1/12 Of The Year Is Almost Gone

Time flies. January of 2009 will soon be history. What did we accomplish this month? Did we use our time wisely? How much time did we waste? Time is a gift. We need not misuse it. Let us get some things accomplished this year. Why not improve? Why not do better? Why not change for the better? Be determined that this year is going to be better than any year in the past. Make it happen. Life is what you make it. It can be a glorious experience or it can be a real dumpster. The choice is ours. Longfellow put it this way: "let us then be up and doing, with a heart for any fate, still achieving, still pursuing; learn to labor and to wait."

The Cardinals Will Beat The Steelers

It will be a historic first for for the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLII. They will defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cardinals are a team of destiny. Kurt Warner is the best quarterback in the NFL. The Cardinal special teams are prepared and will play aggressive, focused football. On defense, the All Pro strong safety: Adrian Wilson will be making some vicious hits. He will not be denied. Dockett, Smith and Pace will be stopping the run up front. Antrell Rolle with his career 5 touchdowns on 9 turnovers will make at least two interceptions. Warner, James, Hightower, Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston will play the greatest game of their careers. Gandy, Wells, Sendlein, Lutui and Brown will provide pass protection for Warner like never before. Warner will be passing to Fitzgerald who will be running routes the Steelers have never seen before. Fitzgerald has the best hands in the NFL. He will out-leap all defenders. He runs great after the catch. He will confuse Polamalu. The Cardinals are driven. This could be a blowout, with the Cardinals winning by 3 touchdowns.

Michelle Obama: What A First Lady!

She is definitely the most unique first lady I have ever seen. I know the spotlight has been on her for months and months. I know she is attractive, educated, and classy. But there is something of importance that I must point out. She is a wife, and she is a mom. Her husband, Barak, would not be where he is if it were not for her. She loves him, and it shows. She has been (and is) his best friend. She has counseled him, encouraged him, accompanied him, loved him and brought out the best in him. She understands the concept of "team" in a marriage. She recognizes his power as a husband. She recognizes her power as a wife. They are not competing with each other, they are a team. She is the whole "offensive line," Barak is the quarterback. She gets her glory, he gets his. It may not be exactly alike, but it is a united glory. This is teamwork, division of power, and division of labor. It is also called marriage. But what about her role as a mom? During the inaugural, as the first family (elect) was seated, the look on her face told it all as she gazed upon her daughters. Only a mom gives a look like that one. We have seen it somewhere before. The look said: "Look where we are girls. Are you okay? I love you so much." "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." (Prov. 31: 27,28) Michelle Obama is a blessed woman. What a first lady!

Both Sides Prayed

In Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, he quoted the Bible about 5 times. He also mentioned ; regarding the Civil War; that "both sides pray to the same God." He went on to explain that God's ways and purposes are superior to the ways and purposes of man. Much is being said these days about the greatness of Abraham Lincoln. The attention on him comes and goes. He was a great president. He was the appointed man to lead this great country during the greatest crisis it has ever experienced. He was a man of prayer. He was a man of faith. he was a man who not only read the Bible, he studied it. As a child he learned to read English from it. He attended Church. He did not have a formal membership in any church. Nevertheless, he depended strongly on prayer and study of the Bible. The result was that he was a very wise man. Presidents need to be wise. Yes, he was a great president. Probably the greatest. And I know what made him great. I will discuss much more about him in the future.

