Managing Conflict and Mount Everest

Steve Kroenig, a freelance writer for Success Magazine compared dealing with conflict in your marriage with climbing Mount Everest. The same things can also hold true with dealing with conflict in our workplace.

Did you know that climbers attempting to scale Mount Everest will sometimes climb down the mountain a little ways? Why on earth would you ever backtrack when you’re climbing the tallest mountain in the world? The answer might give you some insight into the struggles you face in your marriage.

According to Gary Thomas, author of Sacred Marriage, “Mountain climbers will often step back from a particularly difficult overhang or stretch and discuss how to surmount it. Much of the fun in the sport is encountering the challenges and figuring out a way to get around them. If mountain climbing were easy, it would lose a great deal of its appeal.”

The same could be said of marriage. If it were too easy, many of us would lose interest. In fact, many people have affairs when their marriages stay boring for too long. While conflict is typically the result of sin – and not something to be desired – God can use conflict to challenge our character and grow us spiritually.

Thomas says, “Struggling successfully and profitably brings a deeper joy than even trouble-free living…. God created us in such a way that we need to struggle to stay alive. Challenge is what keeps us seasoned. But to be profitable, our struggle must have purpose, and it must be productive. Two people who do nothing but fight in their marriage and make each other miserable are not engaging in a helpful spiritual exercise. It’s only when we put struggle within the Christian context of character development and self-sacrifice that it becomes profitable.”

The next time you have a fight with your spouse, think about how God can use the conflict to deepen your character and walk with the Lord. “Instead of immediately thinking about how [you] can take a helicopter to the top, [you] might take a climber’s approach and think, “This is really tough. This is a challenge, no doubt about it. How do I keep loving this person in the face of this challenge?”

Managing Conflict and Mount Everest

Steve Kroenig, a freelance writer for Success Magazine compared dealing with conflict in your marriage with climbing Mount Everest. The same things can also hold true with dealing with conflict in our workplace.

Did you know that climbers attempting to scale Mount Everest will sometimes climb down the mountain a little ways? Why on earth would you ever backtrack when you’re climbing the tallest mountain in the world? The answer might give you some insight into the struggles you face in your marriage.

According to Gary Thomas, author of Sacred Marriage, “Mountain climbers will often step back from a particularly difficult overhang or stretch and discuss how to surmount it. Much of the fun in the sport is encountering the challenges and figuring out a way to get around them. If mountain climbing were easy, it would lose a great deal of its appeal.”

The same could be said of marriage. If it were too easy, many of us would lose interest. In fact, many people have affairs when their marriages stay boring for too long. While conflict is typically the result of sin – and not something to be desired – God can use conflict to challenge our character and grow us spiritually.

Thomas says, “Struggling successfully and profitably brings a deeper joy than even trouble-free living…. God created us in such a way that we need to struggle to stay alive. Challenge is what keeps us seasoned. But to be profitable, our struggle must have purpose, and it must be productive. Two people who do nothing but fight in their marriage and make each other miserable are not engaging in a helpful spiritual exercise. It’s only when we put struggle within the Christian context of character development and self-sacrifice that it becomes profitable.”

The next time you have a fight with your spouse, think about how God can use the conflict to deepen your character and walk with the Lord. “Instead of immediately thinking about how [you] can take a helicopter to the top, [you] might take a climber’s approach and think, “This is really tough. This is a challenge, no doubt about it. How do I keep loving this person in the face of this challenge?”

Lead by Example

A friend of mine, Brian Keel publishes an awesome devotion every Friday and this is what he had to say this morning:

Lead by Example

The story goes like this: the Senior Pastor at the church we attended for many years was hosting a dinner at his home for new members. After the meal was finished, he leaned over to his young intern and said, “Are you ready for your first lesson in how to be a good pastor?” The young man was understandably very excited to have such wisdom passed on. The older man got up, said “Follow me” and proceeded to begin clearing the dishes from the tables.

There are many ways to lead. You can lead by virtue of your position in the organization, because of what it says on your business card, or your place on the organization chart. You can lead because you are persuasive or charismatic and people can’t resist. You can even lead by creating a fear of unpleasant consequences among people who don’t fall in line.

