Positive Reinforcement

Positive Reinforcement

"... let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate,

and the hope of salvation as a helmet.
…Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,

 just as in fact you are doing."
(1 Thessalonians 8-11)

In my high school years of football, our coach was a negative motivator. It seemed that everything we did was wrong. The best complement we ever received was a "good job, but...”. The criticism after 'the but" was all that most of us ever remembered. None of us believed that we were very good and we were not having any fun. In 1956, three of us quit the team to go to private schools for a variety of reasons. There was a large article in the local paper about how significant a loss it was to the local high school team because they lost some great players. All three of us were really surprised at the compliments given to us by the coach.

        At my new school, I found my way to a swim coach named Al Houston. Al was caring man, a positive motivator and would have two or three swimmers at each Olympic games. Receiving positive motivation was a wonderful experience. The team all felt good, worked hard, we liked Al and each other. We were also the best team in the northeast. We learned to care about excellence, not letting each other down and generally care about each other.

        This is a strong message. We are in challenging political and economic times right now and there is a lot of negativity our country and the world. Each day we read and see bad news. To stay positive we need to follow the lead of Christ and demonstrate our love and caring.   We need to show our fellowship toward others.

Thought for Today: Today we will have the opportunity to be negative. School teachers will have a mischievous child, salesmen will lose an order, the weather may not be good... and we will want to whine. When that happens, stop and meditate, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up". Let us all have a positively great day.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly father, today we pray for those with negative ideas, those with aggression toward humanity and their victims. We pray for them and the opportunity to influence with them in a positive way.
Amen 

Commitment

Commitment

“Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do…”

(Deuteronomy 23 vs. 23)

            One of the ways to be successful in life is to keep all of your commitments. If you say it, make sure you do it; even after having second thoughts. Become known as one hundred percent reliable.  It is probably impossible to be 100% but the closer you are the more you will benefit.

            I have a friend who coached youth soccer and had never played. He told the league that he was unqualified but would be available if they could not find someone else. They called and he managed a team and with the help of two assistants that could teach skills they worked things out. He managed the team rather than coached and the kids had fun. This same guy also managed a youth hockey team and could not skate. You see, the people with the skills did not (or could not) make the time commitment.

            In the business world one of my jobs was training people new to sales. Trainees working with me heard the word commitment a lot. Fortunately in sales, most of the competition lacked the passion or desire to be fully committed. If you were the one that got back to the customer first, if the customer trusted you would be prompt, if your information was reliable, you would get the first call and the most orders. It was a simple task and the most important.

            At some time in your life you made a commitment to God. These messages are an opportunity to review that commitment and recharge your batteries; a way to keep committed and stay on track in a world of distractions.

Thought for Today: Today let us be committed. First to God and then to ourselves by being the best we can be!

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we give thanks for our many blessings. Our families, friends and people that we do not know yet. We give thanks for being Godly people that will be accepted and liked by others.

Let God lead

Let God Lead

"Precious Lord, take my hand
lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
through the storm, through the night,
lead me on to the light,
take my hand precious Lord,
lead me home."
(Thomas A. Dorsey, 1932 UMC Hymnal 474)

        God works in many ways when we allow Him to help us. Yes, he is always there, but not always present in our minds. We have a way of being self-centered, focusing on business issues, personal problems etc. We want to be in control. We can deal with it ourselves.
        Many years ago, June came home with a big orange refrigerator magnet that had the message "Let go and let God" written across it. She did it because we were, and still are, control freaks. Often we get into the "control mode" when we cannot help or do anything about the problem. Trying to control things beyond our sphere of influence made us "tired…weak...and worn".
        It is easy to become frustrated when things are beyond our control. It is normal to try to control. It is better to recognize our place and let God take our hand, lead us home.
Thought for the Week: This week is a new week. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. We do not have to function the same way as we did last week. This week let us take a look at God's influence in our decisions. Let's let some of it go and allow Him to help us.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we thank you for our many blessings and the many wonderful things that we enjoy. We are concerned about others in our society that have less; some without food, housing or a job. This week we pray for our society in general. We pray that somehow everyone can be at peace, that everyone may find enough, that all children have food and that our riches are shared as you would have us share them.
 Amen

Young at Heart!

Society seems to be way to negative right now. I thought this post would help!

Young at Heart

"Be happy, young person, while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart..."
(Ecclesiastes 11:9)

Throughout our lifetime, June and I have met people that seem at peace, people that have never quite joined the "rat race" of life, people that had something that we were looking for. The interesting fact was that they crossed all socioeconomic boundaries. The common thread always seemed to be their faith. They always believed that things would work out.
The strong message here is that the things that bring peace, serenity and happiness to our lives are found in our spiritual growth and it will be found in yours.

