Readers are leaders.  And in addition to that, leaders are readers!  Read those truths again - readers are leaders and leaders are readers.

and

When you look at a simple acorn, what do you see?

If you did not yet find the time to ponder, take a moment or so to do so just now.  Each of these have an impact on your present and your future.

Speaking of the concept of the “future,” homes for seniors are filled with people who have arrived at their future and found there was nothing there.  Perhaps they had just drifted through life with no particular direction, going about a mindless, well practiced routine.  Or, their goal was to be successful in a career path, which they accomplished, and then they reached retirement age and they realized they had no goal for beyond retirement. 

They sit staring into space by the hour.  Long before taking up residence in a home for seniors, scores of people retire in front on a TV set, staring at it hours and hours each day.  I know a couple who turn the TV on at 8:30 a.m. and turn it off at 11 p.m.  Fourteen and a half hours a day of programs featuring cooking, house hunting/renovations, “Judge ??” airing legal battles and often “dirty laundry” squabbles and divorces, the afternoon and evening news of horrors around the world, soap operas, and the programs strangely called “reality TV” which rarely have anything to do with reality!   If there is nothing on to watch, they switch to the “weather network.”  Which future are you planning for?  If you have failed to plan, trust me, you will end up arriving at one of those futures and finding nothing there.

Readers are leaders and leaders are readers – a profound truth indeed.  When you read quality materials new neuropathways develop, connections are made, the unclear can become clear.  You move beyond what you did know to new ideas and expanded horizons.  If you read ten biographies you can learn from the experiences of ten lifetimes!  Read ten books on expertise in sales and you benefit from the experiences of ten authors and successful sales people.  You really do not have to make all the mistakes on your own and take a lifetime to finally get things right.  When a person is well read they can impart to others what they have learned through their reading, thus becoming leaders.  Will you agree with absolutely everything you read?  Probably not, but you will glean much – even if only what not to agree with.  Often material from a secular viewpoint is riddled with Biblical concepts – the author just didn’t realize that the principles they have followed are principles set down long ago in the Scriptures.  Reading with a Biblical world view allows you to see beyond what is on the page to how God would have you use what you have been reading.  As Christians we need to become leaders – leading others to Christ.

Reading helps you to clarify your thoughts and beliefs.  Beyond that, reading expands what you have to think about.  The more you learn, the more you will want to read and to exercise your brain.  Remember those folks in the senior’s homes or parked in front of the TV, many of them have brains that atrophied years ago through neglect.  They may have been leaders but at some point they stopped reading, stopped developing new neuropathways, stopped growing. 

Speaking of growing, an acorn is a seed.  If you pondered and came up with that fact, you are on the right track.  Besides seeing a seed or perhaps a squirrel’s quick meal, did you see a sapling, and perhaps a mighty oak tree?  Wonderful!  But beyond those truths there is more to see and we will explore the matter in a future article.

Think about it. When have you read last?  REALLY read something that impacted you.  Something that you learned from.  Concepts that have brought you beyond where you were.  What is the title of the last book you read?  Where are you, as an adult, on the path of continuing learning? 

Are you stuck on the ABCs you are teaching your young children?  Where are you, now, on your journey towards growing intellectually and as a person?  Have you continued learning since you received a highschool or college diploma, or a degree and moved beyond that point in your past, or are you stuck back there?  You are probably not alone if your mind is running in circles right about now, saying, “Ya but, you have no idea how busy my life is!”.

Probably the most common reason for not reading is, “I am SO BUSY!”  Out of that statement grows the second response, “I just don’t have the time to read.”  You are, of course, quite right and I can empathize with you.  As a seminar speaker, one of my presentations is “Organizing for Success.”  Being organized must extend far beyond lining your ducks up in a row and picking off one at a time as you aim for an undefined or hazy goal.  Do you find yourself starting at six a.m., flying through your day, ticking off the to-do’s on your list one at a time, and dropping exhausted into bed at midnight – often with the list not accomplished? Been there?  Done that?  Now you are wondering if I am truly suggesting you add “reading” to your to-do list and the only time will be between midnight and one a.m.  Relax!  We will address that time issue in a future article.

