HAPPY 2009 GAMERS!

Proverbs 30:5

"Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection."

Good morning, Gamers! I am taking a few more days off. I am getting things in order to properly enter the New Year! This includes reflection on the past year: what I did well, what I need to improve on, and what are my goals! I invite you to do the same!!!

I wish you ALL a Happy, Safe, and Successful New Year! I will rejoin you on January 2!!

God Bless You & Your Families!!

Merry Christmas Gamers!!

"Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge"~ Prov 23:12

Good Morning, Gamers! I hope you are enjoying the "days before Christmas"...preparing to be with friends and family. I know I am!! I LOVE THE FOOD, FUN, & FELLOWSHIP!!

This will be my last official post until Monday, December 29th. However, you know I may visit you with a mobile post or two...

Merry Christmas to you all! I love and appreciate each of you!! A special shout out to the loyal followers: Mack and Lennie, and a special welcome to our newest follower, Makita!!

During the holiday season remember:

"Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge" ~ Prov 18:15

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Gamers Look Ahead & Use Caution

Good morning Gamers!

I am sorry this post is a little late. I am on vacation and went shopping this morning to get ingredients for my famous sweet potato pie. It is a family tradition started by my father to bake them for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Now that I have your mouth watering (LOL), let's get into the Word!

We are in Proverbs 22, NLTse and MSG versions; with my bold print being verse 3:

"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences" (NLTse)

"A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered" (MSG)

A prudent person? We haven't talked about being prudent yet, have we? It's one of my favorite words, but to keep this post short I will only describe it's attributes right now: circumspection, discretion, foresight, and forethought. We will look at all of these as times goes by; but today we zero in on foresight (or looking ahead). This verse tells us that a prudent person looks ahead and forsees danger, the simpleton or "dummy" does not see it until he is in deep trouble -- getting "clobbered", as The Message version puts it...LOL! You know the saying, right? "The punch that knocks out a boxer is not a left or a right -- it's the one he didn't see comin!!"...hmmmm!

Applying your heart to wisdom and knowledge makes us more perceptive & alert -- causing us to "pay attention to details" more!! When we are alert, we see a bad situation coming before we get there and we take precaution -- meaning we use caution before the danger!!! (or "Shun evil", right?) Wow! Don't you wish you used some foresight before you did that dumb thing last week? I KNOW I WISH I HAD!

A prudent person is always observing the path he is on as well as always looking ahead & watching the signs. Several posts ago, we talked about the sin that we always fall for. Don't you think we could stay away from or "shun" THAT SIN if we use some wisdom and foresight???

So, today use foresight on your life's path. Take precautions when you see bad signs -- then do it again tomorrow; and the next day, and before you know it you have formed the habit of utilizing foresight and the wisdom that you have "written deep in your heart" (on your PDA, notebook, smartphone, or computer). Then soon, you will be mentoring others how to do the same!!!

"Get smart, get serious, and get going!!" ~ AR Bernard

Stay in the Game!!

Get All That You Can

Goooood morning Gamers!
It is fantastic to see you! Only six more days 'til Christmas...when we officially celebrate the birth of Christ! Did this year fly by or WHAT?

Normally, we delve into a "bold print" verse & "break it down" if you will; but today's bold print is so straight to the point, that all we need to do is meditate on it -- and apply it:

Proverbs 19:20 (NLTse)

"Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life"

The great author and inspirational speaker, John C Maxwell, states that if we diligently read and study something that we want to be good at for -- 30 minutes a day -- in 7 years we will be an expert on the subject...

Gamers, let's strive to be wise the rest of our lives!!!

Stay in the Game!!

Run to the "Fortress"

Good Morning!
Are you ready for a great day? Well, let's get to it!!

Proverbs 18, in the NLTse & NKJV, verse 10 is the bold print:

"The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe." (NLTse)

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. NKJV"

So, my question is -- why do we worry? This verse is very simple, yet to the point: "the name of the Lord is a strong fortress where we, the righteous, can find safety" (Coach paraphrase again). So, why do we worry? We worry because we look at "sight sense, and circumstances". We see a situation that looks kinda "hinky" and we judge it by our senses (which are very unreliable at best) and we get scared and even try to handle it on our own.

