Wednesday 30 December 2009

Keep my gob shut.

Ever had those times where you wish you hadn't said something? I have found myself in a few of those situations throughout my life...

There are also those times where you are not sure whether you should say something. I am finding I am feeling like that a lot lately. Should I say something to the guy who is always making derogatory comments about his daughter, the woman that does nothing but moan about change, or the wife that complains about her unsaved husband.

Do I have a right to speak into these peoe's lives if they haven't given me permission to do so? Is it worth the antagonism that is likely to ensue. I know that challenge is part of being a pastor and also just part of life but I think one of the issues is choosing the right forums. I guess Twitter is not one of them. Unfortunately the social networking sites are where I really want to open my big fat gob and say what I think because that is where some people tend to do their whinging, gossiping & disparaging comments. Not appropriate or productive. I guess this means that I am actually learning something.

How do you appropriately challenge people?

Friday 18 December 2009

Finishing the year well.

Many of us have made well intentioned New Year's resolutions only to have broken them within the first week. So how do we change that this New Year?
One thing I am learning is that how we finish one season is how we start the next. So how we finish this year will impact whether we can realistically fulfill our resolutions in the next.

Here are 5 ways to help us finish this year well.
  1. Tidy up the loose ends. Phil 1:6 states that "...He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion..." Are we bringing things to a completion before entering something new. What are the things we need to tie up & complete once & for all? I have some unfinished projects to complete by the end of the year. 
  2.  Who ya gonna call? What relationships have you let slide this year that you need to re-establish? Make that telephone call and arrange to meet up. Don't wait for them to do it.
  3. Look at my successes. Have a look at some the successes that you have achieved in the last year. They don't have to be big ones. All of us have achieved something. What are they and did I celebrate them.
  4. Look at their successes. Are you able to celebrate the success of those around you? Why not help someone celebrate their achievements in this last year. Maybe you might be the one person that notices it and helps them end their year well.
  5. Look at how I have overcome one of my personal constraints. Flip Flippen talks about how to overcome our personal constraints. Look at what you have overcome this year to help build a platform for what we can master next year.
Let me know if any of these help you in the last couple of weeks of this year.

Sharing