In the meantime, you need to know neuropathways are developed and expanded when you read, becoming stronger.  Reading is a form of gymnastics or exercise for the brain.  As with any form of physical exercise, easy routines will provide some benefit, but perhaps not be life transforming.  For instance, walking across the room once is “exercise” in the strict sense of the word. Walking back and forth a hundred times gives benefits beyond a single stroll. Walking the floor one hundred times while swinging your arms would add even more dynamic benefits to your workout.  Walking outside, swinging the arms in the fresh air is even more beneficial. What does walking have to do with reading?  I am glad you asked!  Readers are leaders.  And in addition to that, leaders are readers!  Read those truths again – readers are leaders and leaders are readers.

When you walk, you are generally going somewhere – advancing forward.  When you read quality material, you are mentally advancing forward, beyond where you have been and where you are now, to where you will be in the future.  As mentioned in the comments about organizing for success and lining your ducks up, you need to have clearly defined goals.  Where are you going? What do you want out of life?  How will you get beyond where you are now – to where you want to be in the future?  In fact, do you want to be someone different in your future than who you are now?  Have you thought along these lines yet?  If not, why not? 

As you have no doubt deduced, reading figures heavily in planning for your present and your future.  If you do not plan for your future now, it will be here before you know it and you probably will not be all that excited about what you find there.  Far beyond planning for your financial and housing needs in the future, you need to be considering and caring for your mental needs.  That is where reading comes in.  Your future starts today!

Until my next post when I will discuss to a greater depth this issue of reading, consider this: when you look at a simple acorn, what do you see?

Until next time,
Maxine

Desiring to obtain a second opinion, the Delgados are also praying that God will lead them to a second neonatal specialist who has a passion for saving the lives of infants who are in distress.  They are using some approaches and remedies from a natural perspective that should aid in the development of the baby.

Our God is bigger than any problems and certainly this situation is looking like a big mountain for the Delgado family.  I am reminded of the words of the song by Gordon Jensen, “Bigger Than Any Mountain”:

Bigger than all the shadows that fall across my path,
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or can not see.
He’s bigger than all the confusion, bigger than anything;
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or can not see.

Chorus: He’s bigger than all my problems, bigger than all my fears;
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or can not see.
Oh, yes, he’s bigger than all my questions, bigger than anything;
God is bigger than any mountain that I can or can not see.

Please pray that God will clear away any confusion that can come with decision making and that God will show Himself powerful should any fear arise in the hearts of Vicky and Guillermo.

Thank each of you for praying for the health of this little soul.  If you wish to leave on this blog site words of positive encouragement and prayer support for this family, please feel free to do so at the bottom of this page.

Thanks for your prayers, and God bless.

Maxine

This wonderful woman is expecting her baby girl this coming June.  Unfortunately, the doctors have already determined that the little one will be born with significant brain damage and other possible serious problems.  We would ask that you pray for healing for this precious little one, even while she is yet in the womb.  Please pray for her mom, dad and older brother as they wait, that they will have the courage they need to get through these weeks leading up to her birth, and that the Lord will sustain them now and in the future.  Already one prayer has been answered for them.  It appears that the little one no longer has fluid on the brain, which had been present.  Praise the Lord! 

God is our healer and sustainer and can do immeasurably beyond what we can imagine.  Please raise this Ontario, Canada family up in prayer.