Stop and think for just a minute, imagine the days when there were fortresses and towers everywhere. If you are on the battlefield, you see the enemy (circumstances) coming from every direction -- it looks hopeless. Now, imagine running to the safety of your army's fortress and running inside -- you hear those heavy doors close behind you -- and you know you are safe. (Can you hear your sigh of relief?)

Then when you go up in the fortress and look down on the battlefield; doesn't it look different from up there? The enemy looks smaller and less imposing. You see gaps and weaknesses in the enemy that you could not see from the ground. If you are a WISE person, you will also see ways to defeat the enemy!!! You can see all this from the "safety of the STRONG fortress..."

The Name of the Lord...is strong tower...the righteous (godly, wise) run in...and are SAFE!

Stay in the Game!!

Gamers Know When To Be Quiet

Good morning, Gamers!
I hope you slept well and are ready to face a great day with tremendous potential!!

We are in Proverbs 17 using the NLTse (peeking at the NIV and MSG versions) & bold print today are verses 27-28:

27- "A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered."

28" Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent".

Proverbs teaches a lot about controlling our mouths and this is one of my favorite verses. Verse 27 says that "a truly wise person (that's what we are learning to be) uses few words and is even tempered". The NIV says:

"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint..."

SO, The truly wise "Gamer" controls their mouth and is even-tempered (is calm- MSG version)! Many times we run our mouth and say TOO much or the wrong thing because we got emotional!! We got mad or too excited and lost control of our mouth. It is interesting how this verse shows the connection between controlling our demeanor and mouth control.

So, the very first thing we need to do to control "our big yaps" is to "take our emotions to school". Teach them to listen to US...we are the teacher and not the other way around.

Parenthetical: "Using words with restraint" also suggests that as we become wise, we WILL know more...but it doesn't mean we always have to say what we know -- it's annoying when someone is a "know it all", isn't it?

Finally, verse 28 is very diplomatic in the way it says it --- but its instructing us to just keep our big mouths SHUT sometimes! "Even a fool seems intelligent with his mouth shut." You learn much more when you listen and observe anyway...

So, GP4L (Game Planners 4 Life), let's be observant and restrain our mouths...I guarantee you will learn A LOT!!

Stay in the Game!!

True Gamers Build Wise Minds

Good Morning Gamers!
Great to see you this morning knowing that you are ready to "apply your hearts to wisdom"!

We are in Proverbs 16, using the NLTse and the NIV -- focusing on verse 23:

"From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive" NLTse

"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction." NIV

All through our reading we have been instructed to "apply our hearts to wisdom and understanding". In chapter 4, we are even told to "write what we learn deep in our hearts...". I also shared how I try to apply my heart to wisdom by keeping verses in my smartphone and setting up "Proverbs alerts" during the day to review them. The above verse is one of the reason we should be doing it, Gamers!! To help control what comes out of our mouth...

How many of you have said the wrong thing? I mean just opened your big mouth and inserted "foot". Raise your hands -- wherever you are right now........

(the pause was because I had BOTH my hands up!!)

It is a frustrating feeling when my mouth gets me into trouble!! How about you? Sometimes it seems like it has a mind of its own, no?

Well verse 23 tells us that a wise mind and heart guides our mouth to say wise things (speech)! It makes sense though; if you have wisdom being poured into your mind on a regular basis -- then good things will come out. In the last post, we talked about what are we taking into out minds and how it negatively affects what we do -- decisions we make. We said we need to take out some trash!!! So NOW...let's take in wisdom to make our minds wise.

But, remember, the verse says it GUIDES your mouth...we still have to make the decision to FOLLOW the guidance.

The last part of the verse is also very important: "the wise mind makes our mouths say persuasive things that also instruct" (Coach paraphrase). In other words, as we continue to apply our hearts to wisdom and develop wise minds and hearts, the words we say will have significance and positively effect everyone around us. Now THAT is exciting!!

So, let's makes some "wise mind deposits" that will reap huge dividends in our lives and others!!!

Stay in the Game!!

