A different approach

Over the years my approach to Bible study has changed dramatically. First, let me take you through a quick evolution of my study and preparation methods.

• Infant Stage: This is when I would lean heavily on a sermon outline book, or commentary from a competent source to tell me what I am supposed to believe and understand.
• Child Stage: I began reading and studying lots of materials, doing comparative analysis on the text and drawing informed conclusions from my study.
• Young Adult Stage: I started my study with the word. What did the Bible say? Who was it written to, what were the circumstances of the writing? What was the author trying to say to that audience? After drawing my initial conclusions I would look for others who had come to similar realizations in their works (as a means to test my theories).
• Mature Stage (or at least I hope so): I read and study the Bible as a series of letters written just for me. What is the author (God) trying to communicate into my life. The first readers of the scriptures did not have commentaries, lexicons or Ph.D's to consult when they read the text - it made an impression on each of them in a personal way.

A few years ago my mother passed away. Of all the treasured things she left behind, I most cherish a letter she had locked away for after her death. In that letter she shares her faith, love and hope for my future. When I read that letter I don't parse each word, diagram the sentence structure, but I clearly understand the theme and purpose for which it was written. My mom wants me to go to heaven. She wants me to be faithful. She loves me more than life and left me a gift to insure that I would never forget her, or her hopes and dreams for me.

Our Savior did the same thing. He left me a letter that defines his hopes and dreams for my future. It is full of practical instruction on how to live and motivitational examples of what others have done before me. You don't need a Ph.D to know what God wants for your life - just pick up the collection of letters he left for you and read them now and again.

Turn Right

Each decision you make today will take you closer to your goals or further from them. That is not particularly profound, but it is true. When I get up each morning, I go through a simple exercise - I make a list of things I need to accomplish that will take me closer to my goals.

Each day is filled with decisions that will take you closer to where we want to be or farther from your dreams. Do I turn right, or left when I come to a fork in the road? Let me give you a simple example from this week. About a week ago I bought a couple of Kit Kat candy bars. I ate one and left the other in the fridge at work. Over the weekend I decided it was time to get serious about my eating habits and get back to the gym. This morning I went to the fridge to get a bottled water (that I spike with Hydroxycut) and staring at me was the abandoned Kit Kat bar. A simple decision right - eat it and move further from my goals, give it to a co-worker and move closer to my goals (not that it helped their diet any). Fortunately I also had 100 calorie Slim Fast bars in my drawer making my decision easier.

Making a series of small, but RIGHT decisions makes an impact. Here is a list of decisions I made this week to move closer to some of my goals:

1. I opened an Amazon resllers account so I can sell some old books gathering dust (made $32.50 the first day). I also plan to sell fundraising guides designed for the Kindle Reader.
2. I added three new books to my personal development list to read and started the first one.
3. I ordered P90X to suppliment my workouts (or as I  understand - it becomes the workout).
4. I didn't eat that candy bar today and gave it away so I wouldn't be tempted.
5. After this blog I will return to writing the first fundraising guide designed for high school bands, sports teams, or any agency needing to raise a few hundred to a few thousand dollars (as a group or individually).

How about you? Are your decisions moving you closer, or further from your goals.

Living Vicariously

When I walked into my office this morning, the buzz among all the women was about the Bachelor, tomorrow it will what happened on American Idol and next week it will be whatever scandal was uncovered by the National Enquirer.

Why is the United States so consumed with "reality" television. I fear it is because most of us have surrendered. We quit pursuing our dreams and have become content in living vicariously through a 42 inch flat panel screen.

I love the Olympics - especially the back-stories of hope and inspiration. I was transfixed as the United States Hockey Team held off Canada for an amazing win on Sunday evening. Its not the Bachelor, or American Idol, but I was still living vicariously through my national pride, through my passion for sports - all the while sitting on the sofa accomplishing nothing of real value.

Our problem in America isn't selecting a television show we love and following it, or the occasionaly guilty pleasure of looking through the shades at how others live (or pretend to live). The problem is that it has become a national epidemic. I get home from work and my personal operation system defaults to ESPN.

I have set some ambitioius goals for 2010, but they will never be accomplished if I spend 15 - 20 hours a week in front of a television set. I want to live the life for myself, not through some emotional connection to a bachelor, or athelete or adventures show contestant.

So how about joining me in devoting at least one hour a day to personal development, to pursuing your goals, to living your dreams. Let others live vicariously through your successes. As a friend of mine says at the bottom of all his emails - "Be the weapon and not the meal."

