Category: Personal Growth

Personal Creed or Mission Statement

On By Heart, Mind and Soul CareIn Development, Mission of God, Personal Creed, Personal Growth, Personal Mission StatementLeave a comment

mission

I read this personal creed written by Rolfe Kerr. I do not know much about him, only that he wrote this powerful guiding statement. It helps keep him centered on what is most important. While he was not, to my knowledge, a professing Christian, there is still an abundance of wisdom from reading his guiding core values. I want to share it with you.

  1. Succeed at home first.
  2. Seek and merit divine help.
  3. Never compromise with honesty.
  4. Remember the people involved.
  5. Hear both sides before judging.
  6. Obtain counsel of others.
  7. Defend those who are absent.
  8. Be sincere yet decisive.
  9. Develop one new proficiency a year.
  10. Plan tomorrow’s work today.
  11. Hustle while you wait.
  12. Maintain a positive attitude.
  13. Keep a sense of humor.
  14. Be orderly in person and in work.
  15. Do not fear mistakes—fear only the absence of creative, constructive, and corrective responses to those mistakes.
  16. Facilitate the success of subordinates.
  17. Listen twice as much as you speak.
  18. Concentrate all abilities and efforts on the task at hand, not worrying about the next job or promotion.

While one need not agree with everything in a personal mission or creed that belongs to someone else, it is important for one to be focused in life on the things that are most important. And to do so, they must have a guiding principle to help them keep moving forward and doing those things they were uniquely gifted and designed to do.

In Matthew 28, Jesus gives his disciples, and all Christians really, an overview of what their personal mission statement must be; or at least in what direction and to what end Christians must work. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

What is your personal mission statement? How does God’s Word guide and direct your everyday decisions? How is the choice you make today going to impact your experience, and the experiences of those around you, tomorrow? How are you letting God’s Word impact your choices today? To what end are you living your life? With eternal purpose and destiny? What can you do today to incorporate God’s Word into your life to impact, for eternal purposes, the experience of those around you tomorrow?

Meditation Leads To Transformation

On By Heart, Mind and Soul CareIn Development, Emotional Health, Healthy, Life, Personal Growth, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual HealthLeave a comment

meditation

Christian Fathers from centuries ago would distinguish between meditation and contemplation. Meditation would be the work of taking an idea or thought into our minds and mulling over it as it sinks deeper into our souls. Contemplation would be the gift of God as the fruit of meditation.

In the first century, one of the earliest Church leaders, whose name was Paul, explained in one of his letters to a church that was developing in Rome, that people can experience transformation as a result of the work of meditation. He wrote: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think . . .” (Romans 12:2 New Living Translation)

While meditation begins in the mind, it does not stop there. Meditation uses the whole person; heart, mind and soul.

An author and pastor was working on 1 Corinthians 10:24; he was gripped with the implications of how we are to think less of ourselves and more of others. He wrote:

All the implications of 1 Corinthians 10:24 are not yet clear in my mind and heart. This text is not done with me. I need to give it more time. And that is my reason for writing.

When a text grabs our attention, we must allow it time to do its work. The Spirit’s use of the sword of God’s word (Hebrews 4:12) to pierce into our deep places and bring about sanctification and transformation doesn’t always fit neatly into a daily devotional time or a Bible reading plan. Sometimes we need to clear our devotional schedule and linger over a text and wrestle with it, and probe into it, and let it probe into us.

Unhurried meditation is what leads to the mind’s transformation (Romans 12:2), which leads to behavioral application, which leads to lifestyle transformation. Such meditation may only require ten minutes, or it may take ten months. However the Spirit leads, linger.

Give the Word time to do its work. (Jon Bloom, President: Desiring God Ministries.)

Are you looking for ways to grow and develop in your life? Have you carved out time to spend deeply thinking about God’s Word and His ways?

A key way to grow and develop our heart, mind and soul in a healthy and holistic way is to spend time with God in prayer and meditation over His Word.

Running From God or Running To God

On By Heart, Mind and Soul CareIn Emotional Health, Life, Personal Growth, Spiritual VitalityLeave a comment

EarlyMorningRun

Colorado is ranked near the top of the list of healthiest places to live. There are several reason for this ranking. People in CO tend to eat a healthier diet. They are also more active. Hiking, mountain climbing, biking, and running are activities that seem to top the list of outdoor fun.

It is interesting to note that while sociologists spend a great deal of time ranking the physical health of a community, they seldom do any work ranking the emotional or spiritual health of a community.

While Coloradans are hard at work running to get their bodies in shape, one wonders if they spend as much time exercising their souls to be as healthy spiritually and emotionally as they are physically. It IS possible for the soul to run: however, what many find themselves doing is running their souls AWAY from the very Person who can help them be spiritually and emotionally healthy.

Charles Stone wrote a great essay highlighting 7 insights he gleaned from a person who is notorious for running . . . running AWAY that is.

1. Running from God may indicate bitterness or unforgiveness toward another. 

Jonah ran from God because he hated Israel’s archenemy, the Assyrians where Nineveh was located. He couldn’t stomach their receiving forgiveness from God.

2. You can run from God but you can’t hide from him.

Jonah thought he’d get as far away from Israel as possible by taking a boat and fleeing 2500 miles in the opposite direction to Spain. But, even though Jonah knew that God was all knowing, he still tried to hide on a trip in a boat.