Or you can lead by creating a positive example for people to follow, by being a servant leader who takes on the unpleasant tasks yourself, like the pastor in the story above. The young intern surely though the lesson was going to be some great lecture, or a technique to gain new insight into scripture. But just like the disciples who each passed by the foot washing utensils at the Last Supper, only to have the Master perform the duty for them, he found the real lesson is in getting up and getting to work.

If you would like to sign up for his emails, you can do so by clicking here.

Worry

I have a confession to make. I am a recovering worrier. I still worry - thankfully though, not as much as I used to. Zig Ziglar wrote this in Something to Smile About:

Worry has been described as "interest paid on trouble before it comes due." One of America's worst enemies is worry. Worry is like a rocking chair; it requires a lot of energy, and it gets you nowhere. Leo Buscaglia said, "Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy."

Question: Are you a worrier? Americans take more pills to forget more worries about more things than ever before and more than people in any other nation in history.

That's bad. According to Dr. Charles Mayo, "Worry affects the circulation and the whole nervous system. I've never known a man who died from overwork, but I've known many who have died from doubt." Doubt always creates worry, and in most cases, lack of information raises the doubt.

Life is much like Christmas. You're more apt to get what you expect than what you want.

Mathematically speaking, it really doesn't make sense to worry. Psychologists and other researchers tell us that roughly 40 percent of what we worry about will never happen and 30 percent has already happened. Additionally, 12 percent of our worries are over unfounded health concerns. Another 10 percent of our worries involve the daily miscellaneous fretting that accomplishes nothing. That leaves only 8 percent.

Plainly speaking, Americans are worrying 92 percent of the time for no good reason, and if Dr. Mayo is right, it's killing us. One solution that will reduce your worry is this: Don't worry about what you can't change. Example: For a number of years I've flown in excess of 200,000 miles a year. On occasion, flights are canceled or delayed.

As I write this, I'm sitting on the runway waiting for my gate to clear. If I worry or get angry, nothing will change. If I take constructive action and finish this article, I'm ahead of the game. That's a positive way to use the energy that I would have wasted on anger, frustration, or worrying.

The message is clear: If you don't like your situation in life, don't fret or worry--do something about it. Worry less, and act more.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Leaving a Bad Boss - Is it a Good Idea?

I ran across an interesting article in International Business Times about employees and bad bosses. It seems employees are leaving their tyrannical environments in droves:

Everyone's worked for a bad boss at some point in their career, but it seems the tables are turning, with employees increasingly walking out on maddening managers.

A new survey has found 82 per cent of office workers have quit a job rather than put up with an outrageous boss. Chandler Macleod's Recruitment Solutions general manager Lorraine Christopher said with the unemployment rate at a 32-year low, companies needed to start training their managers.

Over 75 per cent of survey respondents claimed they'd knock back a job with better pay if the manager had a poor reputation. Ms Christopher said the survey proved "people don't leave organisations, they leave bad bosses".

Many of you know I left a company due to a bad boss. He even inspired me to write the book, Bleedership, Biblical First-Aid for Leaders. However, I am not convinced we should all leave bad bosses.

I remained in my career under my boss for over a year and a half before God showed me I needed to move on. During that time however, I had many opportunities to share my faith with those I worked with. Tough circumstances tend to do that - to bring people together and provide opportunities to discuss spiritual things.

So don't immediately think that because you have a bad boss, you need to get out of Dodge. God may want you there for a purpose greater than you can imagine.

Just Try Try Again

Sir James Dyson in a Fast Company Magazine interview had this to say:

You once described the inventor's life as "one of failure." How so? I made 5,127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right. There were 5,126 failures. But I learned from each one. That's how I came up with a solution. So I don't mind failure. I've always thought that schoolchildren should be marked by the number of failures they've had. The child who tries strange things and experiences lots of failures to get there is probably more creative.

