Category Archives: Recovery

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Your Laughter does not affect my Christian soul

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You can laugh at me but it will not hurt me.My son gave this title without any more instructions.  After thinking about it I knew what it meant inside but putting it into words was a little more difficult. Daily we all battle something or some thought that nags us.  The thought that keeps pulling you down or worse just putting you down. Well those of us who are Christian have an answer that can stop this negativity in its tracks.

In the book “Patience to Dominate” there is a principle called “Unflappable, I shall not be moved.  This reflects the attitude of Christian towards any negative situation, especially ill-willed laughter. Stand firm and know that God is there to protect you.

Job 8:20-22

King James Version (KJV)

20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

 

Dreams and goals are met with obstacles and these obstacles are primarily in your head. It is not over until you have the last laugh.

Abraham (in Genesis 21) named his son Isaac which means “he laughs”. But this reflects Abraham and Sarah’s unbelieving laugh at the promise of God. Do not laugh at the promises of God or you could cause delay in the blessing coming for you. Focus on the goodness inside of you and the unlimited goodness in the Father.

 

Job 5:22

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth

Luke 6:20-22

20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh

Psalm 64:10

10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

 

It is demonstrated in these scriptures that God already knows that you will be laughed at in your life time.  You can turn this into good and literally laugh at destruction and not be afraid of the antagonizer. Get it together the blessing is coming your way. Use your patience to overcome. Confessions have power so let’s use them and say, “Your Laughter does not affect my Christian soul!”

What is something or someone you wish to use the statement against?

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False Alarm, Good Drill: Plan for the unexpected

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How prepared are you for when there is no power coming to you? The other day when our power went out, it was a few minutes before dark and we were settling in for the evening. At first we were content to wait 45 minutes for the power company to kick in to high gear and get the lights back on and then reality set in.   Now it is time to break in to action. Locate the flashlights and check for batteries.  Light candles, no locate candles then light them.  Now, I have to run outside and fire up the generator and locate the cords to power our lives.  Finally, we are ready to plug-in and have a mini-campout.  As soon as we do all of this and the evening turns completely dark, the power comes back on.

False Alarm, Good Drill

After going through all of these actions only and not using the tools I was a relieved.  Then I began to reflect on other areas of my life and I wondered did I have drills for simple things in life that more than likely will happen.  I needed to plan for the unexpected.  Could I set up some drills like the grade-school fire drills to have my family better prepared for calamity?

Could we use this as leadership lesson?  Sure.  Here are a few things leaders can do to be prepared for calamity.

  1. Make a list of likely challenges that will arise

What if you as a leader have to step away for an extended amount of time?  Is your organization or family ready for this?  If there is a flood or storm coming towards you, how long do you need to secure vital documents and essentials to start over?

2.  Be honest about your ability to overcome catastrophe

If you do not already have the tools to help during a crisis, acquire them.  Look at your situation honestly and make the necessary adjustments.  A lot of tools and plans are already in place if you assess them properly and put them in your survival plan

3.  Run the drill as if the event is actually happening

During the power outage, the only reason that we so calmly pulled out all of the things necessary to survive is that we had done this before.  There are a lot of things that have never happened in your organizations or in life but have a high possibility of occurring. Plan for the unexpected.  Identify these things and prepare a drill.  This is like having a will, having a business succession plan or writing who to call in an emergency on the inside of your wallet.

 

 

Tell me about some of your False alarms that were good drills.

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Hurricane Sandy: Patience for Recovery

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My heart goes out to all the people dealing with the aftermath of the recent Super Storm Sandy.  The winds of the hurricane are gone but the echo remains.  I know the strain of this walk back to normalcy because of the recent tornadoes in Alabama.  While we were spared the wind damage, we sustained flood damage. To give you an idea look around your house and think of losing everything that is below your waist line.  Imagine all of your pillows, shoes, records, appliances and yes and your furnace and air conditioner completely ruined.  Now, imagine losing everything and having no answers about recovery.  We had members of our Boy Scout Troop lose their entire home.  So let’s pray for all of these people and towns; pray that they keep their peace during these trying times. Peace is what everyone involved in Hurricane Sandy will need.

Here is a letter I would write if one of my personal friends were in the storm:

I am glad that you and your family are safe.  God’s grace is evident in every situation.  Recovery will seem elusive because of the enormity of the storm and it may seem overwhelming right now.  There is hope if you are willing to be Patient.  Patience is weaving a pattern to achieve a desired outcome. With all of the chaos of assessing the damage and lose of you and your neighbors I urge you to make a decision. Make a decision on what outcome you desire.  While there are some factors to consider in regards to finances and personal preferences but your true focus should be on what do you want this situation to look like in a year.

 

Think big picture or your mind will get caught in the space of “what I used to Have/Do”.  Recovery is possible but restoration is up to a higher power.  You can recover your peace and joy, real soon.  Look to a brighter future that is free from your past.  I know you have a lot to do so I will send you another letter in a week to give you some more ideas on having the Patience for Recovery.

 

Dominate your actions, Dominate your thoughts, Dominate your world, tm

William J. Spencer, IV