Speaking of new life – there was much evidence of this recently.  We were at home school conferences the past two weekends and could not believe the number of radiantly expectant moms and the many new babies who have already arrived.  I was personally quite surprised to see the plethora of back and front packs, slings, apparatuses, and wraps using 15 yards of fabric (I asked!) intricately wrapped around the mom’s and baby’s body, all designed for carrying infants.  Then there were the parades of strollers that came in all shapes and sizes with the most amazing array of gizmos and features on them.  Some could be compared to high end luxury cars.  It seems a whole new industry was birthed this past winter, devoted entirely towards transporting infants!  I am SO glad my children were born over thirty years ago and the only choices we had in strollers and car seats could be counted on the fingers of one hand, and we carried the infant in our arms or some folks used a basic front or back pack type of affair or a sling!  A wide winter scarf tied in a loop is what I used – cheap but effective.  Equally inexpensive and a snap for putting into the trunk was the small and compact “umbroller” we used.  Now-a-days you would need a truck to haul a baby and their “stuff” and have to leave the rest of the family home!!  The choices must be mind numbing, not to speak of needing to take out a mortgage to buy all the stuff – just kidding – I think!

Home school conferences can present another mind numbing situation.  The one conference we were at had a relatively small number of vendors, making the choices a little easier.  The second conference had a LOT of vendors.  People seemed to walk around for the two days in a daze, often not knowing where to start.  It is wise to get in touch with vendors ahead so that you can peruse their catalogue and web sites.  Gather information and then attend the conference with a list in hand of what you want to look at, pick up, feel, evaluate, and speak directly to the vendor about.  Gather more catalogues and information at the event and take them home for further study.  Trying to do your shopping in short 10-15 minute bursts between seminar/workshop sessions is rarely conducive to making wise purchasing decisions.  I highly recommend that you skip out of at least one of the seminar sessions so that you can have quality time to speak to vendors about products you are interested in.  Many conference planners make cds of the day’s events available to you so that you can listen to seminars and key-note addresses when you are back at home.  Take advantage of that resource.  The extra cost is generally worth it when it frees up your time to speak with knowledgeable vendors about their wares.  Don’t be pressured into purchasing or be taken in by lots of “bells and whistles!” Now, as a vendor, I have to be honest.  We vendors really do need you to purchase at least something at the conferences so that we can pay our table costs – so study hard ahead of time and come with your list!

On a more humorous note, this past Monday at a conference for pastors which my husband and I attended, a speaker was telling us that for a population group to sustain itself, it is necessary for each woman of child bearing age to bear 2.1 children.  He did acknowledge that the .1 is a bit of a problem!  If the birth rate is lower than the 2.1 average, it does not take long before a population group is unsustainable.  There are simply not enough people to do the work to keep the children and the old people going!  While this is not the time or place for an in-depth discussion of this topic, I was chuckling about all of the expectant moms we saw the past two weekends.  It appears many home schooling families are taking their responsibilities very seriously!  Anyways, I just have to leave you with this “funny” which arrived in my inbox today. 

Enjoy – and, until next time – this is Maxine signing off with a “Happy Spring to You!”

============================================

I come from a large family, five sisters and three brothers.

My sisters and I were looking through the family photo album one day. Picture after picture, we were all dressed in matching clothes. I asked my mother why she dressed us all alike, right down to the baby.

She explained, "When we had just four children, I dressed you alike so we wouldn’t lose any of you. Then," she added, looking at the pictures in the album, "when the other five came along, I started dressing you alike so we won’t pick up any that didn’t belong to us."

*Thanks to Pastor Tim for this joke!*
cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh

"I’m convinced that I’ll never grasp how women think. It seems that their thought processes either move counter-clockwise or maybe just helter-skelter. These creatures are intrinsically and fundamentally unpredictable. And the more you think you’re going to tame them, the less chance you have of breaking their spell."  I wonder if He intended that when God made them in His own image?  (quoted from an April 2010 newsletter by John King, preacher/teacher/musician with Wycliffe Bible Translators)

Another encouraging quote: “I must say that I am a happy man because I attended your training workshop. It has given me new insight into effective Leadership! My wife even made a comment about my behaviour. She said that training like you provide should be organized many more times. She has seen a tremendous change in my life. She is surprised to see that I have more initiative to make the bed, remove plates from the table and occasionally assist in the kitchen. My life has changed!”  (quoted from an April 2010 newsletter by John King, preacher/teacher/musician with Wycliffe Bible Translators)

And while we are on the topic of men and women, you will surely enjoy this gem which is all about expectations:

The Husband Store

A store that sells husbands has just opened in New York
City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the
instructions at the entrance is a description of how the
store operates. You may visit the store ONLY ONCE! There are
six floors, and the attributes of the men increase as the
shopper ascends the flights. There is, however, a catch: You
may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may
choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except
to exit the building. So, a woman goes to the Husband Store
to find a husband.

