If the world knew that love and compassionate thoughts are key to happiness, everything would be different! ~ Tony
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Thursday, February 7, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Standing in the motion of Life
Life doesn't stop. Whether we are watching television, at work, sleeping, or simply sitting listening to the quiet whispers, life is moving on. The harsh reality is, "Life will go on with or without our participation."
"I Wish."
Do you say this to yourself?
It's kind of like speaking the desire for a dream to become reality. I worked in a factory once. The owner (Robert) had spent over $250,000 setting up the building and machinery. There was no profit for two years. He hired trainers, managers, and workers. He bought raw material and more equipment.
I earned around $10 an hour working for Robert. All while Robert was paying mortgage, Lights and gas bills, equipment fees, and salary, he was hoping to see some kind of profit materialize, still, no profit. Robert was getting deeper and deeper in a financial hole that seemed he would soon be unable to climb out of.
While traveling from
Robert left the terminal happy to go back to work the next morning. This time he was going to work with a rejuvenated spirit to accomplish a new goal. Roberts had developed an unprofitable corn and floor product making factory. His new goal was to create chips that dip and have no holes. My job from that day forward was to search the conveyer belt for chips with holes as they speed past me. I enjoyed the eye and hand coordinated target practice of picking chip with holes out. I got good at it. The remainder of the chips would fall into a plastic lined box on the floor at the end of the belt. The chips with holes sold to farmers for pig slop.
The following year Robert’s unprofitable corn and floor product making factory turned a profit. The profit happened because of the compassion he showed a friend he made on an airplane ride. That year Robert made over $18,000,000. The following year Robert’s company earned approximately $42,000,000.
Robert had a dream. Instead of Robert saying, “I Wish,” Robert got busy making his dream happen. He never gave up hoping one day he would find the right formula. Instead of waiting for something to happen, Robert began moving forward making his dream happen. Along the way, he met the owner of a national restaurant; compassionately changed his format to fit the needs of his new friend’s dream, and the rest is history.
Two sayings I will leave with you.
My mother used to say, “It’s a sin to wish. Work for what you want.”
Mr. Johnson of ‘Johnson & Johnson’ products said, “If you find a way to provide people with what they need, the people will be happy to pay for it.”
A third saying, “Do it with Compassion.”
Monday, February 4, 2008
Mold-N-Time - Time Passing or Time Standing
I slept on the second floor growing up. The steps and my floor was hard wood. Under the steps leading to my room was the basement. The walls were concrete and brick. If someone walked up stairs while you were in the basement washing clothes you could hear them from where ever you were in the basement, it echoed load and clear.
Every morning that I slept past my alarm mother would use the heel of her high heel shoes to bang the bottom step. The noise was quick, solid and loud. It was made louder by the back-up singing echo from the basement.
Heart pumping fast, I would jump up, hoping she would stop. But she only stopped the noise as I showed myself out of the bed. Saying, "Yes maam," just wasn't good enough for her.
While pounding the steps she would shout, "Get up! Don't sleep your life away!"
Sometimes we can get involved in things of time and forget what we were doing, thereby giving way to the unproductive behavior that plagues so many of us in the world today. Though sleep is good to us, Proverbs 10:4 & 12:24 encourages us to be dilligent, while Proverbs 20:13 & 24:33 warns against too much sleep.
This past weekend wasn't one where I slept past any time beyond 8:00, (late for me but early for some). But I apologize for taking a pause allowing this blog to go several days without my sharing the information I have been blessed to gather. The time was well spent witnessing God work extending love, learning the wisdom of my future wife of forever. In her magnificent wisdom, she has coined a wonderful phrase from experiences that simply says, "All I have gone through is worth being here."
Some would say, "The time passing is just that, time passing." If you never get anything I express here as valuable in your life, I do hope you take this page and attach it to your heart.
The truth is,
Time passing isn't time just passing, as clay time molds days into lasting,
strong and solid, mush and messy, sloppy wet or gripped and steady,
shapes we mold are ours to keep, so take your time, it's joy you seek.
Time passes teaching you mold master, do not too fast avoid disasters.
Lessons learned in the span of a week, bring forth fruit of a mighty tree.
Let time pass or make it last, the choice is yours to do just as God asks.
Be bold, be strong and brave, endure that storm, know that you are saved.
Thank God for His glory in all things, let your heart be at peace as it sings,
praise be to God for this peace of mind, for I have learned through Him,
that I am blessed abundantly in His own time.