Inspiration

Holy, Holy, Holy

By Guy |

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
Revelation 4:8b

Have you ever noticed that the closer you get to something, for example, a mountain range, the bigger it becomes?

Of course, the mountains don’t actually grow. It’s just that your perspective changes.

God is like that.

The closer He draws us, the bigger He becomes.

Scripture tells us many times and in many ways the benefits of drawing near to the One who made us and calls us (emphasis added):

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:25

[Let] us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6

And then there’s this sweet promise, given by the God Who cannot lie (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18):

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
James 4:8a

As Thanksgiving dawns today, take time to offer your thanks to God for the richness of His blessings in your life. Our Father in heaven is pleased when the people whom He adopted offer Him praise and worship.

He has every right to your heartfelt gratitude.

If I may borrow a few lines from Max Lucado’s excellent book, Cast of Characters: Common People in the Hands of an Uncommon God, here are just a few things for which we ought to offer the utmost thanks to the God of heaven:

We are beyond condemnation (Romans 8:1)

We are delivered from the law (Romans 7:6)

We are near God (Ephesians 2:13)

We are delivered from the power of evil (Colossians 1:13)

We are members of His kingdom (Colossians 1:13)

We are perfect (Hebrews 10:14)

We have been adopted (Romans 8:15)

We have access to God at any moment (Ephesians 2:18)

We are a part of His priesthood (1 Peter 2:5)

We will never be abandoned (Hebrews 13:5)

We have an imperishable inheritance (1 Peter 1:4)

We are partners with Christ in life (Colossians 3:4), and privilege (Ephesians 2:6), suffering (2 Timothy 2:12), and service (1 Corinthians 1:9)

We are members of His body (1 Corinthians 12:13)

We are branches in the vine (John 15:5)

We are stones in the building (Ephesians 2:19-22)

We are a bride for the groom (Ephesians 5:25-27)

We are priests in the new generation (1 Peter 2:9)

We are a dwelling place for the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)

And, as if that is not enough, we are told in the scriptures that God…”has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesian 1:3), and that “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

In other words, we have everything we need and more. Not because we earned it or because we are good, but because He loves us, and He is good, and He has seen fit to bless His elect.

So, if you’re a child of God, take time today to center your heart on the God who has blessed you.

If you aren’t a child of God, why not become one?

Praise God from whom all blessings flow…

Photo by Wilhelm Gunkel on Unsplash

What Will You Do

By Guy |

As we race toward the finish line for 2020, which is arguably one of the most challenging years in our nation’s history, it is worth each of us asking ourselves what we have done to do good, do well, and honor God.

Such reflection is healthy, as it opens a window to where we’ve been and alerts us to some ideas of what our aims should be in the new year in terms of doing good, doing well, and honoring God.

This exercise can be especially helpful for those of us who are looking back on a year that we would just as soon forget.

So how will you do good, do well, and honor God in 2021?

This is what happens when you turn trash into treasures

By Guy |

Worn out painter’s buckets, dented cookware, metal odds and ends, old boards, boxes, bins, cans, bottles. You get the idea.

We discard this stuff every day.

Most of these things end up in land fills, where more trash is dumped on top and then compacted by bulldozers and steam rollers.

The plastics and metals will degrade over time, but that time window can last more than a thousand years.

Meanwhile, those things will take up space and degrade into elements that are hazardous to people, pets, and wildlife.

As an alternative to filling dumps, some people choose to turn trash into treasures.

Dario Rossi is one such individual, and his treasure is some of the best techno street drumming you’ll ever hear.

Give Dario a listen and while you’re in his virtual audience think about ways in which you can take the waste you find around you and turn it into treasures.

And by waste, I don’t just mean trash, but also time, ideas, relationships, learning or serving opportunities, words, images, and anything else you’ve thoughtlessly tossed to the side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbsvFMEvPo4&feature=youtu.be

Dario Rossi turns trash into treasure

Now, what treasure will you create?

Photo by Dustan Woodhouse on Unsplash

Farewell Herb Kelleher — 27 Life-Changing Quotes

By Guy |

Herb Kelleher striking a super hero pose. — **Herb Kelleher**
Image: Bill Abbott (CC2)

Southwest Airlines’ iconic founder Herb Kelleher passed into eternity on 3 January 2019 at the age of 87.

As the consummate servant-leader, Kelleher’s loss will leave a void in the lives of the millions of people whose lives he touched.

Although the man is gone now, his wisdom remains.

Here are just a few of my favorite Herb Keller quotes about business, leadership, and life in general to ponder as you remember his impactful life.

We have a strategic plan. It’s called ‘doing things.’
A company is stronger if it is bound by love rather than fear.
When someone comes to me with a cost saving idea, I don’t immediately jump up and say yes. I ask: ‘what’s the effect on the customer?’
The core of our success. That’s the most difficult thing for a competitor to imitate. They can buy all the physical things. The things you can’t buy are dedication, devotion, loyalty—the feeling that you are participating in a crusade.
We will hire someone with less experience, less education, and less expertise, than someone who has more of those things and has a rotten attitude. Because we can train people. We can teach people how to lead. We can teach people how to provide customer service. But we can’t change their DNA.
You must be very patient, very persistent. The world isn’t going to shower gold coins on you just because you have a good idea. You’re going to have to work like crazy to bring that idea to the attention of people. They’re not going to buy it unless they know about it.
You can’t really be disciplined in what you do unless you are humble and open-minded.
Leading an organization is as much about soul as it is about systems. Effective leadership finds its source in understanding.
Treat your employees like customers.
Think small and act small, and we’ll get bigger. Think big and act big, and we’ll get smaller.
I’ve always been able to make erroneous decisions very quickly.
Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that.
If you’re crazy enough to do what you love for a living, then you’re bound to create a life that matters.
Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.
The essential difference in service is not machines or ‘things.’ The essential difference is minds, hearts, spirits, and souls.
I forgive all personal weaknesses except egomania and pretension.
You can’t have a mid-life crisis in the airline industry because every day is a crisis.
One piece of advice that always stuck in my mind is that people should be respected and trusted as people, not because of their position or title.
The important thing is to take the bricklayer and make him understand that he’s building a home, not just laying bricks.
Just because you don’t announce your plan doesn’t mean you don’t have one.
The clear, unmistakable sign of a bureaucrat is somebody who worries about whether he has a window.
The tragedy of our time is that we’ve got it backwards; we’ve learned to love techniques and use people.
To be an excellent leader, you have to be a superb follower.
The more time I spend with our people, the more I find out about our business.
Hire for attitude, train for skill.
If you don’t treat your own people well, they won’t treat other people well.
The business of business is people.

If you interact with people in any capacity at all — that is, if you aren’t a total recluse — then I highly recommend these two books to learn more about Herb Kelleher and the unique nature of Southwest Airlines:

Nuts!: Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success — This is an excellent peek behind the curtain at Southwest Airlines and it shows in great detail the ways in which Herb Kelleher’s brand of servant-leadership combined with his insatiable drive built the iconic LUV brand and turned the airline industry on its head.
The Southwest Airlines Way — Southwest Airlines has enjoyed unparalleled success in an industry that is know to eat its young. The Southwest Airlines Way tells how the company builds and maintains “high-performance relationships” to keep ahead of its competitors.