SPECIAL REQUEST: if you follow this blog and want to remain anonymous, please go to the right column, click "follow this blog", sign up as "anonymous" so I can know how many people are out there...thanks!

What Are You Taking In?

Good Morning Gamers?
Are you ready to make this a great day? I am...so let's take in some "good food" to fuel our day!!!

We are in Proverbs 15, of course, and we'll be using the NLTse. My bold print for today is verse 14:

"14- A wise person is hungry for knowledge while the fool feeds on trash"

Now people, no need to get deep here -- simply put: what are you taking in?? What are you reading? What are you watching? What are you studying? You have all heard the quote, "Garbage in garbage out", haven't you? Well, Proverbs 4:23 (NLTse) says it a better:

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life"

What we take in, gets into our hearts and that determines the course of our lives, Gamers!!! The decisions that we make during the day are influenced by what we take in. This is a HUGE reason why we should be starting our day with Proverbs and prayer!! Amen?

I had a conversation with a friend on Saturday about setting priorities in life. We agreed that once we know what is important -- we have to make time to do it! I shared with him that I loved playing the game of Spades online at a popular game site. But, I found I would spend alot of time each night (sometimes 2-3hours) playing. I finally realized that it was wasting time, valuable time that I could spend doing things that took me to my goals. What I also discovered was that it was exposing me to people with all kinds of thinking, ideologies, and lifestyles that were not in line with my goals. So, as tough as it was, I had to break that habit because of what I was taking in. The result is regaining control of my time and replacing it with activities that take me to my goals.

So, what are you taking into your life? Are you guarding your heart? We as wise Gamers should be seeking knowledge and applying our hearts to wisdom. We should definitely NOT be "feeding on trash"!

Gamers: carefully examine what you are taking in & if necessary, make some "intake changes"! (TAKE OUT THE TRASH) Replace it with things that help you "apply your hearts to wisdom"!!

Stay in the Game!!

Be Careful What You Say

Prov 13:2

Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything. (MSG)

Have a fantastic weekend!!

Mobile Post: Encourage One Person Today

Proverbs 12:18 "Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing" (NLTse)

Hello Gamers! I am posting from my smartphone today and have a challenge for you today: Bless someone with an encouraging word today! Undoubtedly, someone will cross your path who will be hurting inside but you won't know it. Your encouraging words might be the only ones that they hear today. You know what? Let's RAISE the challenge: encourage everyone you meet today. The great author, John C Maxwell, has a "30 second" rule -- in the first 30 seconds of his encounter with anyone, he "adds value to their lives" by saying something encouraging!! Isn't that awesome?

So, get in the "Game" and follow the "30 second" rule and encourage some folks today. Then post some comments and share your stories!!

Find Someone to Confide In

Good morning Gamers!!
Its dark and rainy here in NYC, but the "Son is always shinin' on us", Amen?

We are reading in Proverbs 11 today in the NLTse. My bold print are verses 13 & 14"

14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.

13 A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.

Today's focus is on "finding someone to confide in" --because there is safety there.

Let's look at verse 14 first...that's why I listed it first (LOL). Let's substitute the word person for nation and I don't believe we change the meaning of the verse: "without wise leadership a person falls, there is safety in having many advisers" or counselors. Since the verse speaks of a nation, then the wise leadership is the King, right? So, the "many advisers" that a King would have; would have to be trusted. They would be privy to sensitive information about the King, the kingdom, the King's family, etc.

First, we substituted the word person for nation; but now let's get personal and say US or "me". Without wise leadership in my life; I will fall or "I am in trouble" (The Living Bible). So, to protect and preserve the "Nation of ME", I need advisers, no? But, just as the King's advisers have to be trusted, so do OURS!!!

So, now we look at verse 13: "A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.". That is who the King needs to have advising Him and so do we!! We have been taught by Pastor AR Bernard (Feb. '05) about the "spatiality of relationships". Simply put, there are "spaces" in our lives that people occupy and everyone cannot occupy certain spaces that are close to us. That space is where they see the real me with all my flaws. Pastor Bernard went on the say:

"The space that a person occupies in our life -- has to be based on their level of maturity. If you bring an immature person into a space that is close to you; you will suffer the problems associated with their immaturity"

WOW! I have been there before....what about YOU?