Not all failures lead to solutions, though. How do you fail constructively?We're taught to do things the right way. But if you want to discover something that other people haven't, you need to do things the wrong way. Initiate a failure by doing something that's very silly, unthinkable, naughty, dangerous. Watching why that fails can take you on a completely different path. It's exciting, actually. To me, solving problems is a bit like a drug. You're on it, and you can't get off. I spent seven years on our washing machine [which has two drums, instead of one].

Meetings, Meetings and More Meetings

I hate meetings! Especially those meetings that just seem like a downright waste of time. Seth Godin had a good post where he gave some tips on making meetings more effective:

• I think most of the time, most meetings should be held without chairs. People standing up think more quickly and get distracted less often. And the meetings don't last as long.


• All day meetings should be banned. Meetings that attempt to accomplish more than one of the tasks above should be banned.


• Last person to walk in the door pays $10 to the coffee fund.


• Hire someone to come in and videotape a few of your standard meetings. Watch what happens.

To read the rest of his post, go here.

The Buzzard, The Bat and The Bumblebee

Zig Ziglar had this to say in a recent article I read:

The BUZZARD

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The BAT

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkably nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

The BUMBLEBEE

A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

PEOPLE

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up.Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.

First, Take a Look at Yourself

LeadingBlog had a great post today:

When things aren't going right we tend to look around for the cause of the problem and blame others. What we should be doing is looking at ourselves.

One skunk's Ah-Ha experience:

"I always thought they didn't want me around because I was a skunk, well... you know it turns out they didn't want me around because I was a jerk."
—Reeko (the Skunk), Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild

Big Enough to be Small Enough

In a devotional from Dr. David Jeremiah, he wrote:

When Dr. J. Edwin Orr wanted to write a biography of Toronto's famous pastor, Oswald J. Smith, he was concerned about how Smith would respond to the complimentary nature of the work. He soon realized, however, that Dr. Smith was gracious and humble enough to take both criticism and compliments in stride. "He is big enough to be small enough to give the glory to the Lord," wrote Orr.

What a description for us to emulate!

How about you? Are you big enough to be small enough to give the glory to God?

A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor. Proverbs 29:23

Persistence

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

I have often heard it said that the most successful people are those who have failed the most. The reason for this is that nobody is perfect. We will all fail from time to time. Those who succeed do so because they keep going. Babe Ruth is one of baseball's all-time home run leaders yet he also at the top of the list of those who struck out the most.

Zig Ziglar had this to say from his book, Something Else to Smile About:

Somebody once said the difference between a big shot and little shot is that the big shot was the little shot who kept on shooting. There's much truth in that witticism. The reality is, no matter what our target might be, we seldom hit it on the first try unless the target is low, which means the accomplishment--and the rewards--will be insignificant.

In bow shooting, experienced archers test the wind by using the first shot to judge its strength and direction, enabling them to zero in on the target with their following shots. In short, archers learn from their mistakes. That's good advice for all of us. Success in business, athletics, science, politics, etc., seldom comes on the first effort. Walt Disney went bankrupt a number of times and had at least one nervous breakdown before he made it big. Athletic skills are acquired over a long period of time and after countless hours of practice. Authors by the hundreds can tell you stories by the thousands of those rejection slips before they found a publisher who was willing to "gamble" on an unknown.

It's more than just a cliché that persistent, enthusiastic effort produces powerful, positive results, that failure is an event--not a person--and that the only time you must not fail is the last time you try. Whatever your target might be, chances are good that you're not going to hit the bull's eye on the first effort you make at being "successful." The key is persistence and the willingness to try again in the face of those early misses.

You can learn from those early mistakes and if you do keep on shooting, it's just a question of time before you, too, are hitting the bull's eye.

Encouragement

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Have you ever been really in a tough spot or really down about something? Have you ever had someone do something or say something during one of those times that really encouraged you? It feels good doesn't it?

We are commanded to do that to one another, including those we work with - even if they drive us crazy!

As we approach the 60 year anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball (April 15), I thought this story was very appropriate:

Jackie Robinson was one of the first African Americans to play major league baseball. In his first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson faced hostility nearly everywhere he traveled because of his race. Pitchers threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases. Brutal epithets were written on cards and shouted by players in the opposing dugouts. Even the home crowds in Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach.

