December 29, 2004
You know, a re-start, kind of a CTRL-ALT-DEL for your life, a mulligan, if you will. What would be different? What would be the same? Would you have gotten so caught up in the things that really don’t matter, while ignoring or neglecting the things that ultimately do? How would you decide which ones were which?
Fred Peatross shares his heart about what he would do if he could start over.
I know it’s not possible to really start over. And if I’m brutally honest, I imagine I’d do the same stupid stuff the second time around. I wouldn’t have learned from my mistakes and mishaps. But while we can’t go back to Square One, we can determine that beginning today, we will be different.
Kenneth Christian wrote in Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement
…there is seldom a real advantage to deferring change to some future time. It is never too late to begin. Does it make sense to spend the rest of your life in mediocrity because you waited to get started?
I saw this quote in Tom Peters’s blog – his Resolution #1 for NY2005…
Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional.
Nobody indeed. Well, nobody but…yeah, you know who…
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Posted by Charlie
December 29, 2004
You know, a re-start, kind of a CTRL-ALT-DEL for your life, a mulligan, if you will. What would be different? What would be the same? Would you have gotten so caught up in the things that really don’t matter, while ignoring or neglecting the things that ultimately do? How would you decide which ones were which?
Fred Peatross shares his heart about what he would do if he could start over.
I know it’s not possible to really start over. And if I’m brutally honest, I imagine I’d do the same stupid stuff the second time around. I wouldn’t have learned from my mistakes and mishaps. But while we can’t go back to Square One, we can determine that beginning today, we will be different.
Kenneth Christian wrote in Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement
…there is seldom a real advantage to deferring change to some future time. It is never too late to begin. Does it make sense to spend the rest of your life in mediocrity because you waited to get started?
I saw this quote in Tom Peters’s blog – his Resolution #1 for NY2005…
Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional.
Nobody indeed. Well, nobody but…yeah, you know who…
Leave a Comment » | 
General | 
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Posted by Charlie
December 29, 2004
Sometime today, based on the site stats for this humble attempt at a blog, the 2000th visitor will click on Just Charlie. Now, that’s 2000 since I started using the current site meter.
I know that’s nothing compared to folks like everyone’s favorite Canadian or everyone’s favorite Canadian’s favorite London-based New Zealander. But it’s still amazing to me that a couple of thousand times, people – whom I know, whom I don’t know, whom I’d like to know – have checked in to see what interests me at the moment. And in turn, I can check in with them and see what’s on their minds and hearts. And in the process, I grow and become more what God intended for me to be, learning all the way. Amazing!
At any rate, if you happen to be Number 2000, well who knows? You might get the big prize or something…
Thanks for stopping by. Thanks for sharing your hearts. Thanks for being gentle in your assessment. Thanks for the encouragement. Thanks for the “hmmmms” and “ahas”.
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Posted by Charlie
December 29, 2004
Sometime today, based on the site stats for this humble attempt at a blog, the 2000th visitor will click on Just Charlie. Now, that’s 2000 since I started using the current site meter.
I know that’s nothing compared to folks like everyone’s favorite Canadian or everyone’s favorite Canadian’s favorite London-based New Zealander. But it’s still amazing to me that a couple of thousand times, people – whom I know, whom I don’t know, whom I’d like to know – have checked in to see what interests me at the moment. And in turn, I can check in with them and see what’s on their minds and hearts. And in the process, I grow and become more what God intended for me to be, learning all the way. Amazing!
At any rate, if you happen to be Number 2000, well who knows? You might get the big prize or something…
Thanks for stopping by. Thanks for sharing your hearts. Thanks for being gentle in your assessment. Thanks for the encouragement. Thanks for the “hmmmms” and “ahas”.
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Posted by Charlie
December 27, 2004
Devastation. There’s just no other word to describe the effects of the massive earthquake and tsunamis in south Asia. We can help…
Southern Baptists are mobilizing to provide aid.
Our United Methodist friends are helping.
So is World Vision.
The Red Cross is active.
Franklin Graham’s organization
I’m sure there are other groups that are doing things for the people of Sri Lanka and Indonesia in the aftermath of perhaps the worst natural disaster in history. It’s important that we all find avenues of channeling our support. If you know of other good aid organizations, let us know.
Most importantly, we all need to pray for these people in this time.
2 Comments | General | Permalink
Posted by Charlie
December 27, 2004
Devastation. There’s just no other word to describe the effects of the massive earthquake and tsunamis in south Asia. We can help…
Southern Baptists are mobilizing to provide aid.
Our United Methodist friends are helping.
So is World Vision.
The Red Cross is active.
Franklin Graham’s organization
I’m sure there are other groups that are doing things for the people of Sri Lanka and Indonesia in the aftermath of perhaps the worst natural disaster in history. It’s important that we all find avenues of channeling our support. If you know of other good aid organizations, let us know.
Most importantly, we all need to pray for these people in this time.
Leave a Comment » | General | Permalink
Posted by Charlie
December 27, 2004
I read Zechariah 10:1 this morning, and I was struck by the plea to God’s people to ask the Lord for rain in season.
The plea says that without God’s goodness, there are no storm clouds, and without storm clouds, there is no rain, and without rain, there are no lush green pastures. I thought about that sequence and then I thought about it in reverse order…
Lush green pastures = rain = storm clouds = God’s creative goodness
Most of the time, we want to avoid the storms of life at any cost. We don’t like clouds very much, silver linings or not. We want “blue skies, nothing but blue skies.” And we miss the great truth that a life lived with no threat of storms means a life lived with no lush growth. It means drought. It means a life robbed of, well…life.
One of my heroes once said that there are three kinds of people in the world: those who are in the middle of a storm, those who have just come through a storm, and those for whom the storm is on the way. I know that storms are not pleasant (witness the destruction caused by the Florida hurricanes last summer). I know that storms disrupt lives and destroy property. I know that storms are often frightening.
But I need to know that God is the Master of the storm, and that His clouds bring refreshing rain to my parched life.
God, help me learn from the storm clouds. Refresh me and your people with your rain in its season. Bring new and lush growth in our lives.
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Posted by Charlie
December 27, 2004
I read Zechariah 10:1 this morning, and I was struck by the plea to God’s people to ask the Lord for rain in season.
The plea says that without God’s goodness, there are no storm clouds, and without storm clouds, there is no rain, and without rain, there are no lush green pastures. I thought about that sequence and then I thought about it in reverse order…
Lush green pastures = rain = storm clouds = God’s creative goodness
Most of the time, we want to avoid the storms of life at any cost. We don’t like clouds very much, silver linings or not. We want “blue skies, nothing but blue skies.” And we miss the great truth that a life lived with no threat of storms means a life lived with no lush growth. It means drought. It means a life robbed of, well…life.
One of my heroes once said that there are three kinds of people in the world: those who are in the middle of a storm, those who have just come through a storm, and those for whom the storm is on the way. I know that storms are not pleasant (witness the destruction caused by the Florida hurricanes last summer). I know that storms disrupt lives and destroy property. I know that storms are often frightening.
But I need to know that God is the Master of the storm, and that His clouds bring refreshing rain to my parched life.
God, help me learn from the storm clouds. Refresh me and your people with your rain in its season. Bring new and lush growth in our lives.
Leave a Comment » | General | Permalink
Posted by Charlie
