TO DO, OR TO DON'T!

Many of us work our days with a “To Do” list. For me, it gives me direction because I have a hard time with focus (squirrel), so need I say more? LOL 

 

Anyway, back on track here; My “To Do” list makes me feel more productive, especially when I get to draw a line through a completed task, or place a check-mark in the column beside it. I also receive direction as to what is and what isn’t important for that day or week. 

 

Some days my list has things that had been put off and they just needed to be completed so my mind would no longer have to dwell on them. Yep, that’s called Procrastination! At times, I am a great master of the “P” word! Other days, I seem to be more on top of things with a great desire to “knock ‘em out” and so I turn on the productive rockets and blast right through them! On those days, and weeks, I feel really good about what I have accomplished. 

 

Then there are those days when I need to create a “To Don’t” list and work hard on that one as well. As a “To Do” list produces things to accomplish, a “To Don’t” list reduces things that don’t need accomplishing! 

 

Allow me to illustrate this and I will relate it to our personal lives, not our work lives. Perhaps if we practiced, in our personal lives, the following “To Do” and “To Don’t” lists, maybe our work lives would become more productive. 

 

So, here we go: 

 

To Do

Daily Quiet Time with Bible and prayer

Breathe slow and deep         

Relax                                             

Rest

Love

Refresh your spirit                

 

To Don’t

Worry

Fear

Panic

Be easily angered

Rush

Become stressed

 

I love the saying of Jesus to the stressed-out people of His time:

 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out…? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 THE MESSAGE

 

That is a “To Do” list worth accomplishing this weekend!

 

HALF-WAY POINT!

2020 IS AT THE HALF-WAY POINT! 

I know it is hard to believe, but this Year called “2020” is halfway finished! Of course, the last few months have been a blur because of COVID-19! This Virus has made all of us rethink and redo a lot of things. Many priorities have shifted, hopefully to the better. 

This Year began, as most years, with lots of dreams and expectations. Many of those have been laid aside for the time being. BUT, what if we picked those back up? What would happen if we re-dreamed those dreams and moved forward in pursuit of them for the remainder of the year? What would your life look like at the end of December 2020? I think, if we stepped back into and leaned into those dreams and goals, we would all be better individuals than we are right now! 

So, here is my Mid-Year Challenge: GET STARTED AGAIN! Set a couple of goals to accomplish over the next six months. Do monthly check-ups to see your progress. Let’s strive to enter into 2021 as better men and women! Speaking of GETTING STARTED AGAIN, pick that Bible back up and read it everyday, and add a little bit of praying as well. Maybe start reading the Book of Proverbs to gain some great Wisdom. Read one chapter a day that corresponds with the date of the day. Today is the 6th of July so read Proverbs 6. Tomorrow read chapter 7, and so on throughout the month! 

I would love to hear what you wisdom and instruction you gained from your reading. Text me on the My Chaplain App,  email me, call me, or drop a note on my Chaplain FaceBook page, Chaplain Joel Walker!

Have a great, wise, and safe week and I am praying for you!

MEMORIAL DAY FACTS

Just a note to say, “Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!” If you have an opportunity, please take a moment to view these “5 Facts About Memorial Day” and how it came into existence. Much of this I did not know! Together, we pause and remember those who gave their lives to ensure the freedom of our Country! 

Speaking of freedom, let’s also remember another person who gave His life to set, and keep, us free: “If the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed.” 

The Difference Between General and Specific!

In doing Chaplain Orientation for new employees, I let them know that I have been praying for them, and their families, and then I give them an opportunity to allow me to pray for them in a specific way. I will ask, if there is some way in which I can pray for them, to please send me a note or catch up with me in the hallway or give me a call. I want to partner up with them and go to God, in prayer, on their behalf. 

I have discovered that the more specific a prayer request can be, the more dynamic the prayers will be! I’ll illustrate it this way: All of us pray “general” prayers like, “God bless me!” And we think in doing so we can cover a lot of areas in one giant swoop! OK, that’s not a bad prayer, but there is no real dynamic in that prayer – it has no “specific” place to go or answer to give. All of us are continuously blessed by God – you just took a breath of fresh air; you just blinked; you are alive reading this; you had at least one meal today, etc. You are blessed!

But how do you really want God to bless you? Be specific! “God, bless me with safety today as I travel.” “God, bless me with the plan and ability to finish my project on time.” So be specific. 

Some people will pray another general prayer by saying, “God forgive me of my sins.” Again, that is not a bad prayer to pray, however God wants to know specifically “which sins” you want forgiven! Name them one by one! “God, forgive me for showing that guy in the sports car that cut me off that he was number one!” (You got that one, didn’t you?) “God, forgive me for that stupid thing I said to my spouse.” “God forgive me for…” (Name your sin here!).  

I relate general prayers to florescent lighting – with one flip of the switch, they light up an entire room, but no specific area. It covers it all. However, I relate specific prayers to a laser on the scope of your gun – it gives you pin-point accuracy to hit your target! That’s the dynamic we want to see as we pray – pin-point accuracy!