On the first floor, the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 – These men have jobs and love the Lord.

The second floor sign reads:

Floor 2 – These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids.

The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 – These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and
are extremely good looking. "Wow," she thinks, but feels
compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 4 – These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are
drop-dead good looking, and help with the housework.

"Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims. "I can hardly stand it!"
Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 5 – These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, are
drop-dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a
strong romantic streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor
and the sign reads:

Floor 6 – You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor. There are
no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that
women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at
the Husband Store. Watch your step as you exit the building,
and have a nice day!

Received from Martha Mc.

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Last week we discussed that if one wants to achieve success, it is necessary to plan and to be organized.  I left you with the task of writing down your answers to some key questions.  Hopefully you have done that.  If not, I urge you to do so.

Now, on to more steps to success.

5.  Make use of filing cabinets and portable plastic file boxes for each project.  Keep the files clearly labelled.  Portable file boxes are excellent to keep items at your finger tips and to save you much time.  For instance, for years I have done church bookkeeping.  The binder and file folders I use were in a drawer in our dining room, the weekly counting sheets, cheque and deposit books were in cloth bag stored under a table, the calculator was on my desk upstairs, the pens, pencils and erasers were scattered, and finding the stapler was always a challenge!  My desk is too small for doing the bookkeeping because I need room to spread everything out, so I usually work at the kitchen table.  Gathering everything together was enough to lead to major cases of procrastination and, ultimately, failure to have the bills paid on time or the monthly reports ready for the board meetings! Although I have portable filing boxes for other projects, it had escaped my mind to create one specifically for bookkeeping.  I remembered, “organization leads to success” and decided to take the time to get organized for success with bookkeeping.  Now, after 36+ years of church bookkeeping (I am a slow learner at times!)  I have a portable filing box on wheels that I can roll anywhere I want to work.  The cloth liner of the box has many pockets and compartments, and, a file folder section.  It is now equipped with absolutely everything I need and those items are not shared with the office or any other activity.  These are “for bookkeeping only” purposes.  Wow, what a time and sanity saver! 

In regards to be organized for success, no, not all goals will require a filing cabinet or portable file boxes.  Perhaps you just need a journal to jot down notes and plans, or a box with index cards on which you record information or steps of action.  The importance of putting your goals on paper is that it literally puts those goals into black and white – or technicolour if you wish to use a computer for your journalling and are creative.  If your goals just swirl around in your head over and over and over, that may be just where they stay – in your head!  Recording them is a concrete step of action that you need to take.

6.  Whether your project will require a full office, the kitchen table as a work surface, or just everything in a portable file box used at a TV tray, being organized is essential! Stake out your working station and make it yours!

7.  Follow the rule of “a place for everything and everything in its place.”  ALWAYS  put everything back into their right place so you can find them the next time.

8.  When I used to write out and attempt to follow a rigid schedule, I was always defeated by the end of the first month (week!).  Life always happened differently than planned and the plan book was a scratched out mess!!!  Flexibility allows me to have clearly defined goals with flexible dates where practical.  On a wall in our upstairs hall we have numerous charts listing in minute detail in point form every step we need to do in order to complete specific projects. We sometimes put target completion dates in pencil beside the individual points and the name of the project.  Pencil is easier to erase when “life happens!”  Some steps will have the name of the person who will complete the step.   As we complete a step, we cross it off as a visible reminder of progress.  This process helps to keep nightmares at bay so that you do not spend sleepless nights trying to sort out what needs to be done next.

9.  Flexibility is important.  However, do not use flexibility as license for procrastination.  The best ideas and plans will be lost if you fail to include time in your schedule to accomplish them.  Never dismiss the wisdom of, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!”