While racial prejudice has declined since that time, it still is a factor in today’s society. During one game in Boston, the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. To make matters worse, Robinson committed an error and stood at second base humiliated while fans hurled insults at him. Another Dodger, a Southern white man by the name of “Pee Wee” Reese, called timeout. He walked over to Robinson and, with the crowds looking on, put his arm around his friend’s shoulder. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said that arm around his shoulder saved his career. Jackie Robinson eventually went on to become one of baseball’s all-time greats.

Heroes appear under different names at different times and different circumstances, but from my perspective Pee Wee Reese was a hero and a gentleman. He did the right thing in the right way for the right reason. The bottom line is he saved one man’s career, increased the dignity of others, and as a practical matter was a significant factor in integration by his impact for his stand for fairness and justice. He was a difference maker for sure!

From Steve Goodier’s popular book, Prescription for Peace.

Are You Spoiled or Thankful?

I just received this email stating that this was something Jay Leno said. I found out that's not true, a guy named Craig R. Smith wrote this before last Thanksgiving. No matter who wrote it, it is very good:

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The same magazine that employs Michael (Qurans in the toilets at Gitmo) Isikoff. Here I promised myself this week I would be nice and I start off in this way. Oh what a mean man I am.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?'' Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy. Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army
that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did … insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad. I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

''What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''

I suggest this Thanksgiving we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy.

Thankful for Adversity

Have you ever been thankful for adversity? I just read an interesting article that puts a little different spin on it. Here is what Chris Widener had to say:

Adversity makes life interesting. John Amatt said, "Without adversity, without change, life is boring." How true. Have you noticed that while we are in the middle of adversity we only long to get out of it, but we then spend a lifetime recounting it to anyone who will listen? This is because it spices life up a little. Imagine how boring life would be if everything always went well, when there was never a mountain to be climbed.

To read the rest of his article, click here.

Watch Your Mouth

I was in a meeting yesterday with one other guy and 11 women. It was a very productive meeting but I was amazed at the cussing coming from the mouths of several of the people in the room. It was incredible and it would have made some of the most seasoned sailors blush.

I was reminded of something we discussed in the home group my wife and I are part of from the book of James: Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

I believe this not only includes swearing but can also include complaining. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18 that "...the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'"

So how is your heart? Remember, many can see your heart by the words that come out of your mouth.

Lee Iacocca's 9 C's of Leadership

From Leading Blog, a summary from Lee Iacocca's new book, Where Have all the Leaders Gone?

1. A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care.

2. A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. Leadership is all about managing change -- whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt.

3. A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth.

4. A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power."

5. A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.

6. To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION -- a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done.

7. A leader should have CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader because they trust him. That's my definition of charisma.

8. A leader has to be COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing.

9. You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE.

THE BIGGEST C IS CRISIS. Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis.

Good Friday

Did you know today is Good Friday? I'm sure you did - but have you ever stopped to really think about what this day means?

Max Lucado has a pretty cool presentation of what this day is all about. I encourage you to take a few minutes and check this out. Go to http://www.hechosethenails.net/.

Happy Easter!

Contentment

Yesterday I wrote about being self-focused – worrying about our problems. I just read an article that once again changed my perspective. In the article, the authors (Paul Brand and Philip Yancey) had this to say:

Isaac Newton said, "In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence." After 40 years as a surgeon specializing in hands, I am tempted to agree. Nothing in all nature rivals the hand's combination of strength and agility, tolerance and sensitivity. We use our hands for the most wonderful activities: art, music, writing, healing, touching.

Some people go to concerts and athletic events to watch the performance; I go to watch hands. For me, a piano performance is a ballet of fingers—a glorious flourish of ligaments and joints, tendons, nerves, and muscles. I try to sit near the stage to watch the movements.

Unless you have tried to reproduce just one small twitch of the hand mechanically, you cannot fully appreciate its movements. Often I have stood before a group of
medical students or surgeons to analyze the motion of one finger. I hold before them a dissected cadaver hand, with its trailing strands of sinew, and announce that I will move the tip of the little finger.

