Sunday, October 28, 2012

 
"Making and Keeping Priorities"

You have heard it said in passing and in song, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Well, like it or not, this is true for you and me. We go about our lives in a hurry. Quick to work, fast to play, some of the time, completely unorganized and frazzled, most of the time, feeling behind in our daily endeavors and wanting to blast off on a rocket ship into the future just get a sense of completion and accomplishment. 

What if I told you that for each day that comes, you have exactly enough time in that particular day to do what is actually intended for that day only? In other words, your priorities, if in line with the will and flow of the world around you, will fall properly in place and succeed to completion every day because the world would rise up to meet you in getting it done. 

Sounds too good to be true? Well, it's not. And most of it is our own fault. We tend to look at  each day as it is the last day we can ever get everything in our life span done! That's obviously faulty logic and if we simply step back and "re-prioritize" what is truly important and fulfilling to our purpose for that day and that day only, saving for the next day what is to come, we will find ourselves more accomplished, less fatigued, leaving and entering each day refreshed and ready for what is to come. 

Time and Purpose operate on four basic fundamentals:
-Life has given me all the time I need to fulfill my purpose in it.
-If the negative things in life don't make you bad, they will keep you busy.
-Vision for Life: The Pursuit of the Pace
-To finish well is to live an abundant life with margin from a secure identity.

So, first things first. SLOW DOWN. Life isn't going anywhere. And if it does, relax, your purpose in it was served and it's your time to go! Sounds harsh and cold, I know, but stay with me. Life has its schedule and you have yours. But ask yourself, "do you have the courage to choose what matters most?" What are you filling your days with? Are they rewarding and uplifting for the betterment of self and others or are they "time stealers" or "time vampires," robbing and sucking the life out of your day, leaving nothing behind but regret and despair? In other words, what are you doing all day? And if it is productive and motivating, are you doing too much? Are you allowing enough time for each task of the day to marinate, stew, go down easy, and be truly satisfying? Well, if you're not, here's a little irony for you, now is the time! 

Tasks are categorized by four sections:
-Important and urgent
-Important but not urgent
-Not important but urgent
-Not important and not urgent

 
If you are familiar with Stephen Covey's, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, then you remember the graph above. But did you really take the meat from it or just apply it for work and home? Did you really apply it deeply to where it affects your mind and spirit? This is called, the Interactive Plan to live by what matters most. Once this is in tune, the other mechanical tasks ie work, school, shopping, errands, etc. will fall into place. 

The Interactive Plan
A. Faith - most of us have a faith base or some sort of foundation of principles that guide our moral compass. This comes first. Your focus must be clear and direct with your morality intact to act as your guide.
B. Family - People are eternal. Things are temporary. Husbands, love your wives, be ready to give yourself up for her and your family. Do not intentionally provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in discipline and constructive instruction.  Love equals time, not money!
C. Friends - relationships matter. Ask yourself, would you want to be your friend? It's one of the oldest golden rules in the book, love others as you would have them love you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. What goes around, comes around. I think you get the point. 

Now that you have the blueprint, take some time to give yourself time for the more important priorities in your life and remember, there's always tomorrow. 

~DeMaster Thomas~ 
 

   


Monday, July 2, 2012

Who I Am

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM

I NEVER WENT TO LAW SCHOOL
YET I AM  A JUDGE

I NEVER WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL
YET I AM A HEALER

I NEVER HELD AN OFFICE
YET I AM KING

I HAVE NEVER BEEN MARRIED
YET I AM THE DEFINITION OF
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

I HAVE NEVER BEEN AN ASTRONAUT
YET I AM A TRAVELER OF SPACE AND TIME

BUT IF YOU DO NOT KNOW ME
TO YOU, I AM A STRANGER

DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM
 
-DeMaster A. Thomas-
 

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Working For A Bigger Purpose


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June 25, 2012
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Working for a Bigger Purpose
This was a newsletter I wrote a few years ago that inspired me to write The Seed. I think it’s such an important message and we have so many new readers I wanted to share it again.
What if work wasn’t just work? What if work was a vehicle to live and share a bigger purpose?
I believe there’s flawed perception in our society that in order to live a life of purpose we have to leave our jobs and go solve world hunger, feed the homeless, move to Africa or start a charity.
While these are all noble causes and many are called to do these very things, for many of us our bigger purpose can be found in the here and now, in the jobs we have, right under our noses. And when we find and live this purpose it will provide the ultimate fuel for a meaningful life.
You may not build libraries around the world but you can find the bigger purpose in reading to your children. You may not feed the homeless every day but you can nourish your employees and customers with a smile, kind word and care. And while you may not start your own non-profit organization you can begin a charity initiative at work. After all, "charity" means "love in action." You can make a difference every day and touch the lives of everyone you meet.
While these people may not be starving because of a lack of food, you can provide them with a different kind of nourishment that will feed their souls and feed your own in the process.
I heard of a janitor who worked at NASA and even though he was sweeping floors he felt his bigger purpose was contributing to put a man on the moon.
I met a bus driver who knows his purpose is to help kids stay off drugs.
I met an administrative assistant who has become the Chief Energy Officer of her company.
I received an email from a woman in the mortgage business who sees her job as a way to help couples save their marriages by keeping their homes.
I know a Popeye's Chicken employee named Edith in the Atlanta Airport who makes thousands of air traveler's smile each day. The list goes on...
Ordinary people with an extra-ordinary purpose.
In any job our purpose waits for us to find it and live it.
I can't tell you what your purpose should be but I can tell you that every one of us can find a bigger purpose in the job we have.
I can tell you that every job, no matter how glorious or boring it may seem, will get mundane if we let it.
Purpose keeps it fresh and when we are filled with purpose, we tap into an endless supply of energy.
Don't wait until you go to Africa to start living with a mission. Don't wait until the weekend to feed people who are hungry. Bring your mission to work, start working for a bigger purpose and nourish others in the process.
Share your thoughts about working for a bigger purpose on our Blog, Twitter or Facebook.
- Jon
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Thursday, April 12, 2012

A Word From the Wise


The Path of Seeking God First

The Creator did not send his Son for the righteous, he came to seek and save the lost in the loss of pride, ego and material things - faith and trust abound if you did not have any faith before - you will when you are done.

Come as you are - broken and God makes you whole and new-cleans you up and gives you a new job, new tasks, new outlook. He's in the business of creating new things to make you full, deep and abundant.
5 values to base your path on
1. Love God - set Him first.
2. Love Others - serving others fulfills the love.
3. Invest/Invite - if another person is willing to come to church, bring them.
4. Read a verse daily - fuels the spirit and heals the mind.
5. Financial peace - 10/10/80 rule. Save 10%, give 10%, live off 80%. It works with surprise.

These tools will help you to grow stronger everyday. Where is the light and hope in a world full of more and more darkness? YOU. Jesus, through the Spirit that is in you, transforms "stinking thinking" into good thinking and leads you as a light through a dark world. Through Him, you are transformed.