So, to find the person(s) that we can confide in - we must understand the progression (levels) of relationships; which are:

1. Introduction: in which you gain minimal information and you get a first impression of them. But, first impressions are not always the right ones. It may take time to dispel a wrong first impression!
2. Acquaintance: the relationship goes from the surface level and you begin to talk about things, etc.
   
3. Friendship: the relationship moves from surface to a closer bond and more sharing.
   
4. Intimacy: the closest level where you are both "naked" and vulnerable, in your relationship, and are not ashamed.

*** Note: at each level of the progression each person becomes more and more vulnerable to the other.

So, as we can see, an adviser or counselor must be trustworthy so as to keep a confidence. But, that relationship has to progress through levels that establish trust. Then you can share anything and know they will advise you well because YOU TRUST THEM!

Pray for me, Gamers -- I have struggled with this because I have been burned many times. But, God has placed great people in my life and I am continuing to learn to trust. I will pray for YOU as well!

Stay in the Game!

Follow The Path of Integrity

Good morning!!
It's that time of the day...time to "apply our hearts to wisdom"!

We are reading Proverbs 10 today in the NLTse & NIV. My bold print is verse 9:

9- People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. (NLT)

9- The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. (NIV)

Wow! Simple yet profound. Let's look at this closer!

The word integrity means: "adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty" (from dictionary.com). When you adhere to moral and ethical principles it doesn't matter what anyone thinks or says. You have chosen to "adhere" (defined as: "stay attached, stick fast, cleave, cling" ~ www.dictionary.com). I also love the quote: "integrity is what you do when no one else is looking".

Listen folks, its very easy to appear to have integrity when everyone is watching and the right choice is very obvious. But what integrity is really about is what you do when "no one else is watching" -- because it involves your character...who you really are inside. A great quote from Pastor AR Bernard: "Decisions are not made in a moment of time -- they are rooted in your character"!!

That's what verse 9 is addressing: if you walk in integrity then you can walk secure and not have to look over your shoulder. However, if you take crooked paths you will be found out!! Its all about our character, folks!!

Well, simply stated -- just like verse 9 -- walk in integrity today!! Its the safe & secure way!!

Fear of the Lord Makes You Smart

Good morning, my friends!
I am glad to see you this morning...

Today, we will dive into Proverbs 9, of course -- but I am also going to share a quick "tech tip" that helps me "apply my heart to wisdom". First, my bold print are verses 9 & 10 (NLTse):

9 Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.

10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

Verse 9 tells us that learning is not wasted on the wise. It helps them (us) grow wiser and stronger (Prov.24:5). It says "teach & instruct" a wise man...let's start with teaching ourselves so that we grow stronger and wiser. Then, get yourself a mentor; (described in a previous post) learn from them and allow them to instruct , and correct you when necessary. Soon, God will place someone in your life that you can help grow wiser too!

Verse 10 tells us that "fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom and getting to know Him (knowledge of") results in good judgment"; which is something else we are seeking after, no? Some of the ways we get to know Him are by reading his Word, praying, and listening to the Holy Spirit speak to us. But, my Pastor (AR Bernard) said something this past Sunday (3rd service) that bears revisiting. "There is something deep in God's character that can have NOTHING to do with sin. He cannot abide it!" When God told Noah to build to ark, it was because the whole human race was evil (Gen. 6:1-7) and Noah found favor in God's eyes and would not be destroyed. Pastor Bernard's point was that "we don't know how evil - sin is". Its obviously that is so against God's order that he wiped out the entire race to start over!! We as humans just can't understand how evil sin is!!

Yet, in spite of this example of God's feeling regarding sin, many of us still play with sin in our lives...we "get too close to the Door" (previous post). We let it linger in our lives and it cannot co-exist with God's presence, can it? We have to "fear God and shun evil" don't we? (These are all things we have looked at in previous posts)

So, let's be wise and get into knowing the Holy One by "applying our hearts to wisdom". This will help us get to know His character; which will result in good judgment that we can use today and EVERYDAY!!

~ Stay in the Game!

