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WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 4/30/08

Lord, don’t give me mercy; give me strength.
 
Not that I know a whole lot, but it seems to me that God knows what He is doing.  So, when He hands me a super challenge, who am I to suggest He ought to do it differently? 
 
My point:  Maybe we should pray for the Lord to help us accept His will and show us the right way, rather than trying to negotiate a new deal from Him.  Kind of cool, really — just put it all at His feet and have a fun day.  Works for me. — jri
 
“Be joyful always; pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ
Jesus.”
        –    St. Paul
               (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

TUESDAY THOUGHT 4/29/08

Just trust!  I woke up this morning with a head full of to-dos flying around like a flock of seagulls over a good bait spot.  Nothing painful, but very unfocused, leaving me unsure where to start my day, how to get in the groove.
 
Then two words drifted into my head that stopped me short, brought calm to the first light and made me smile, forgetting about what to do ten minutes ahead or how to make the most of this wondrous day.  It was a whisper that filled my heart with peace and put everything in perspective brought everything into clear focus, and that embodied a universe of faith and God’s love.  I heard two words.  They were gentle, soft and powerful.
 
Just trust.  (God bless and enjoy the blessings of this day.) — jri
 
“[Y]ou will eat all the food you want and live in
safety in your land.  I will grant peace in the land,
and you will lie down and no one will make you
afraid.”
        –    God
               (Leviticus 26:5-6)

MONDAY THOUGHT 4/28/08

I know how to achieve success.  It’s really simple:  Goals, focus, attention to the details and determination.
 
It seems to me that where many of us fall down is at that yeah-but point.  We want to take a simple, proven formula for success and round off the corners, adjust it, compromise it, very often because “I just don’t like doing this or that.”  The result:  failure.
 
My point:  We need to study success and not assume that “my way” (a great song, but a formula for failure for most of us) will lead to transforming results.  Set your goals.  Work relentlessly.  Have fun.  — jri
 
“The greatest discovery of my generation is
that human beings can alter their lives by
altering their attitudes of mind.”
        –    William James

DAILY THOUGHT 4/24/08

This one is a true rambler:  One of the admonitions from the Bible — love your neighbor as yourself — has always bothered me.  I know too many people who despise themselves. 
 
I knew one fellow years ago who had everything going for him:  Good looking to the point that strange women would approach him on the street, so intense that you could almost hear the hormones crackling; a bright mind; a sweet and gorgeous wife; terrific personality.  But he was a tortured soul, who once admitted that, as a marathoner, he ran because there was a point where he got into that out-of-body “zone” where he forgot himself and was at peace.  How heart-breakingly sad.
 
My point?  Not totally sure.  As a Christian, I know from personal experience that everything is forgivable.  Imagine sin and pain — without exception — washed away!  (Better than a “get out of jail free” card.)  Maybe Christ was saying we should love our neighbors AND ourselves.  Just a thought.  God bless, love yourself, like yourself, be kind to yourself and respect yourself.  Bottom line:  Just enjoy being who you are because you, too, are a gift from God.  — jri
 
“Devils can be driven out of the heart by the
touch of a hand.”
        –    Tennessee Williams

WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 4/23/08

How I lost 50 pounds of anger under the 8-day plan and taught my father to say I love you:  Though my father was a brilliant and caring doctor, he tended to be a melancholy, unpleasant person.  I didn’t like him much.  But when I was in my mid-30s, I decided that I didn’t want to have any remorse at his funeral (which didn’t happen until 25 years later, by the way), so I put him on the 8-day plan.  This simply meant that I’d call him every eight days.  (I think that’s the same one my kids have me on today. Hmmm.)
 