To do so, I must place the hand on a table and spend about four minutes sorting through the tangle of tendons and muscles. Seventy separate muscles contribute to hand movements. But in order to allow dexterity and slimness for actions such as
piano playing, the finger has no muscle in itself; tendons transfer the force from muscles higher in the arm. (Body-builders should be grateful: imagine the limitations on finger movement if the fingers had muscles that could grow large and bulky.) Finally, after I have arranged at least a dozen muscles correctly, I can maneuver them to make the little finger move. Usually, I give this demonstration to illustrate a way to repair the hand surgically. In 40 years of surgery, I have personally operated on perhaps 10,000 hands. I could fill a room with surgery manuals suggesting various ways to repair injured hands. But in those years I have never found a single technique to improve a normal, healthy hand. That is why I am tempted to agree with Isaac Newton.

This made me stop and realize that no matter how bad things seem, they really aren't that bad. We always have something to be thankful for no matter our circumstances - even if it is for a seemingly insignificant (yet amazing) thing as our thumbs. Let’s be thankful and content with what we have.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

Ever Have a Bad Day at Work?

I don't know about you but when things get hectic at work or don't go the way I would like, I tend to get stressed and focused on all that is not right in my world. I've been having one of those weeks this week.

Yesterday, God put it all in perspective for me.

A good friend of mine, who just became a Christian three weeks ago, came to my office to share with me that his 19 year-old son was going to prison for 90 days because of drug use. He recognizes that God is in control, yet he is still devastated.

About an hour later I received word that another good friend's 14 year-old daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia. I have not spoken with him yet but I know that this has rocked their family's world despite having very strong faith.

This was a reminder to me that I need to not take things so seriously at work. Issues at work really are not that big of a deal when viewed from an eternal perspective. I need to not make "mountains out of molehills." Sure, I need to react to issues, but I don't have to let those problems rule. I need to remember Who is truly in control. How about you?

Uncle No Name

Are you feeling like you've been knocked down, repeatedly? If so, Zig Ziglar wrote the following which might be an encouragement:

His name was Wally Amos and he built a $100 million business selling his "Famous Amos Cookies." Through a series of unfortunate circumstances, he lost his business. He went from fame and fortune to a debt level of one million dollars.

Even worse, he lost the right to use the name he made famous. He did not, however, lose the things that made him successful in the first place. He maintained his sense of humor and his outgoing, optimistic, confident nature. As might be expected, he bounced back big time.

He started a new venture under the name of "Wally Amos Presents Chip'n Cookie." PEOPLE Magazine did a story and Fitz & Floyd made a Chip'n Cookie Jar. J.C. Penney marketed Chip'n Cookie dolls. Everyone was delighted at Mr. Amos' comeback. Everybody but the new owners of "Famous Amos." A lawsuit resulted and once again he was put out of business.

Wally says he got famous and rich and paid a price for it. . . . He wrote a book, MAN WITH NO NAME, which was enthusiastically received . . .and he is back in the food business. He started a new company by the name of “Uncle No-Name." (In 1999 they changed the name to Uncle Wally’s.) Wally is a good example of a man being knocked down but not out. He is fighting back with the same zest and zeal he demonstrated the first time around. I predict he will continue to do well.

Wally Amos is the classic example of a man who gets up again and again. The old saying that a person who won't be beat can't be beat is certainly true of "Uncle No-Name." Adopt his attitude and I'll See You At The Top!

Adapted from Zig’s book Something to Smile About, published by Thomas Nelson.

April Fools

I love April Fools Day. Unfortunately, this year I took the day off. I usually like to pull some pranks on my family or those I work with; however, my wife and I returned from vacation very late on Saturday night (actually Sunday morning). As a result, I was running at less than half speed on Sunday (April Fools Day).

But my spirits were lifted when I read a list of some of the greatest April Fools Day jokes ever. Here is one of them:

Instant Color TV

In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Stensson then proceeded to demonstrate the process. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, out of the population of seven million, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

To read more, click here.