TECH TIP: How many of you have a smartphones or PDA? How many of you have the Bible, in several translations, installed on those devices??? Hmmmm... I haven't carried a leather bound Bible in years, but the Word is always with me so I can apply my heart to wisdom. There are many websites where you can download the Bible to your device. The one is have used fo years is Olive Tree Bible Software. It is simple and straight-forward and even has the Bible for the iPhone and the new Blackberry Bold. The URL is: www.olivetree.com (I will place a link on the sidebar of this blog) -- check it out and download your favorite version so you can apply your heart "on the go"!!

Discernment

Good morning Gamers!
I pray you had a great weekend! I made some great progress for work and got the chance to relax.

A little housekeeping before we jump into Proverbs 8: on the weekends I will be stopping by once just to share a verse with you. Otherwise, I suggest that you use those days to continue to develop your own style of "applying your hearts to wisdom"! However, I would love to hear your stories and tips on how you are making Proverbs work for you!! Ok? Thanks...

Chapter 8 is loaded, folks! We will be in the NLTse exclusively today. My bold print are verses 12 & 14:

12- "I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.

14- Common sense and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine.

Wow! Look at the attributes listed here: wisdom, good judgment, knowledge, discernment, common sense, success, insight and strength!! What a line-up -- what more do you need to live a successful life? So, wisdom comes loaded with all this; and like verse 17 says:

17- I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me!

So, even though it is granted to us by the Lord, as we discussed in an earlier post...we still have to search wisdom. God's promises are conditional... But the searching will NOT be in vain!! "We will surely find it..."

So, let's go back to the list and extract just one to look closer at. (Of course, I suggest that you study them all)

I have chosen discernment. It means:

1. The act or process of exhibiting keen insight and good judgment
2. The trait of judging wisely and objectively

(from www.dictionary.com)

How many times after we misjudged a situation and made a wrong decision -- do we then figure out what we should have done? Well...what I love about discernment is it's ability to look past all the "stuff going on" and get right to the matter (insight). Then discernment judges "wisely and objectively" by stepping back and making a decision based on what is best and not what looks good or convenient!

I don't know about you, but I want more of that in my life because I want to be known as someone who exhibits keen insight and good judgment. Not only is this a good trait for us as individuals; but others will come to us seeking advice and counsel because of our reputation for discernment.

So, today, I challenge you to seek, chase, run after discernment! Apply it to situations you encounter today --- in every aspect of your life! Break the habit of acting before you think and ask God for wisdom; which includes discernment as part of the "package"!!

Stay in the Game!!

Write Down What You Learn

Prov 7:1-4
1 Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions.
2 Do what I say and you'll live well. My teaching is as precious as your eyesight — guard it!
3 Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart.
4 Talk to Wisdom as to a sister. Treat Insight as your companion. (The Message Bible- MSG)

Enjoy your weekend!!

Stay Away From The "Door"!

Good Morning Gamers!
Thank you for stoppin' by again! Before we jump into Proverbs 5; I have a favor to ask: can you please make a comment if you haven't already? Or click on one of the reaction boxes? Just so I know who is out there and what you think of the blog? Thanks so much!!

OK, into Proverbs 5 we go! NLTse today & my bold print are verses 3-4 & 8

3- For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil

4- But in the end she is bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword

8- Stay away from her! Don't go near the door of her house!

Obviously, this chapter is counsel to young men about the immoral woman. It is great advice and one would do well to take heed. I think we can all agree there, no??

However!

I would like to address an area that I think pertains to us ALL! In the 12/3 and 4 posts, I talked about the sin in our life that we always seem to fall for and forming new habits to gain victory over it. A partial quote from one of my mentors states, "Sin promises freedom and pleasure, and in the end it seeks to enslave and dominate". So, it looks good in the beginning, doesn't it? We get fooled by the "glitter" which is really a smoke screen that hides the inevitable danger...

In those two posts, we also talked about not playing games with sin -- run like Joesph did if we have to, right? Well, verse 8, illustrates that point beautifully!! It says, "Stay away from her! Don't go near the door of her house". Don't go near the door...............? Why didn't he (Solomon) say "DON"T GO INSIDE"?? Because he knows if you get close enough to stand at the door, your ability to resist is GREATLY diminished -- almost impossible! So, why put ourselves in the position?

