Being realistic in our expectations.

In our church life it is easy to become discouraged by the gap between the ideal and the real. Yet we must passionately love the church in spite of its imperfections.
Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is evidence of immaturity. On the other hand , settling for the real without striving for the ideal is complacency. Maturity is living with the tension.

Todays Bible Study 1 Tim 5;17-25.. On Relating to Elders in the Church.

 Group Bible Study Outline.

Observation:

What is the setting, context, What is going on in this passage?

1. Paul is teaching Timothy about honoring and supporting our elders.
2. Accusations against elders.
3. Rebuking sinners before all.
4. Partiality in dealing with people
5. The law of sowing and reaping.

Understanding:

What is Being taught, what does it mean, and what can we learn from This ?

1. The Elders that preside well with wisdom, ability, and loving faithfulness be counted worthy of double honor.  Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And the labourer is worthy of his reward.    Paul also said that he that preaches the gospel should also live from the gospel.   
2. It takes 2 or 3 witnesses to convict and Elder, otherwise don’t pay attention to it.
3. But if they do sin and refuse to repent, do rebuke before all that others may fear.  
4. As you deal with these people, be not partial, don’t deal with some one way and others another way. And don’t be quick to lay hands on some but not on others.

Application:

How is this teaching being applied, and how can we apply it to our lives?    Give examples.

1. Not only do we honor them and esteem them in high regard but we also give them gifts and pay them well.
2. We must be careful when we hear accusations against and elder and disregard it unless there are 2or3 witnesses.  Because Elders have to preach the word and it brings conviction, and not everyone likes it, and people make excuses and bring accusations because they were offended.
3. If one of our Elders or anyone in the church for that matter) sins, after we have done Mt 18;15-17, we are to rebuke them before all by exposing their sin and remove their membership, to keep the church pure and create a culture where we fear the consequences of sin. See 1Cor 5;9-13, Eph 5;11.
4. As we deal with people in the church, (whether it is with sin or blessing the) Let us remember that we are accountable to God, He and the Angels are watching, and so we need to be very careful and not be partial, where we treat one person different then the other depending on who it is.

One thing I will change or get better at.

1._______________________________________________________

The real Risk is to think it's safe to play it safe.

"The Right Mindset" by Chris Brady: http://youtu.be/7porlxnzUI4

Do what you Love in the service of people who love what you do."

There are three parts:
1. Do what you love.  
Make sure that your heart's in your work, and that you're bringing yourself fully and gratefully into everything you do. If you're not connected to your own work, you can't expect to inspire others in theirs.

2. In the service of people; will keep you true, honest, and ethical, at the very least. If you're doing what you love, you'll make yourself happy. But Extreme Leadership is not only about you; it's about your impact on others.

3. Who love what you do; doesn't mean that you just find the people who love you and then serve them/ it means it's your responsibility to give everyone you serve something to love about you and what you're doing.

From  The Radical Leap Re-Energized. 

23 Excuses that keep Most People from reaching their destiny.

1. Victim hood
2. Sickness
3. The burning need for money to satiate pathetic spending habits (materialism addiction)
4. Self-dramatization and the over-amplification of problems
5. Relational combat
6. Media fixation / entertainment binging
7. Addictions
8. Behavior designed to gain attention
9. Failure and the need for pity
10. Self-deception
11. Self-sabotage
12. Laziness
13. Debauchery
14. Psychological escapism's
15. Sports fanaticism
16. Career
17. Status
18. The pleasing of others/approval fixation
19. Fear/timidity/doubt
20. Procrastination
21. Distractions of all stripes
22. Poor focus
23. Lack of introspection or meaningful thought

   Make the decision to wake up now and hide behind nothing. 

Face your destiny and charge after it with all you've got. You'll never feel better, have more fun, or make more of a difference any other way. After all, you're supposed to be all you can be! Nothing less will do. 

• If you are going to play the game anyway, play the game to win."
• Stop trying to think your way into new actions and start acting your way into new thinking."

LIFE BOOK.

This is good, Never revert to Violence in the name of trying to promote freedom. Glen Beck

Watch Glen Beck Explain. 

Lighten Up and Toughen Up

 " We should realize how relatively easy our lives are, and rejoice in the blessings God has provided."