It worked out well, and I went from tolerating him to getting along with him to actually appreciating his many good points.  At the end of one call, almost on a whim, I concluded with, “Love ya, Pop.”  He grumbled and said, “Take care.  Thanks for calling.”  I started doing this every week.  Eventually, he mumbled, “I love you, too.”  On the day of his death, knowing he was about to die (though he didn’t tell me), he called me.  His last words were, “Remember that I love you.”  I got word an hour later that he had died.  Looking back on it, not only did I teach my father how to say I love you, but I also learned to love him in return — a very nice bonus. 
 
The point of this wordy rambling:  Even when our motives are a bit suspect, by doing the right thing, we can make a difference.  And in so doing, we not only can change the world, but we can transform ourselves as well.  So, if I were giving advice, I’d say: Call someone you love today and let him or her know.  God bless and enjoy.  — jri
 
“I don’t find it necessary to forgive my parents
for the mistakes they made.  It is no sin to be
human.  They were amateurs in a demanding
game where even experts can’t always get it
right.”
        –    Harold S. Kushner
               (How Good Do We Have to Be)

TUESDAY THOUGHT 4/22/08

If you’d met my Mother, you’d have thought she hadn’t a problem in the world.  She laughed often and loudly (and was periodically accused of waking the dead or shattering glass).  She loved without restraint, found humor in her own foolishness, shrugged off offenses, and was perfectly willing to speak her mind on all occasions.  That poem — love like you’ve never been hurt; dance like no one is looking, etc. — could have been written about her.  One time Pop said, “Sally, what would you think about doing a Mediterranean cruise?”  By the time he got home that afternoon, she had booked the entire vacation. Gone now more than 25 years, she still drifts gently into my mind daily, as I think that it would be great to pick up the phone and call her about some little this or that.
 
BUT, it’s not that my mother had no troubles.  Pop was a good man, but a bit of a sullen bear, not that pleasant.  Her health was a train wreck (she suffered a heart attack in her 20s, had her first open-heart surgery around 1955 on a totally experimental basis, followed by at least two more such surgeries in the coming years) and was technically an invalid.  Her life was tough, but she never felt sorry for herself, and she never asked anyone else to pat her on the head and speak slowly to her.  (In fact, we used to call her an old battleaxe and swear that she’d outlive all of us.  Pop once said, “Thank God she was sick, or she would have run us all into the grave.”)     
 
My point:  We all have troubles.  We all have problems.  Some of them doozies.  But like my Mom, focus only on the blessings and the many joys God places gently before you each and every day.  God bless.  — jri
 
“Life only demands from you the strength
you possess.  Only one feat is possible –
not to have run away.”
        –    Dag Hammarskjold

MONDAY THOUGHT 4/21/08

Get up, saddle up and get rolling.  You have things to do.  God has plans for you.  Do you think He pulled your fat from the fire just for grins and giggles? 
 
No, He’s not asking for payback.  That’s not His style.  But wouldn’t it be a nice surprise to give Him a loving, caring day back, just a small token that says, “Lord, thanks for my many blessings — faith, forgiveness, friendship, family, along with a few ‘holy cow!’ challenges just to keep me on my toes”?
 
Live today with thankfulness and joy … and play nice with others.  I’m no theologian, but it seems to me that that’s all it takes.  God just might get a grin and/or giggle out it Himself.  Enjoy and God bless. — jri
 
“I am bound by the vow I made you, O God;
    I will present to you thank-offerings;
For you have rescued my soul from death and
        my feet from stumbling,
    that I may walk before God in the light of the living.”
            –    Psalm 56:11-12

BIZ THOUGHT 4/21/08

Keep good records.  Track your activity.  Maybe in a go-go economy, you can afford to slop along and stay in the black.  But survivors and thrivers in business these days know which products make the biggest profits; which customers generate the most sales; which employees are worth their wages.
 
Most of all, don’t just set goals or make vague plans.  Hold yourself and others accountable.  Set goals and deadlines, and be darn sure to measure how well you are doing every step of the way.
 
The bottom line:  Know where your bread is buttered and where you’re choking down dry toast. Work hard.  Make money.  Have fun.
 