My mentor also teaches that we like to blame everything on being "tempted by the devil". Well, he also quickly reminded us that Satan is NOT omnipresent like God is. Yes, he has a lot of his minions running around, but they don't know everything either! If they did, "they would not have crucified our Lord (1 Cor. 2:7-8)". Many of the things we fall into are because WE walked right up to the "door"! We were not paying attention to the path that we were on, or got "distracted" and ended up "fallin' for the "okie-doke" again!

So, what's next........? Simply put: Stop putting ourselves in situations where we keep ending up at the door of temptation! Pay attention to our path, then shun, run, turn away, stay away from the "door of temptation"!!

Are you beginning to see how Proverbs is teaching us? By key words and repetition! You teachers and speakers know how powerful those techniques are, don't you?? Also, as you have been reading have you felt God granting that "treasure of wisdom and common sense"? I am feeling it and it affects my entire day!!

Well, GP4L. enjoy your day, make it a productive day as you "Stay away from the Door"!

Stay Focused

Good Morning Gamers!
It's great to "see" you again today! Let's jump right into Proverbs 4, and add to our game plan for life, shall we?? We will be using the NLTse, or course, as well as The Amplified Version (AMP). My bold print for today are verses 25-27:

(NLTse)
25- Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you

26- Mark a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path

27- Don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil

(AMP) 25-26
25- Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose], and let your gaze be straight before you

26- Consider well the path of your feet, let all your ways be established and ordered aright

(WOW! The word of God is so soothing!!)

Everything that we have been talking about in previous posts: "applying our hearts to knowledge and understanding, fearing the Lord, breaking habits", etc --- this doesn't happen by accident or magic. As I posted yesterday, "it will require patience and perseverance...change is a process". Bottom-line: to achieve our goals as Game Planners for Life (GP4L), this deal is going to require us to be focused on a daily basis!!

As verse 25 says: "Let your eyes look right on [with fixed purpose]". Verse 27 instructs us not "to get sidetracked" (or distracted) & getting distracted is a challenge for us everyday, isn't it? To be honest, I almost got distracted this morning away from reading Proverbs 4!!!

Distractions are designed to sidetrack us -- to knock us off the path towards to our goals. Focus helps us keep our eyes on the prize -- fixed on our goal of "applying our hearts" and staying on the path to that goal.

An acronym for "FOCUS" that I love is:
Fixed
On
Course
Unwaveringly
Steady

Olympic athletes like Michael Phelps, who won an Olympic record 8 gold medals in this last Olympics, are great examples of how to stay focused. They focus on the goal of achieving elite performances by removing all distractions to their training. They change their habits, schedules, and daily routines so that they can concentrate on training. Many even move into the Olympic Training Center in Colorado, so that they can eat, sleep, drink, and LIVE to train for the Olympics.

I believe that we should train harder than them, folks!! Huh???? Yes! Olympic athletes train hard so that they can perform at high levels every four years; while we train to apply our hearts to wisdom to live this awesome Christian life -- EVERYDAY -- with no breaks!

I know -- it's not easy!! I recently got sidetracked because I took my eyes off the path and looked at circumstances instead. I had to wrench my attention from those circumstances and get back on the path --- quickly -- and refocus on my goals. I learned some valuable lessons though; and I am stronger because of it...

So, let's get focused today! Let's keep our eyes on the path with "fixed purpose". As we read in Proverbs 2, "the Lord will grant us a treasure of wisdom and common sense...and we will find the right way to go". Knowing that right way keeps us on the path -- if we stay focused!!

Focus on your goals, GP4L, and don't get sidetracked!! Practice this everyday...

Breaking Habits!

Good Morning Gamers!
I trust you slept well and are excited about what today brings!! I know I am!!!

You know we are reading in Proverbs 3 today and I am in the NLTse and the New King James Version (NKJV)...

As always, a chapter in Proverbs is loaded with wisdom and insight, and chapter 3 is no different; but my bold print today is verse 7:

7: Don't be impressed by your own wisdom, instead fear the Lord and turn away from evil" (NLTse)

In the NKJV, "turn away from evil" is translated "shun evil"...this is a word choice that I want to explore. The word shun means to: "avoid deliberately; and especially habitually" (Merriam-Webster's dictionary) This tells us that there has to be some understanding and wisdom that goes into "shunning evil"...

