For better or worse, leaders put themselves out there, on display, for the entire world to see. Whether you’re a pastor, ministry leader, business owner, entrepreneur, supervisor, or hold no titles, at some point in your professional career, you’re going to be criticized. Recently, God’s overwhelming presence cut into my sermon time and I didn’t preach a full message. Boy, did the critics come out. They criticized me for using the Holy Spirit’s visitation for not wanting to preach. OUCH!
Criticism, even to the most seasoned professionals, is still a difficult pill to swallow and one that doesn’t go down easily or sit well with many of us. When someone publicly (or privately) criticizes you, take a deep breath and follow these guidelines:
Have you ever noticed how circular life really is? We start not knowing anything, and enjoy it immensely (childhood). Eventually we think we know everything, but everyone else still thinks we don’t know anything; this causes a lot of frustration (adolescence, end of childhood). At last we realize…no, we don’t know everything, in fact we still hardly know anything; again, we seem to enjoy this stage, in many cases a bit too much (college and professional life, the in-between to adulthood).
The legal age for adulthood is eighteen for women and twenty-one for men (never understood that). However, we all know many enter adult well before AND after the legal age. So, when did it occur for you? When did you discover you were “good and grown?”
I discovered I was good and grown (an adult) when:
On December 2, I celebrated my 44th birthday with family and close friends. During the week of Thanksgiving, we loaded up a rental minivan and hit the highway headed to Jackson, MS. We had a great time bonding with family, shopping, and of course – EATING! I’m happy my wife had a chance to see all of her relatives including her mother and grandmother.
(All the grandchildren posing for a pic…including my Shauntai – my wife)
Last week, my family and I shared a birthday meal together and I hopped on a plane to a much warmer place with a few close friends. You can call it an official “fellas” trip. We had a chance to catch up on old times and enjoy each others company in a “warm” & “stress-free” environment. In short, we had a great time. While away, I thought about my next steps in life…what they would look like…how I would approach the next phase of my life. It’s been said “when a man enters his 40’s he carries with him the experiences from the past and the anticipations of tomorrow.” Thus, I decided to create an organic…ongoing list called “Now that I’m 44.
What is Black Friday you might ask, It’s the day after thanksgiving, the kick off of the holiday shopping season, a day you will find great deals, and lots of people. If you have never done a black Friday before you will need to have a plan in place. You can’t control your job, investments or home value, however, you can control how you spend.
Therefore, before you hit the stores (you may already be out there by the time you read this), ask yourself the following questions:
One of the great features in the LogosiPhone Bible app is the ability to share Bible verses with your friends, family, and followers on Facebook, Twitter, and by email. Not only does the LogosiPhone Bible app make this easy to do, it does so in a way that is easy for your friends and family to engage with God’s Word (See, we all blame God @ some point). More than just sending a scripture reference, the iPhone app uses http://ref.ly to convert the verses into clickable links. The advantage is that you offer people an easy way to get right to the verse you want to share.
Check out this demonstration:
So, will you yield to temptation like I did or will you remain strong?
Today, I received an email fromAppleencouraging me to reserve or pre-order my iPad. Honestly, the more I learn about this device, the more tempted I become. I am beginning to think this could be a game-changer.
Check out this new ad:
Temptation is real…
Temptation always appeals to the vulnerable part of your heart. The taste will be palatable, persistent and powerful.
Don’t believe me, ask Adam & Eve:
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Genesis 3:6)
Temptation is…
Enticing – It appeals to your hopes and desires (I plan to use the iPad to preach & teach…yea right).
Enjoyable – It promises you immense pleasure (I can see myself smiling as I use my iPad).
Evasive – It evades the truth with excuses (My heart is telling my head to find a reason to justify the purchase).
Escalating – It multiplies your appetite for more (If I don’t control it now, my desire for more will increase…darn it).
Ok, so did I talk myself out of purchasing one…to be continued 😀
Do you plan to purchase an iPad? If so, why? If not, why?
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Best regards,
Clarence E. Stowers, Jr.