Redefining your dreams

When I was a child I used to dream about being a professional baseball player. In the summers I would leave the house after breakfast and play ball until it was too dark to see. I pictured myself hitting the home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, or turning an unassisted double-play to end the game.

By high school I knew I wasn't destined for fame as a professional athelete and soon other dreams and ambitions begin to fill my mind. A successful entrepreneur, a famous attorney, a gifted writer. My mind explored lots of possibilities and I have seen my share of successes and failures along the way. Through it all I learned a couple of important lessons:

1. I can't expect anyone else to be as excited about my dreams as I am. In many cases, there are those who would squash my dreams, or serve as obstacles along the way.
2. I may have to redefine my dreams along the way. Sometimes life just says NO!

A couple of years ago I had my life planned out pretty clearly. My work, family and future all looked pretty bright, but I soon realized that everyone wasn't reading from the same script. I could have become bitter, disappointed, or just given up, but what I choose to do is redefine my dreams.

The world may laugh as I battle windmills, or encourage me to stay down when life delivers another blow, but that just isn't my nature. If you want me to stay down, you better knock me out. If you expect me to quit, or surrender to the naysayers or pessimists of this world you don't know me too well.

Its never too late to live your dreams.

Discovery

"They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea." Francis Bacon

Where would we be today without the adventurers? Columbus, Vespucci, and Cook braved the oceans to discover new worlds, cultures and economic prosperity for their mother countries. What if Columbus had accepted conventional wisdom that the world was flat? What if Copernicus had accepted religious tradition that the universe revolved around the sun? Great discovery only comes when we look beyond the known and dream of the unknown.

There is a divine spark in us that wants to stretch our imaginations to ends of the universe. It is this inherent drive that moved Kennedy to shoot for the moon and inspired the designers of the Hubble telescope. There are still new worlds to discover, dreams to pursue and destinations that can only be reached when we open the doors and windows of our imagination, dream great dreams and seek new visions.

Trent Wheeler

Find something to do.

"Big jobs usually go to the men who have the ability to outgrow the small ones." Teddy Roosevelt

I still remember my first real job. I was doing grunt work at a food plant where my dad worked. One day after lunch I was sitting on a loading dock waiting for my boss to come tell me what to do next when I heard a loud, gruff voice shout out, "Get off your ____ and find something to do." My father wasn't particularly gentle when it came to crossing certain lines of expectation.

I hate to hear people whine about how bad life is (especially when they are sitting around doing nothing). I am not a fan of the social welfare system, or any system that gives people something they are perfectly capabale of working for.

Everyone wants the executive office, the promotion, or they have the next great idea that will change the way we slice bread, but so few people are willing to take responsibility for their dreams. You want to live your dream, you want to have an exceptional life - then get up and find something to do. Take at least one practical step in the direction of your dreams. Still struggling? Here are a few ideas:

1. Take 10 minutes today to write down your dreams.
2. Make a list of some of the things it will take to reach your dreams.
3. Accomplish at least one small item on that list. It may be as simple as avoiding Starbucks and putting that $5.00 in a savings account.

If you truly want to succeed, you need to take charge of today. You are the one who can make it happen.

Behold the Dreamer

"Behold the Dreamer." Those were the words his brother's spoke as Joseph approached them. I imagine it was pretty hard for them to swallow the idea that one day they would bow down before their younger brother, but that day would come.

Who stands in the way of your dreams? What obstacles will you have to overcome to stand on that mountain top and plant your flag of victory? Joseph did become second in charge of all the land of Egypt, his brothers did bow before him and he was responsible for the salvation of his people, but it was a long, hard road getting there.

Here was a man who was threatened and then sold into slavery by his brothers, his master's wife lied about supposed inmproprieties, he spent years in prison for a crime he did not commit. It would have been easy to get discouraged along the way. He could have quit and said, "this isn't what I signed up for."

So what was Joseph's key to victory and success? Two simple principles:

1. Joseph never lost sight of God. It's tough when you are down and life kicks you in the teeth. Our faith wavers and our hardships seem to be more than we can bare. When that happens, remember the words of David, "I have never seen the righteous foresaken, or his seed begging bread" (Psalms 37:25).
2. Do your best wherever you are. Whether he was a servant in Potipher's household, or a convict in a dark, cold prison - Joseph always put his best foot forward. In every case he was recognized for his efforts and it finally all paid off for him.

Never let anyone discourage you when it comes to your dreams. It is never too late to start. Watch upcoming blogs for those individuals who realized their dreams later in life.