Integrity, Influence and Leadership

There is much to be said regarding this topic. It seems that everyone is looking for a leader, and in different areas of their lives. People are not necessarily looking for persons with titles. They are seeking leaders. Leadership is at its' lowest level when it is based on position only. It grows and grows to a higher level as you develop relationships with others. That's when they give you permission to lead beyond the limits of your job description. By this, I do not mean the process of usurpation or the encroachment on the authority of someone else. I mean taking the company, agency, business, division, department, facility, shop, factory, school or church to a higher level because you are a great influencer. Chiefs, managers, supervisors, superintendents. vice presidents, presidents, commanders, directors and more; are in leadership positions; but, are they influencers? A true leader is an influencer. And, by far, the most important characteristic of the influencer is integrity. Genuine integrity is not for sale. The need for integrity is perhaps as great as it ever has been. And it is absolutely essential for anyone who desires to become a person of influence. Integrity is crucial for business and personal success. A joint study conducted by the UCLA Graduate School of Management and Korn/ Ferry International of New York City surveyed 1300 senior executives. Seventy-one percent of them said that integrity was the quality most needed to succeed in business. As important as integrity is to your business success, it is even more critical if you want to become an influencer. It is the foundation upon which many other qualities are built, such as respect, dignity, and trust. If the foundation of integrity is weak or fundamentally flawed, then being a person of influence becomes impossible. Even people who are able to hide their lack of integrity for a period of time will eventually experience failure, and whatever influence they have temporarily gained will disappear. I would like to thank Rick Warren and John Maxwell for their guidance/insight on this topic.

Say No To The Good

Please do not misunderstand the title of this entry. The complete title should read: "Learn to say `no` to the good so you can say `yes` to the best." It is a quote that I read in a small book about leadership. I would like to expand on it. When I refer to "good," I am not talking about goodness, kindness or giving. I believe those are fine concepts but they represent a different meaning of the word. When I speak of "good," I refer to levels of opportunity, pleasure, experience, and the pursuit of objectives, goals, accomplishments. In the first place: Why settle for good when you are capable of the best? Regarding tests, projects, and assignments in school: Is a "C" a good grade? Maybe. Maybe not. Is a "B" a good grade? Maybe. Maybe not. The bottom line here is to sacrifice something that is satisfactory for something that is a great deal better. In matters not necessarily related to school or training, but in relationships, careers, personal growth, the pursuit of success, or achieving purpose in life: there are times when one must reject something good in the hope of acquiring something better or the best. This is certainly not a new idea. You say you passed up an opportunity? An opportunity for what? When you passed up that opportunity; you probably took a step in a positive direction. You need to lose to win sometimes. Postpone or reject a gratification for an achievement of a greater gratification. This is a "law of life." Unfortunately some people never learned it. They never learned it until they were too old, too sick, too poor, or too miserable. Some can bounce back. If they want to. Some cannot bounce back. Even if they want to. You reap what you sow.

My Prayer For The Chargers

Almighty God: you are King of kings and Lord of lords. I praise your name forever. I thank you first of all for all of your kindness and mercy. I thank you for your abundant blessings. You are omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent and eternal. For you; nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible. I come before you this day realizing that I represent many. You know all things. You know that I have been a San Diego Charger fan since 1961. On Sunday January 11, 2009, the Chargers will be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, a Divisional round of the AFC Playoffs. I ask that you help the Chargers play their best. Bless the coaching staff. Bless all support staff. Bless the organization. Bless every player, whether he is a starter or not. Bless the offense, defense, and special teams. Help every player to do/play his very best. Bless every player's heart, mind, and body. Bless every Charger on every second of every down. Help the Chargers do their very best. Help them to play at their highest level. Help each to execute with skill, preparation, aggressiveness (within the rules to avoid penalties) and with a focused sense of urgency. Protect all Chargers from injury. I have already said that with you, all things are possible. I ask therefore, that the Chargers not fumble the ball. I ask that the Charger quarterback throw no interceptions. I ask that the Charger offense block, run, pass, catch and do everything necessary to gain yards and score points. I ask that you help them execute at their highest level. I ask that the Charger defense defend against the run and pass at a superior level. I ask that they sack, cause fumbles, recover fumbles, intercept passes, or any ball in play. I pray that the Charger defense play so superior that the Steelers will score no points. God almighty, help the special teams execute with precision, focus, skill, watchfulness, and again with an explosive aggressiveness that produces only positive results and no penalties. Again, I ask, bless all of the coaches, in particular the head coach. Give them courage, wisdom, and an attitude that produces positive results. Remove dissention and any animosity among any players and/or staff. This is a team effort. The team, the team, the team. The team with bolts on their sleeves. The San Diego Chargers. Thank you for them. Bless every part of the team. Help them to play their very best. Thank you. In Jesus' name, amen.