Proverbs 20 on Success

v. 13 - If you love sleep, you will become poor; keep your eyes open, and you'll have plenty of food.

v. 18 - After consultation, plans succeed; so take wise advice when waging war.

Proverbs 19 on Success

v 17 - He who is kind to the poor is lending to Adonai; and He will repay him for his good deed.

Have no Fear in Giving

Luke 12:32-34 - Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Want to give to the needy... here is a great cause!

Proverbs 15 on Success

v 22 - Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.

v 31 - The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.

v 32 - Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.

Thank You God For Moms

Mother's Day 2008 - Pictured to the left are two of the most incredible women God ever placed on the earth; at least that is my perspective.

My mom was a remarkeable lady. This is the third mother's day I have been through without her. I am looking forward to seeing her again in eternity. I learned so much from her - such as working hard. I recall one of her journal entries she wrote about how many people would stop and comment on how beautiful their yard was always kept. My parent's yard and home looked like a picture off of the front of a magazine. In her journal she wrote that the people who'd stop and comment on the yard would usually say how they'd love a place like that to enjoy and relax. She knew though that while it was definitely a beautiful place it required much work. A garden doesn't just happen. As anything else in life that is good and worthwhile doesn't just create itself, it requires hard work. She and my dad taught the importance of a hard work ethic. I am sure she is enjoying a much more elaborate landscape today than she ever did on earth.

God gave me one of my greatest blessings in my wife. She is one of the most selfless people I have ever known. Her life is devoted to serving others. Our kids may not understand right now how lucky they are to have a mom that is so devoted to their success but they will one day. I have learned through my wife how to enjoy life more, serve and give to others, and don't settle for second best. She is a constant encourager and motivator.

I thank God for the lessons I have learned from these incredible women.

Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude

I just finished this book and have started re-reading it. It is easy to slip into negativity. This book will help you to begin re-programming your mind to find the positive. Gitomer's "in your face" style writing quickly motivates you to examine every area where you allow negativity to enter your brain and instructs you in step by step methods on how to change your thinking. I give this book a high thumbs up and believe it is a MUST read for everyone.

Overcoming Fear & Living Life

This week we enjoyed a little fun and relaxation in Gatlinburg, TN. The pictures you see were taken at Dollywood and carry a lot of significance to me - yes, the "Tennessee Tornado" roller coaster and the "Shooting Star" ride.

My 15 year old daughter, "W", has carried a couple of fears with her for some time - flying in an airplane and roller coasters. In the past 30 days she has conquered both!!! She flew to Miami a few weeks ago and she is in the picture you see of the roller coaster - the coaster going up the BIG hill and has massive twists and turns. That was actually one of several coasters she rode at Dollywood - this one not even being the scariest. She said she is determined to beat her fears one at a time.

In the second picture, you will see three of my kids from the third seat over - "B", "W", and "G". "B" has had a few issues of fear too, yet this trip he tried many new rides and even rode "Blazing Fury," a roller coaster I tried a few years ago and don't care to get back on. I am very proud of my kids for looking at fear and moving through it and on the other side of the fear seeing a side of life they had yet to experience.

Now my youngest child, "G", is an experiencer of life. He wants all that life has to offer. To a parent's delight and a parent's fear, he has no fear of anything. He was very upset with Dollywood's height guidelines because some of the rides said he was too "wittle" - too little. He would have rode everything had he been allowed too.

There are two others in the pictures that I would like to mention... the girl in the far left of the "Shooting Star" ride... I don't know her name or her dad's name that is sitting beside her, but they were a true inspiration to me. The girl is blind. Before the ride, I listened to her dad explain to her what the ride would do and she couldn't wait to get on. She laughed histerically every time the ride went up and down. I was inspired from two aspects - one was from her dad that may have not found it to be convenient or desirable to ride everything; yet he did because he wanted his daughter to experience all that life offers in spite of her disability. I was equally inspired from her that she did not allow blindness to keep her from experiencing life to its fullest. It is so easy to think of ways why we can't accomplish things instead of taking the fear and drowing it with an "I Can" attitude.

Thank you to my kids and the daughter and her dad for teaching me an important lesson of pushing fears to the side and LIVE! Maybe next time, I will be on the roller coaster with a picture taken of me. Yes, the lesson did not occur to me until we were out of Dollywood and it was too late to practice it. Convenience or coincidence? This time I will say - coincidence

Fishing WIth the Fam...

Saturday we enjoyed the fishing pond. We have seen large mouth bass in the pond but have not been able to land one with earthworms until Saturday. This was the largest fish we have caught in the pond until about 2 minutes after this photo when my son "C" caught a bigger one. I took the picture of him and his fish but forgot to save it after I took it - duh!

"G" was a happy boy. He asked to throw every fish back into the water after we caught them. He enjoyed it quite a bit... not so sure about the enjoyment of the fish however.

Aldous Huxley on Attitude

It is not what happens to you, it's what you do with what happens to you.

Proverbs 4 on Success

4:13 - Hold fast to discipline, don't let it go; guard it, for it is your life.

4:25-27 - Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze on what lies in front of you. Level the path for your feet, let all your ways be properly prepared; then deviate neither right nor left; and keep your foot far from evil. STAY FOCUSED!!!

Proverbs 3 on Success

3:9-10 - Honor Adonai with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your income. Then your granaries will be filled and your vats overflow with new wine.

3:21-24 - My son, don't let these slip from your sight; preserve common sense and discretion; they will be life for your being and grace for your neck. Then you will walk your way securely, without hurting your foot. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 1 on Success

1:7 - ...fools despise wisdom and discipline (better obtain wisdom and learn to be disciplined)