     There are two attitudes toward life that I think are paramount for Leaders, especially in our modern, pampered times, The are ;  

1. Lighten up
2. Toughen up. 

     There is nothing more off-putting then a person who takes him or herself too seriously.   One of my favorite phrases is, "Take everything seriously except yourself." People can easily get a little to "heavy" with the bearing of their burdens. Remember: everyone has problems. No body's health is perfect. No body's relationships are all perfect. Nobody has it made. You shouldn't be surprised when you don't, either. So lighten up a little bit, and work on your attitude. Become more fun to be around. Look at the bright side of things. Find the silver lining in every storm cloud. Trust me: you will be remembered for how well or poorly you do this. People flock to those who are positive, full of enthusiasm, and large on life. They run from the dour, sour, complaining, serious, "realistic" types. So make your choice to lighten up.

    Also, there are few sights More pathetic than a person having a pity party. For the most part, the people walking the earth today have more blessings, better health care, better nutrition, better shelter, longer life expectancy, more opportunities, easier travel, more time-saving devices, etc., then anybody has ever had before, including kings of the highest power. (This is not to downplay the condition of those who are truly suffering from the absence of even the basic necessities of life. But most people reading this are not of that category, but rather, are blessed beyond description.) We should realize how relatively easy our lives are, and rejoice in the blessings God has provided. This out to toughen us through our challenges, give us the proper perspective, and make us stronger. Nobody likes a wimp.

     There you have it: two of my favorite admonishments. As you make your way through your day today, ask yourself, "How Can I both lighten up and toughen up?"  

Chris Brady in LIFE Book.  

Here is a great example of Lightening up.

• We should realize how relatively easy our lives are, and rejoice in the blessings God has provided. 

Who is your worst critic? Is it you?

Don't be your own worst critic; there are plenty of other people willing to fill that position."

     Maybe you aren't the best at what you do. Don't let that get you down, only one person can be the best at any endeavor. The real question is, "Are you getting better?"   The key is to keep growing, striving to become better, personally and professionally, at whatever God has called you to do. Many people become their own worst critics, beating themselves up mentally, anguishing over lost opportunities; but you cannot change the past. Stop looking in the rear-view mirror while attempting to move forward. Leaders learn from the past, act in the present, and accomplish in the future. Most people suffer from analysis paralysis, dwelling on the past, but not acting in the present. Remember, it's called the Book of Acts in the Bible because the apostles acted on the message, not just thought about it. You cannot seize your future until you are willing to let go of your past. Examine your past, looking at the good, the bad , and the ugly, pondering what better choices could have been made, learning the lessons, but then moving on. When you stop being your own worst critic, leaving the past in the past, achieving successes like never before, someone else will volunteer to fill the critic's position. Like the old saying goes, "The higher you climb the ladder of success, the more your butt is exposed."

• Once someone loses belief in his ability to achieve something, he loses the drive to attempt it."
• All people respond to challenges creatively- some think up solutions, others think up excuses."
• Most people wear themselves out thinking about doing the work instead of just doing it."
• If you want to move on in life, replace bad habits that hold you back with better ones that propel you forward- Give up to go up!"

From the LIFE Book. 

How important to success is focus?

 SUCCESS IS THE PRODUCT OF MANY COMPONENTS, OF WHICH ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT IS FOCUS. 

      We can do many things in our lives, but we can't do everything. We can have wide interests, and to a certain extent that is good and healthy, but we shouldn't dissipate our true well of talent on too many endeavors. If genius like that of a Leonardo is wasted by too broad a stroke, then what happens to those of us who are less well endowed? As Leonardo himself wrote, "As a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, so every mind divided among different studies is confused and weakened."
   I would posit that the less talented we are, the more focused we must be. Even the least talented can accomplish grandiose achievements if applying themselves ferociously, consistently, and with enough focus over time. In fact, it seems that often the greatest accomplishments go to those who actually aren't all that talented, but retain just this one last shred of talent: the ability to focus intensely and over the long term. 

Quotes; 

•  You can tell the size of a person by the way he treats people who cannot help him.
• You must be willing to give up what you are, to become what you want to be.
• Encouragement is the grease in the wheels of a Team.
• Champions do consistently what others do sporadically.

Taken From LIFE Book

Focus by Curtis Spolar. 

Today's Leadership quotes,

• "But is the word used before you rationalize why the situation is not your fault nor responsibility."
• Everyone deals with the problems of life, but remember the goal is to solve them to get new ones."
• Discipline is a given; the choice is whether it is applied internally or externally."
• The ability to focus is the key separation point between those who move ahead and those who fall behind."
• There are many shortcuts to failure, but there are no shortcuts to true success."
• Great leaders are hard on themselves and easy on others."
• Success is on the other side of your comfort zone."

Taken From LIFE Book