“What gets measured tends to get
done.”
        –    Mickey Straub, President
               Sales Activity Management
               www.SAMInspires.com  

THURSDAY THOUGHT 4/17/08

“If you enjoyed your stay (your new product/our service), please not only let us know, but be sure to tell a friend.”  As a businessman, I’m big on networking, the power of mouth-to-mouth marketing.  One satisfied customer giving a referral to a friend or associate is the best kind of recommendation.  It is the single most effective way to connect quickly and powerfully with the right people.
 
It seems to me it’s the same with God.  I’m in a business conference this week.  Most of the attendees are old friends. Over time, many of us discovered (slowly and haltingly) that some of us are people of faith.  We got talking about that at dinner last night … openly and unabashedly.  As five of us talked, two other people at the table listened with quizzical looks on their faces.  We weren’t preaching or speaking in tongues, just talking about stuff from a Christian perspective. 
 
My point?  Wear your faith on your sleeve.  No, don’t stand on the street corner and hand out salvation pamphlets (unless that sort of thing really turns you on).  For me, that means wearing my cross (like a Tommy Hilfiger t-shirt for Christ), trying to act like a Christian, and not being afraid to thank God and mention His name in public when it seems appropriate.  Sooooo, enjoy this beautiful day and don’t hesitate to do some networking for God.  — jri
 
“And call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will glorify thee, and thou shalt
glorify me.”
            –    God
                   (Psalm 50:15)

TUESDAY THOUGHT 4/15/08

Fear of Joy!  It seems to me that many people are only happy (or at least comfortable) when they are miserable, or at least struggling with some challenge.  It’s familiar territory.  Take away the misery — give them nothing but joy — and they are lost, not knowing how to react.  Joy terrifies them.  An odd concept, but I’ve seen it time and time again in myself and others.
 
Imagine having no regrets, not because you haven’t screwed up, but because you get a clean-slate do-over.  Imagine not only having all your life’s transgressions forgiven, but KNOWING they are forgiven.  Imagine realizing that your life is not only in God’s hands, but that He knows exactly what He is doing.  Imagine having nothing to worry about and never waiting for that second shoe to drop.  Scary! 
 
My point: Embrace the joy of your life.  Give it over to God and try not to be too concerned with or fret about the happiness that God offers.  Most of all, just enjoy it!  — jri
 
“I have learned to be content whatever
the circumstances.  I know what it is to
be in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty.  I have learned the secret of being
content in any and every situation, whether
well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty
or in want.”
        –    St. Paul

MONDAY THOUGHT 4/14/08

Ah, yes.  To arise with a smile on our lips and a song in our hearts, our souls soaring effortlessly, like graceful eagles on the thermals of life with confidence and grace. 
 
Yeah, yeah, been there, done that.  And THEN there are those dry-as-dust days, when we scramble to keep our duck-like butts from bouncing along on the hard ground, relying on pure and quivering faith — not a breath of inspiration in the air — when we hope nobody notices us clomping along in clay-footed … clay-footed?  clay-footed what?  Oh, in clay-footed humanness. 
 
My point?  Life and faith aren’t always about inspiration and a heart swelling with conviction and love.  Sometimes, like Moses in the desert, it’s about keeping on … just keeping on.  God bless and enjoy the stumble-and-stagger journey.  God really does know what He’s doing.  It’s not our business to have those answers. — jri
 
“Blessed are the poor in spirit
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
        –    Jesus Christ
                (Matthew 5:3)

THURSDAY THOUGHT 4/10/08

Some mornings I can wake up and hear a train chugging through my head: Gotta do!  Gotta do!  Gotta do!  Deadlines!  Phone calls.  Gotta do!  Gotta do!  Projects!  Meetings! Errands to run!  Gotta do!  Gotta do!  Gotta do!
 
And then, if I am fortunate enough to recognize I am on the train to Chaos City (that’s just two stops before Perdition), I pull the emergency brake, get off, and find a quiet lane to stroll down in my mind, reminding myself: I can only do the best I can and leave the rest in God’s hands.
 