So, what am I getting at? There are some traps, pitfalls --- SINS -- in our lives that mess us up, aren't there? Things that we know we shouldn't do, but we find ourselves falling for the "okie-doke" of this sin all the time! We think we have it under control OR we have "figured it out this time" and we tell ourselves "NO MORE"!! And yet, we soon fall for it again!!

So, let's go back to the definition of shun one more time and get some important details:

• "Avoid deliberately" indicates that we should be paying attention to where we are going or what we are doing, right? When you are paying attention to detail -- looking ahead at the path you are on -- you can see the dangers or situations coming that set us up to fall. This is also called foresight....
  

• The "especially habitually" part means that we make a habit of avoiding this sin!! Researchers have determined that it takes at least 21 days to break a habit; so like all change -- it's incremental -- but it can be done!! It's going to take patience and perseverance..."change is a process"
  

So, what's next............? Simple: you KNOW what that thing is in your life that you fall for. Here are some suggested steps that we can follow:

1. Stop playing games with it -- "Fear the Lord (which is the beginning of wisdom- Prov. 9:10) and turn away...shun it"
   
2. Deliberately avoid -- making a habit of this avoidance; and grow stronger!!
3. Stay away from enabling situations -- run like Joseph if you have to!!!
4. Most importantly, if you are applying your heart to wisdom as we have be talking about since Post #1, you are already forming habits that will strengthen your ability to shun!!
   

Well, you have some big decisions to make, Gamers! But, not just for today -- habit-changing decisions, right? Well, its time to "just do it"!!

Today -- you can shun & gain victory over it!!

Stay in the Game!

~Coach O

The Right Way To Go

Hello "Gamers"!
I am back from a wonderful extended Thanksgiving weekend with my family! It was our 2nd Annual H & H (Henderson/Hendricks) Thanksgiving in Maryland. This photo (my wife, Joy, and one of our awesome nephews, Justin) is from our weekend -- I will be posting a blog from the weekend with plenty of pics...stay tuned for the URL. But, let's get to adding to our "Smart Game Plan" for Life toolbox, ok?

We are reading in Proverbs 2, of course; and I read from the NLTse (New Living Translation, second edition). This chapter is loaded, but my bold print was from verses 6-9. However, notice how we are instructed to tune our ears to knowledge and wisdom in veres 2 & 3. In my first post I talked about some ways to "tune or apply"...check it out! But, as we continue to study this book, please post comments and suggestions for how you tune your ears to understanding....it's great to share!!

So, verses 1-5 tells us to tune, seek, and search for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Assume that we are seeking, then comes the incredible statement in verses 6 & 7:

6- For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding

7- He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity

So, as we tune our ears to knowledge and understanding, the Lord then grants them to us! We all know what a grant is: IT'S FREE! So, He rewards our diligent and consistent search for knowledge with a treasure of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and wait for it.........COMMON SENSE!! Boy, do we need common sense to be successful in this world today, or what? How many times do we see people do really dumb things and we ask, "what was he or she thinking?" I know I have -- especially when I am the one doing the dumb things!!

Well, as we can see here, God grants all of the above-mentioned attributes...all we have to do is tune our ears, diligently seek it out, and then ASK God for it -- "cry out for it" (verses 3-4)...WOW!

So, what's next.......? What's next is my favorite part of the passage; verse 9

9- The you will understand with is right, just, and fair; and you will find the right way to go.

A great man, one of my chief mentors (ARB), has taught me that, "Obedience to God is our only place of protection as Christians"! Obedience comes from tuning our ears to His instructions like we find in the book of Proverbs. As we study and consistently apply those instructions to our lives, we will "find the right way to go". Isn't that amazing? We are always trying to figure out what is God's will, or "what should I be doing with my life". Tuning our ears to God's wisdom and understanding will show us "the right way to go" -- in EVERY area of our lives!!!

Chew on that today, Gamers! God Bless you today!

~ Coach O