10.  YOU CANNOT DO EVERYTHING OR GO EVERYWHERE!  Determine what is important to you and your family, then prioritize your tools, resources, time investments, and activities to accomplish your goals.

Organization leads to success and is always an ongoing process.  So ready or not, head into or continue on with current endeavours with a sense of excitement and anticipation of what you will accomplish with God’s help.

==================================================================

By: ©February 2008, updated and expanded April 2010, Maxine McLellan, author, motivational speaker, owner of JOY Center of Learning in Ontario, Canada .

Recommended Resources available from JOY Center of Learning,  http://www.joycenter.on.ca

• Family Buried Alive. . .Help on the Way! – a practical and humorous guide to getting your home, schedule and family organized.

• Organizing for Success Charts – charts for organizing your home maintenance, schedule, homeschooling, packing lists for trips – all reproducible and can be personalized

If one wants to achieve success, it is necessary to plan and to be organized.  This is true no matter what you are hoping to do.  There are basic questions and steps that need to be taken as you embark on a new endeavour and from time to time as you are on the pathway towards success.

Often we take on new challenges without a clear plan of action in place, just a lot of excitement about this “new idea.”  We just start and trust everything will fall into place.  Unfortunately, it can be another kind of falling into place – you falling into failure and discouragement!  Organization leads to success!   This article will focus on bringing success to something you have already been doing.  However, the questions you ask yourself are also important when launching a new project or dream as you organize for success. 

1.  Assess what you have been using and doing to fulfil your goals.  Is it working?  If not, is it the resources you are using.  Is it you?  Perhaps you have been just too busy with a new baby or family crises and  your dreams have been on hold for a while.  Or, it might be that you have had no clearly defined goal or goals.

2.  An important step in the principle of “organization leads to success,” is to take the time to lay out your goals and objectives for the short term (a few weeks or months), in the medium range (perhaps a year), and in the distant future.  I recommend writing these goals down so you can have a defined target and as a tool to measure your progress.  Sometimes you have actually accomplished a lot more or a lot less than your memory realizes.

3.  Keep it simple.  It is so easy to end up with boxes and filing cabinet drawers and a full computer hard-drive of “stuff” you never use.  Choose resources that will aid you in achieving your goals.  For getting started or adding something new ask:
    a) do really I need it?
    b) do I have time to use it?
    c) does it fit my style and personality?
    d) will it help me reach my goal?
Don’t ask, “can I afford it,” because if God leads you to pursue a goal, or to use something in particular, somehow you will come up with the money for it.  What appears expensive is often cheaper in the long run.  Much of what I use is actually very inexpensive and plainly packaged but wow – it’s dynamite for ease of use and quality of results!  Look at the contents, not just the packaging.  Also, beware of emotional marketing hype.  Do some research and determine if the success being promised is actually being realized by someone else and not just the seller who might be lining his/her pockets on your desperation!! 

Choose tools and approaches that reflect your needs, personality and schedule.  For instance, I am presently engaged in studies to become an ordained  minister and have been encouraged to take my training through classes involving lectures and class discussion.  Excellent for some students – just not for me.  I am very hard of hearing and even with hearing aids I miss a lot.  I run a business, am a pastor’s wife, and have significant health issues so my schedule does not allow me to attend classes at conventional class times a couple of hours drive away.  So, I enrolled in an online program where I can download to paper or read off the screen my assignments, have “class discussion” on a bulletin board, and can do my work between midnight and any hour of the night if it is most convenient for me – which it often is.  Do what you need to do!

4.  Add only one new resource at a time, or make one change at a time.   This allows you the time to learn how to use the resource you have purchased or to make adjustments to your schedule or mind set.  Start small and add as you go along or as your circumstances change.

Next week I will give you the next six points in organizing for success.  Until then, take the time to ask yourself those questions given in the points given above.  Write yourself some notes so that you will be ready to implement the next steps.  For those of you who can’t think of any goals –  If not, why not?  Think about it!!