Sure, put in a good, muscle-flexing day today.  But slow it down and try to enjoy the trip. — jri
 
“I am not perfect, but I am enough.”
    –    Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen 

THE INVISIBLE PEOPLE

We see them but we don’t–the invisible people.

They serve our food. They clean public restrooms. They drive our taxis. They sell us popcorn at the theater. They ask if we want fries with our hamburger.

We see them but we don’t–the invisible people.

At one point in time we were all one of them because we were too young. We will all be one of them again when we are too old. We were one of them when we did menial tasks for low wages.

We see them but we don’t–the invisible people.

Some try to build up their own miserable self-image by being rude to them. 

But Jesus saw them. And heard them. And loved them. And taught them. And lived with them. And healed them. And brought them back from the dead. And died for them.

Thank you for that selfless act of love, Dear Jesus. Thank you for seeing and saving the invisible people. Thank you for teaching us that wonderful lesson. Forgive us for the times when we did not see them.

Bill Sheridan–SHERIDAN WRITES 

“A Perfect Day” Now Available

In the name of shameless self-promotion, I am pleased (as in, super proud) to announce that my book, A Perfect Day, a collection of my spiritual daily thoughts, is now available and can be purchased online. 

 Here’s one totally unbiased pre-publication review:

Kind Words from Friends About

A Perfect Day

 “Real” is the word that comes to mind when describing John.  By his use of subtle humor, John captures your attention and gives you a glimpse into his life.  Though John’s angels and demons may differ from yours, you can certainly identify with them.  I have witnessed Christ working in John’s life by reading his “Thoughts of the Day.”  They have made me laugh, brought tears to my eyes, encouraged me when lonely, but most importantly, they have given me hope by reminding me of God’s unconditional love.  Thanks John for helping me on my spiritual journey.Louise Andreae

Fellow parishioner and dear friend

Sturgeon Bay, WI     

 If you get a chance, click on the link below and check out the book.  No obligation to buy. 

www.lulu.com/content/2269531.

WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 4/9/08

Though I love the big booming majesty of God’s presence, it’s those gentle whispers that bring a slow, peaceful smile to my face.  Can’t always explain why, but these are the unexpected, unanticipated moments that touch my soul. 
 
I got a surprise visit last week from four ladies from my church.  With a collective age of 300 plus years (you do the math), they had been visiting another friend in the southern part of the state.  On a whim, they decided to drop by my house on the way home.  It was 8:30 at night and they didn’t come in, but I stood in the driveway visiting with them for a few minutes.  Maybe it’s that I’ve had times in my life when I could not find a friend (thank you, James Taylor), but this brief, casual visit with these four wonderful ladies made me chuckle and smile the rest of the evening.
 
My point:  We can and do make a difference in this world.  Those four friends could have driven by and the world would still be fine.  But they took five minutes and made my life more joyful.  Enjoy this day and don’t pass by the many opportunities you have to put a smile on someone’s face. — jri
 
“Above all, love each other deeply
because love covers a multitude of
sins.”
    –    St. Peter
           (1 Peter 4:8)

MONDAY THOUGHT 4/7/08

I love beginnings — the dawn of each new day, Monday that starts a new week, the first of each month, New Years Day!  To me they mean new hope, clean slates, fresh starts, new opportunities to put the past behind and focus on what lays ahead.
 
For me today, I will focus on my many, many blessings, not a single  lamentation: my health, my faith, my wonderful family (including 4.4 grandchildren), forgiveness for my failings, love, America, hope … and about a thousand other good things in my life.
 
Enjoy and celebrate each and every new beginning.  — jri
 
“This is the day the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
        –    Psalm 118:24

GOD SMILED AT MY SECOND CHANCE

It was late on a winter day about fifteen years ago. I saw him looking in the trash bin as I was leaving the Des Moines, Iowa YMCA and felt the urge to give him something but also was in a bit of a hurry to get home.