3. God never gives up on you.

When Jonah bought a one way ticket to Spain, God could have written him off and chosen someone else to preach to the Ninevites. He didn’t. He pursed Jonah.

4. God allows the storms of life for our benefit.

God sent the storm not to punish Jonah, but as an intervention. Jonah needed to be saved from himself and the storm (and the fish that swallowed him) were God’s tools for Jonah’s benefit.

5. When you run, others often get hurt.

When Jonah was on the boat, the boat and every innocent sailor was in danger of losing his own life because of Jonah’s disobedience. Although we may think we can sin and nobody else get hurt, inevitably somebody else gets hurt. We never truly disobey God in isolation.

6. The longer you run from God, the worse the storm will get.

As the storm arose, the men cast lots, an ancient way to divine God’s will, to determine who was causing the ‘gods’ to get angry and cause the storm. The lots fell to Jonah as the source. He could have repented then but didn’t. The storm got worse and worse. Often when we run from God, we dig a deeper and deeper hole.

7. Your sin can never outstrip God’s grace.

Although not every time we sin does God still offer us the same opportunities, in this case God kept pursuing Jonah. He sent the storm and a big fish. And Jonah survived them both. The rest of the book describes many other examples when God extended grace to Jonah. We can never sin, disobey, and run from God so far that his grace can’t forgive and restore, if we are willing.

To Whom are you running?

God’s Soveriegnty and Our Response

On By Heart, Mind and Soul CareIn Godliness, Personal GrowthLeave a comment

God'sSoverign Recently, I read part of a book that deals with doctrine. I’ve run into some confusion at times between the study of God’s character and nature (theology) and the teaching of theology (doctrine). There seems to be a disconnect with all of us between our understanding of God, and how we communicate our understanding of God.

Frankly, the biggest misunderstanding of God is how we feel about what we know. God commands right feeling, not just right knowing. But this is another topic.

It seems the simplest way to understand the topic of sovereignty is in this way, “God’s sovereignty means He is both in charge and in control“.

I read an article that articulates three responses we can have in regard to God’s sovereignty. Because God is sovereign:

1.) Let us stand in awe of the sovereign authority and freedom and wisdom and power of God.

2.) And let us never trifle with life as though it were a small or light affair.

3.) Let us marvel at our own salvation—that God bought it and wrought it with sovereign power, and we are not our own.

4.) Let us groan over the God-belittling man-centeredness of our culture and much of the church.

5.) Let us be bold at the throne of grace, knowing that our prayers for the most difficult things can be answered. Nothing is too hard for God.

6.) Let us rejoice that our evangelism will not be in vain because there is no sinner so hard the sovereign grace of God cannot break through.

7.) Let us be thrilled and calm in these days of great upheaval because victory belongs to God, and no purposes that he wills to accomplish can be stopped.

(John Piper. Doctrine Matters (Kindle Locations 1054-1062). John Piper.)

Motivation For Personal Growth

On By Heart, Mind and Soul CareIn Personal GrowthLeave a comment

growth

As I was reading through some articles others have written this morning, I came across one that deals with the feeling of personal stagnation. Most leaders, at some point, feel stuck at various levels.

Perhaps one feels stuck in their personal gift mix and strengths, and the challenges they face are greater than their ability to face them. Others feel caught in a cycle of negative emotions. Still others feel the best God has for them is what God had for them in the past; they daydream of experiences with God and wish for a personal renewal, perhaps even revival.

The opportunities for personal growth are varied and endless. This particular article listed four ways to keep growing. I felt they were encouraging, and offered hope.

• Define what success really means to you. To sustain success, you have to be clear about your personal definition of that word. What elements of your current success—the big job, the beautiful house, the family—are essential to your definition of success? What’s missing? What’s optional? What do you want to see when you look back at 50? Paint a picture of the future and create a clear, long-term vision.

• Identify your values. To understand what will make you happy in the long run, you have to be clear about your values. Knowing your values also helps when you reach crossroad choice points, because you can choose what matters most to you. So—what is most important to you about your beautiful house? Is it the prestige of the address or is it the spaciousness it affords you and your family? How about your big job? Is it that you get to be challenged and leverage your strengths or is it that you have status and power? Values can shift as you move into new periods of your life, so it is a good idea to re-examine them regularly.

• Focus on personal sustainability. Next you will want to get serious about how you sustain your own health and well being – literally, your personal sustainability. The concept of life/work balance can seem like just another goal you are failing at. But you need to make sure you hold up over the long haul. Investing time in taking care of yourself will help ensure that no matter what happens, you will be healthy and clear-minded enough to make the best choices for yourself and the people you care about. Decide what your standards are for self care and stick to them tenaciously.

• Never compare.As your toddler gets to be school age, you will be rubbing elbows with other moms and have the experience of being judged and found wanting by what I have come to refer to as the Mommy Police. And as harsh as the Mommy Police may be, they won’t hold a candle to the way you judge yourself. At the same time, at work, you will feel the competitive pressure of young whippersnappers just like yourself who can put in the hours without feeling the Mommy guilt. Notice whatever impulse you have to compare yourself to others – any others, ever – and immediately counter it with a mantra that goes something like: “I am paying attention to what is most important to me and what other people are doing is not relevant right now.” Also helpful is Judy Ford’s “your opinion of me is none of my business.” Decide whose opinion actually does matter and listen to only those people. Decide what your priorities are, based