Check out this story of a specific prayer: “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again, he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”

A person “like us” prayed for no rain (specific) and it didn’t rain. Then he prayed and “the heavens gave rain” (specific). 

The more specific a prayer request can be, the more dynamic the prayers will be! 

I can’t wait to see how God is going to answer you as you bring your specific prayer request to Him. And if you want me to join in with you, I am ready! 

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KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING AND KEEP YOUR SPIRIT HIGH! Part 2

KEEP YOUR SPIRITS HIGH

Last time I talked to you about keeping your body moving and I hope you took the opportunity to “Talk It Out” and to “Listen Up” (see previous post) while you Got up; Got out; and Got your body moving!

Keeping your body moving has some difficulties, but keeping your spirit high is even harder…but you “CAN DO” it! How does one stay “UP” in a “DOWN” world? I’m glad you asked that question! 

It all starts with the mind. I learned a saying some years ago and it goes like this: “What goes into the mind goes down into the heart and comes out in the life.” What you put in your mind is what is going to come out of your mouth and shape your lifestyle! Remember “GIGO”: Garbage In, Garbage Out? That is true for computers and it is also true for humanity. 

Those “spirit downers” in your life had to come from somewhere. I would suggest they entered your mind through your eyes and ears…what you saw or read, and what you heard. Let’s turn ourselves around (Hokey Pokey) and take charge of everything that goes into our minds. Also, let’s make great choices as to how we respond to the world, and the people, around us. 

You actually have more control of your responses than you think. Have you and your spouse ever been in a “discussion” and the phone rings? I bet you answered it like everything in your world was going great! All of us have done this. The control was there because we made a quick choice. 

Try choosing these “uppers” over the next few days to keep your spirits high:

1) Turn off the negative. The media regularly pumps “bad news” into our ears and eyes 24/7/365. Limit your exposure. 

2) Observe your friends. Which friends of yours are constantly negative? Limit your exposure. 

3) Fill your mind. If what goes into our minds comes out in our speech and lifestyle, then start inputting positive things. Maximize your exposure.

Begin with memorizing Scripture. Here is a good verse to start on: Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.(Philippians 4:8) Find yourself some motivational messages, podcasts, speeches, training seminars, etc. from people like Zig Ziglar and John Maxwell. You can’t go wrong with these speakers. 

4) Express thanks. A thankful heart is a happy heart and a happy heart is a thankful heart! Develop the “attitude of gratitude” and learn to express thanksgiving. If we will pause and reflect, we find things to be grateful for. That breath you just took…these words you just read…that meal you recently ate…that ability you used this week at work or play...as you can see, there are things to be thankful for. Maximize your exposure.

CHALLENGE: Take the next 7 days and practice only ONE of the items listed above. Then, the next week, continue that choice while adding a second. Within a month, you will be a totally different person. And I can’t wait to hear the changes that have been made in you! 

I am here for you! Feel free to comment below about your progress! We are in this journey together!

Get Up! Get Out! Get Moving! Get Your Spirits High!

KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING AND KEEP YOUR SPIRITS HIGH! Part 1

There’s a saying that’s going around today and it goes like this: “Keep your body moving and keep your spirits high!” Have you been hearing this? It is an interesting and encouraging statement that people are making to each other via Radio, TV, FB, Twitter, etc.

So, let’s talk about this for a few minutes. 

KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING 

That is a great idea, however that body of yours needs to do more moving than going from the couch to the frig or bathroom! If you are physically able, then get on that home treadmill or get out that door and at least walk. You don’t have to start out big; maybe five to ten minutes in your neighborhood, or up and down your driveway. The main idea is to get moving and keep moving! 

Being quarantined or sheltered-in-place can make us lazier than we already are. And talk about the extra pounds…no, let’s not do that! For some people, these days remind us of college again and how we gained the “Freshman 15” (or more)! 

When we keep our body moving, we experience some good changes. First, we can experience less stress! Being “sheltered” is taking its toll on many Americans. Cabin Fever is spiking! Nerves are shot! Patience is not a virtue! Those are clear signs that we need to GET UP; GET OUT; and GET MOVING! Your body and your family will thank you. 

During these difficult “new normal” days, don’t be like the lazy person referred to in the Bible as a “Sluggard.” (When I hear that term I immediately think about a “slug” (big, fat, gooey thing that leaves a trail of slime wherever it slides around!) that oozes along the carport in a very slow pace. The Bible says, “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.” (Prov. 26:15) 

Don’t let that be you! Get up! Get out! Get moving! Two things I like to do while walking. 1) Talk it out – I like to lay out before God all my questions, stresses, frustrations, praises, etc. as I put one foot in front of the other. It relieves my brain and allows me to work through issues that are bugging me. How do I spell relief? W A L K!  2) Listen up – this is a great time to put on the headset and listen to my Playlist. I have a group of songs that lasts about 40 minutes, which is how long it takes me to walk 2 miles. Now, if I don’t have anything to talk out, then I listen up. Some days the opposite happens as well. Sometimes, I do a little of both. This is refreshing to my body and my mind. I bet it will be to yours as well. What do you do to Get Up, Get Out and Get Moving?