Wondering if I should offer him a few bucks–I reached into my pocket (I hate carrying a billfold) and found four crumpled up one-dollar bills.

That’s when it occurred to me that I had a dilemma. My buddies and I were meeting for Bible Study the next morning and I needed some cash to throw into the kitty for the breakfast rolls and orange juice.

It was obvious that Trash Bin Man needed the money more than me, but I was not going to have time to stop at an ATM. What to do?

I took the easy way out and walked toward my car when I heard the man squeal out in delight as he found some empty pop bottles to turn in for a refund, “Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!”

Mortified and embarrassed by my selfish act and already standing by my car, I opened the door and drove home in shame. My pride at not having cash to throw into the Bible Study pot was bigger than my opportunity to have done something that would have been pleasing to my Lord.

I never forgot that unpleasant experience and vowed that if the opportunity presented itself again, I would do the right thing and empty my pocket for the person in need.

Obviously, God was paying attention. Fast-forward a year or two and I was leaving church one Sunday morning. As I neared my automobile I noticed a man standing over and rooting around in a large trash container.

Feeling in my pocket I pulled out the only bill that I had in it. To my chagrin it turned out to be a twenty.

Although I knew what I had to do, it was a bit painful.

“Sir?”

“What?”

Defensive and agitated, he did not want to get an anticipated lecture from me and seemed uncomfortable that I had come upon him.

“I believe the Lord told me to give this to you.”

He looked at his gift and mumbled a ‘thank you’ saying that he could really use it.

This time when I got in my car I think I heard God whisper to me, “That cost you an extra sixteen bucks, my son. Have you learned your lesson.”

“Yes, Lord,” I said with a smile. I believe I have. Yes, indeed, I believe I have.”

Bill Sheridan–SHERIDAN WRITES

FRIDAY THOUGHT 4/4/08

Be free!  It’s your choice!  Beat your demons once … and you’ve beaten them.  If they come back, beat them again.  You belong to you, not to your demons.

We’ve all seen seriously overweight people struggling to walk down the street.  They have a look of defeat and resignation on their faces.  It’s the same with alcoholics and drug addicts, trapped by their habits, overpowered by their demons.  But it is their choice and their choice only regarding who they will be, what they will be, and what will control them. 

Grab your life.  Take charge.  Choose your destiny and your future.  It is your life. — jri

“Most of us build prisons for ourselves and
after we occupy them for a period of time,
we become accustomed to their walls and
accept the false premise that we are
incarcerated for life.”
    –    Og Mandino

THURSDAY THOUGHT 4/3/08

Thank God we’re not like those thick-headed, ungrateful, whining Israelites in the desert with Moses.  I mean, God gave them meat in the evening (flew right into their camp) and bread in the morning (just there, waiting for them when they woke up), and they still griped.
 
Nope, not us.  Every day we crack open the frig and thank God for our food; sleep in a warm, clean bed, have a decent home, car, maybe even two pairs of shoes and a change of clothing — and we spend the whole day with happy smiles on our faces and gratitude in our hearts.
 
Oops.  Maybe not.  Well, perhaps today.  God bless, be happy and thank God for our blessings, no matter how much or meager. — jri
 
The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the
grumbling of the Israelites.  Tell them, ‘At
twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning
you will be filled with bread.  Then you will
know that I am the Lord your God.’”
    –    Exodus 16:11-12

TUESDAY BIZ THOUGHT 4/1/08

Enthusiasm is the key to success in sales. 

Yes, it’s good (sometimes even important) to know your products and to understand proven selling techniques.  But the catalyst, the spark, the firing pin to a successful sale is enthusiasm.

Tell your story and tell it with passion and excitement.  Work hard.  Make money.  Have fun.  — jri

“A salesman minus enthusiasm
is just a clerk.”
    –    Harry F. Banks