowledge of God and principles to help them make a difference in their would for Christ.  What a privilege it was to walk in the footsteps of the Apostle Thomas who first brought the Gospel to India.

Here are few pictures that highlight my journey.  I took my boys Buzz Lightyear with me and asked different people to take pictures with him so they could stay connected while I was gone for so long.

14 hour flight from JFK to Dubai

4 hour flight from Dubai to Bangalore

Buzz being held by a lady on the plane.

First day of the leadership conference I spoke 24 hours in 4 days crazy!

Pastor Babu and his wife Asha who where over the events and our campus Pastors at our Bangalore Internet location.

As always I fell in love with the kids. They made me miss my own.

Some of those who prayed to accept Christ the first night.

Buzz getting his Namaste on

After ministry the kids were all smiles

A common site in India a lady riding sidesaddle on a motorcycle through the dense trafficked streets

A breakout session at the leadership conference

Emerging leaders of the nations church in a Q & A

If someone from India tells you it's spicy just take their word for it.

Early morning Skype with my boys to stay connected

Buzz and a beautiful girl

Some of these guys carry the gospel from village to village in the Northeast by horseback

I loved this guy, a CEO and business leader in Bangalore

My pulpit all week

I loved this kid playing the drums for their worship

I left a couple of gifts for the boys so when they really got to missing me Courtney would pull out a gift so they would know I am thinking of them

I love that surprised face

This guy is a computer engineer who was helping us all week. I love the Louis Vuitton shirt

The streets were laced with such Hindu temples

Getting my Bollywood on

This lady was asleep on the back and the baby was asleep on the front

Steve and John my hanging buddies all week. We had a great time

One of thousands of temples

I found the Steven Furtick of India

Typical street in India

Me rocking the Indian Gear the guys gave me as a gift

Buzz in front of the monkey god, a god for batchelors:

Headed to Dubai for a 16 hour layover

Emirates airlines flight attendant and Buzz

Buzz and a diet coke in Arabic

A large mosque in UAE

In the Arabian Desert

Cuddling a falcon

Cuddling a camel. Can you tell I missed my wife and boys cuddles?

I went through the desert on a camel with no name

Arabian tent camp in the desert

Buzz in the Dubai airport

Buzz headed home

Had a 6 hour layover in NYC and while walking down the side walk I saw actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick

Took the subway to Central Park

The Freedom Tower rising into the clouds

Finally back in the right hands after 20000 miles

]]> http://thecreativepunk.familylife.ws/blog/2012/05/update-on-our-india-leadership-conference-and-evangelistic-crusade/feed/ 0 http://thecreativepunk.familylife.ws/blog/2012/05/friday-share-100-mistakes-we-make-while-waiting-on-god/ http://thecreativepunk.familylife.ws/blog/2012/05/friday-share-100-mistakes-we-make-while-waiting-on-god/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 11:00:24 +0000 The Creative Punk http://thecreativepunk.familylife.ws/blog/?p=5001 This is a post written by Pastor Andy McMillan recently. Andy is the Youth Pastor at Family Life Church.

The easiest area that I think most Christians mess up is when we are waiting on God. I know personally, this is the hardest area. Often we are stuck in a place like Abraham: God has spoken a promise to us, but the beginning of the promise has yet to be conceived. It is a hard place to be.

The truth is that this type of situation has a purpose. It is not by accident that God has us go through a season of waiting. God wants us to value waiting. Often we think that God is making us wait because the timing isn’t right. The problem with this statement is that God is making us waitbecause certain things have to fall into place first, is putting limits on God. The one who created time and space is limited by time on earth? I don’t think so.

When God puts us through a waiting period it is because he wants us to trust him. The space between Promises and possession of a promise is trust. God wants us to trust him more. This is where we often make the largest mistakes.

Mistakes we make:
We try to make God’s promises happen. Abraham tried to make a supernatural promise come true by changing the specifics. He had a child with someone else because the specifics did not make sense to him. When we do this God may still keep his promise but when our actions differ from God’s plan it will always compromise how affective his promise could be.

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