This is Maxine here, signing off until next week when Part 2 will be given.

============================================

By: ©February 2008, updated and expanded April 2010, Maxine McLellan, author, motivational speaker, owner of JOY Center of Learning in Ontario, Canada.

Recommended Resources available from JOY Center of Learning,  http://www.joycenter.on.ca

• Family Buried Alive. . .Help on the Way! – a practical and humorous guide to getting your home, schedule and family organized.

• Organizing for Success Charts – charts for organizing your home maintenance, schedule, homeschooling, packing lists for trips – all reproducible and can be personalized

=============

Florida Court Sets Atheist Holy Day

/* Snopes says this is not a true story… but it’s still
funny! Have a great day! */

In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming
Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring
a discrimination case against Christians, Jews, and
observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was
unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the
passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his
gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood, objecting to the ruling and
saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case?
The Christians have Christmas, Easter, and others. The Jews
have Passover, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah, yet my client and
all other atheists have no such holidays."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do.
Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special
observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fool’s
Day. Psalm 14:1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there
is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court that if
your client says there is no God, then he is a fool.
Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

Received from Max2mus.

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This method of study could be used by adults and children alike, for studying God’s word and in other areas of study or reading as well. For instance, what would the world be like from the perspective of a praying mantis, an oak tree, a dog, the survivor of an earthquake, a blind person?  Perhaps people would be more compassionate or understanding if they stepped into a scene with a whole new perspective.  If you are a home educating parent, you could have your children write about what they “saw, smelled, heard, sensed, experienced” through the eyes of someone or something else.

An assignment I completed looked at some of the teachings of Jesus.  A man interrupted Jesus to ask him to talk some sense into his brother.  It turns out the fellow wanted Jesus to settle a family inheritance dispute.  I took on the role of a young woman who might have been in the multitude that day and I will share my “letter to Mom” with you.  But, before you read it, here is an assignment for you!  The commemoration of Good Friday will soon be upon us, followed by the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Try this “stepping into the scene” exercise as you experience those two events.  Read the scripture accounts and put yourself into the scenes.  What do you see, smell, hear, taste, experience?  What would you ask or say to Jesus or the writer of the passage you read?

I trust you will enjoy my step-into-the-scene letter and, when you get to the end of it, ask yourself if people should be following in your footsteps! 

*****************

A letter from the perspective of one in the multitude:

Dear Mom:  I watched for you today, but with so many thousands pressing in to hear Jesus teaching today it was impossible to find you.  To be honest, I was afraid of being trampled to death so when I found a spot to stand close to where Jesus and his disciples were, I stayed put!  I could clearly hear what the Master was saying.

Jesus warned His disciples and us to not be like the Pharisees who pretend to be good but aren’t.  He told us to not be afraid of those who murder because they can only kill the body, not your soul.  My heart was warmed when He said I am worth more than a whole flock of sparrows and He knows how many hairs are on my head!  Jesus even promised that He will acknowledge before the angels of God those who acknowledge Him.  Then He said the Holy Spirit will teach me what to say if I am tried for being one of His followers.

Would you believe, here we are, in the middle of powerful teachings on life and death itself, and some guy stands up and asks Jesus to tell his brother to divide the family inheritance with him!  Can you imagine?  He was right there and close enough to have heard all that Jesus was saying and his missed the point of it all!  The guy was so busy thinking about himself, his selfish wants and how to get half of his father’s estate, that he totally blew it.

It was not at all surprising that Jesus told us point blank that storing up for ourselves treasures on earth out of sheer greed is wrong, wrong, wrong.  Sure, we need to work and care for our family and eat to live but, living to eat, drink and be merry is not what we should strive for.  In fact, you can’t take it to the grave.  Then Jesus turned to the man and said, “You fool!  This very night your life will be demanded from you.”   I sure hope his family doesn’t follow in his footsteps.

I hope to see you in a couple of days and we will talk more about what Jesus is teaching us.

Your loving daughter.