Thought for Today: Today let us avoid the rat race by praying for serenity and doing what we need to obtain peace.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord we give you thanks for the opportunities you have placed before us. Today we pray for serenity and peace in our lives and the opportunity to help the cause of peace in our community.
Amen

Lincoln!

 Lincoln

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure;

then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

(James 3 vs. 17, 18)

                President Lincoln presided over a war that was one of the bloodiest in the history of our country. He could not have done what he did without his extremely strong faith. His bible was often at his side in meetings and had dog eared pages from continual use. It reinforced his belief that he and the union were doing the right thing.

            It brings to my mind the old joke about disagreements in church congregations. It says that the arguments are often fierce because both sides feel that they have God on their team! Well, in church politics we are not making decisions that cause battles where 10,000 plus soldiers die, people get assassinated, brothers fight brothers and the freedom of a race are at stake. Still somehow we do the Lord’s will.

            When Lincoln felt badly, which happened after a traumatic field report, he would lean on the Biblical hope offered to him (and to all of us). Today’s verse was one he used often when he was in need of reassurance.

He would say to his cabinet and all who would listen, “Let us renew our trust in God and go forward without fear and with manly hearts.”

Happy Birthday Abe.

Thought for Today: Today is the birthday of America’s most loved president. His faith is a strong example to us. We are commanded to be happy Christians, to be the light of the world, to share and contribute through our faith. Today let us shine our light brightly.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father we give thanks today for those great men who have gone before us and contributed to our world. We pray that we are contributing in some small way to accomplishing your will and spreading a world of peace and love.

Amen

Ministers

Ministers

“You are the light of the world.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand,
and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
(Matthew 5:14-16, NIV)

        My pastor says that we are all ministers in some way. Is that true? I believe that it is a fact that most of us want to keep under our hats. Perhaps the term closet minister applies to many of us. We help, we lead by example we attend services to learn more and we silently minister to those around us. Often, we do not know when we are leading.
        In any Sunday congregation there are takers and givers. Silent ministries occur in many ways. Twenty-odd years ago, a young single couple was acting in a very special way; holding hands, whispering in each other's ears and an occasional peck on the cheek. My personal thoughts were that they were inappropriate. The pastor announced their pending wedding during that service.
        After the service, a good friend of mine mentioned how neat he thought they were and that he wished he and his wife still had that level of enthusiasm for each other. My mind crossed over and today I think that couple, without intent, set an example for older couples. They were ministers.
"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds...”.
Thought for Today: This week let us be thankful for those around us. Be at peace and demonstrate our passion and love to others.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, you have blessed us with many friends. We are surrounded and cannot avoid them. At work, on the streets and at home we are blessed. Today we want to pray for them all and especially pray that they recognize the beauty of Christian friendship.

Amen

God’s Love and Grace

God’s Love and Grace

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God;

He is the faithful God,”

 (Deuteronomy 7 v 9)

           

June and I have been blessed by being close to people of varied faiths. Through our association with each, we have come to a strong belief that we all worship the same God in different ways and we all experience God’s grace.

In the 90s we became good friends with the family of an executive from Pakistan. It was our first real close relationship with a Muslim family. We were close to them in 2001 and observed the frustration that a true Muslim felt in regard to September 11.

Recently a Jewish friend that I have known and liked for years shared with me that he does bible studies so he can learn about the Christian perspective. His strong family values, general positive personality and strong ethical standards make him someone I am glad to know.

We have spent many Sundays with my family in Unitarian Meeting Houses when we return to Massachusetts. We are learning more about my mom’s grandparents who were Unitarian ministers.

To avoid making this a 10,000 word essay, let me summarize some of our other relationships: A son in law who is a southern Baptist, a brother in law who is a Catholic priest in the UK, a Buddhist sister in law, a Mormon best friend who lost touch with his faith, a Native American friend who has involved us in some spiritual activities, and the list goes on.

In each instance mentioned, June and I have experienced good friendships and observed strong Godly values in our friends. In most instances, we have observed God working in our friends’ lives and seen God’s grace at work in many ways. Most, importantly, we have experienced God’s grace through our friends

Thought for the Day: This week let us recognize those around us that are different and try to befriend someone new. Let us seek out someone that looks at God in a different way. The Lord blesses them also.

Prayer for the Day: Dear faithful Lord and Father, the world is a great and wonderful creation. There are many peoples of all colors and beliefs. There are generation gaps, social differences, and economic separations. Often the differences get in the way of social graces. Today we pray the ability to bring unity to the world.

Amen