SOUL CrossTraining

Life offers an amazing assortment of moments filled with potential beyond our comprehension. I think way too often we only see a small portion of what is at stake. Here's what I mean. As I make time to share a meal with my family do I realize the potential of what could transpire as we eat together? Could it be as we share our BEST and WORST of the day, we get to see a glimpse of a dream God has planted deep inside one of us as we share? Could it be that we are invited in to see place of vulnerability in each other? Or maybe it is simply in the shared laughter we find perspective and strength. You see in those ordinary moments the potential for the extraordinary is always present. The question is... will we see it and will we seize it. Will we do our very best to take hold of it?

The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. Proverbs 11:24 "That's the irony; those who sanctify time and who give time away-- who treat time as a gift and not possession--have time in abundance. Contrariwise, those who guard every minute, resent every interruption, ration every moment, never have enough. They're always late, always behind, always scrambling, always driven." Mark Buchanan from his book, THE REST OF GOD. Try this Practice: Try this for a week, giving the gift of yourself first to God and then to others. Be generous with your time. Enter each day with a deep resolve to give your time away, even at times seemingly to squander it,for the sake of purposes beyond your own. Don't just give your time,but yourself--your attention, your affection, the gift of your curiosity and inquisitiveness. See how much time you really have. Post by Dana Randall, co-leader Women of Grace course on The REST OF GOD

Whether I am reading a book, watching a movie, or listening to someone share -- I absolutely love a great story. I love watching the plot develop and I especially love the possibilities surrounding each new beginning. I hate endings. Closing the page of a book I've loved, the screen fading to black and the credits rolling after I've enjoyed a good movie, and a chapter in my life coming to a conclusion that has been life changing. What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us . Ralph Waldo Emerson My daughter and I are in the process of turning the page of an incredible chapter. The details are too many to describe. Yesterday, we said goodbye to Tiger's Edition, affectionately known as Eddy, our 12 year old, thoroughbred. Today, both Chelsea and Eddy begin a new chapter. In the spring of 2006, Eddy was adopted by us through New Vocations -- a race horse adoption group located in Ohio. He came to us very green with little experi...

I've been thinking lately about how I live my life. It all began to surface when I was listening to Bill Hybels at the Leadership Summit in August. He was talking about leadership axioms. If you're looking for some ideas and insight in leadership, you might want to check out Hybels' leadership book called, axiom . axiom (ăk'sē-əm) a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations; "pardon the expression" You know those sayings, expressions or 'isms' we all have. Bill, my father-in-law would reply to difficult situations with two sayings... This too shall pass. and It's just a glitch. I must admit I often did NOT want to hear this Bill- ism . But we could count on him helping us gain a bit of perspective through these axioms of his. Unfortunately, he died a few years ago however his words and wisdom lives on -- not because he always said those words but more importantly because he lived those words . On my desk is a crumpled typew...