Joshua, a Study of Being Strong and Courageous God's Way

Over the next few weeks we are going to study Joshua.  The man and the book.  Before we can get into the Book of Joshua, we need to examine who Joshua was and his past that put him in the position to lead the nation of Israel into the promised land.

The best way to look at who Joshua was is to simply look at the scriptures that mention Joshua prior to the start of Joshua Chapter 1. 

Here are some of the key things we can learn.  

1.  God had plans for Joshua from the very first battle.  

2.  Joshua was mentored by Moses and God

3.  Joshua spent more time with or close to God than any other man in the bible besides Moses

4.  God wanted Joshua to remember who was in control, God!

5.  God knew Joshua would need encouragement his whole life. 

Weekly Take Away’s

• God had a back up for Moses from the start. Both God and Moses mentored Joshua
• Just hanging out with God  can have a powerful and positive impact on your life
• Dont go with the flow when God is telling you to go a different direction
• Are you strong and courageous?
• Joshua’s wisdom and leadership came from God, where are you and I getting our wisdom today

QUESTIONS WE MAY DISCUSS:

1. Why did God want Moses to write down and “rehearse it in the ears of Joshua”, the battle with the Amalek’s
2. How close was Joshua to God when the glory of God settled on Mount Sinai?
3. Do you notice that as the Mentor, Moses knew when he should handle things vs letting Joshua handle a situation?
4. The Tent of Meeting: where was Joshua when Moses was in conference with God?
5. What caused the nation of Israel to want to stone Joshua?
6. How do you think the nation of Israel treated Joshua when they were all told they were going to die in the desert but not him?
7. How do you think Moses felt about Joshua?

When facing the impossible, are you persistent?

Persistence is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely definite. --Robert Half

Do you pride yourself on being persist? Its an action that requires effort on our part. In fact, it requires a repeated action our on our part. Persistence is the cousin of consistent. It is the seemingly impossible that most of us are overwhelmed by so we move away to something else. Yet persistent action, persistent follow up, persistent attention can lead to making the impossible possible. We just are not determined enough to start.

When impossible moves to likely is the time many of us decide that since it has a chance so we throw some persistent effort at it. No one is really surprised when the likely turns into definite.

Today, as you look at the impossibles in your life, decide to throw a little persistence at those situations. What do you have to risk? Persistence is an asset you can never run out of, the more you throw at a situation the more results you will see. Persistence in a seemingly impossible situation may be the first steps towards a definite success.

Go for greatness today.

All of us should have on our tombstone, "they were a salesman!"

Unless the man who works  is able to "sell" himself and his ideas, unless he has the power to convince others of the soundness of his convictions, he can never achieve his goal.  He may have the best ideas in the world, he may have plans which would revolutionize entire industries. But unless he can persuade others that his ideas are good, he will never get the chance to put them into effect.  Stripped of non-essentials, all activity is a sales battle. And everyone in business or in service must be a salesman.  "Robert E M Cowie"

For years I have been told I must be a great salesman.  Yet for the past 22 years I been the President and CEO of several different companies.  For many years when I was told this,  I bristled at the comment, because I thought it was not the perception I was trying to achieve as the CEO of the company.

Then I came across this quote and it refocused my understanding of selling.  We are all sales people. The owner of the flower shop, attorneys, home builders, bankers, and yes even police and elected officials.  We are all selling something each and every day of our lives.

Sadly, there are people you interact with everyday with great ideas and plans, but cannot "sell" them to anyone else.  Imagine the impact if those "unsold" ideas could be presented and accepted into practice.

Those who understand the fact that no matter what the profession, no matter what the situation, they are a salesman generally will be those on the side of victory in life.

Greatness is only achieved by those who can convince others that their ideas, their products, their cases and their laws can make a difference.  Our goal each day should be to sell something, at the very least ourselves. So go out today and sell something.

The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and- ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' the pig was 'committed'.

Do you want to be involved or committed to the project.  Every Rock pusher starts in this state at the bottom of a very steep hill with a vision and then has one final question:

Am I committed to this Rock and this Hill?

You cannot be lukewarm (involved) and be committed at the same time or you will surely fail.  There's a difference between lukewarmness and commitment. When you're lukewarm in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

Too many of us today have been trained since birth to “hedge” our bets in all areas of our lives. The result is a bunch lukewarm Americans not really committed to anything, but lukewarm about everything. Because if we are lukewarm it appears that we can never fail at anything.

When Cortez landed in Mexico he was committed, but he carried along with him a bunch of lukewarm sailors.  Things got tough and they wanted to return home.  Cortez knew what he had to do, he burned the ships so there was no turning back, he was not lukewarm.

Commitment means there is no turning back. The uncommitted move on to other things when the going gets tough. Examine where you are on the hill of life with your square rocks, are you simply involved like the chicken or committed like the pig?

Creating a great organization consists of assembling a team to respond like thoroughbreds. When you cluck to a thoroughbred, he give you all the speed and strength of heart and sinew he has in him. When you cluck to a jackass, he kicks.

Greatness is achieved by training a team to respond to your leadership.  As this example suggests.  Brevity is essential. It takes a lot of paitence and hard work to establish a "communication language" with your team, but once its in place it creates a powerful stream of momentum.  

You will find that you no longer have to communicate with a lot of words, sometimes its a gesture or a glance and your team can spring into action.  

However, just like this example there are some who will never understand the language by which you lead.  So today, evaluate your team. Have you create an organization of throughbreds who can "kick in" with great ease, or are you dealing with a team of "jackasses" who just kick everytime you try to lead.  

Worry kills Momentum

Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.  "Arthur Roche"

When pushing your dream up the hill of life you need a clear mind.  Worry is the first step towards fear and fear creates inertia.  Inertia brings momentum to a standstill.

Have your ever noticed that worry can dominate a day.  What dominates your day and your nights will build and if its worry it will eventually become fear.  Here are a few facts on fear.  60% of your fears are unfounded, 20% are already behind you, 10% are so petty that they do not make any real difference, 5% are real, but we cannot do anything about them, and finally, 5% are real and we can do something about them.

So as we understand fear, it is important to process that we can only really control 5% of the things we fear. Today,  take a few minutes to figure out what buckets the streams of worry are in your life.  If they end up in the 95% buckets move on you can do nothing about them. Then figure out how to deal with the issues where you can affect the outcome.

Remember, you have to choose to worry, and when you do it affects everything that you think or do, and left unchecked it can lead to fear.  So you may not have as much to fear as you thought!!

Godspeed, and have a worry free day.

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. "Glen Clark"

As we push our heavy square rocks up the hill of life, many times it is important to travel light. We have all seen Hollywood depict this concept with an airplane full of people escaping danger only to find the plane is too heavy.  They begin to throw things off the plane until they have lightened the load. Dramatically, they may even throw off a fellow passenger.

Its always surprising to look at this quote and see the heavy baggage that may be slowing us down in our quest for greatness. Its not stuff that we have acquired, its those things that make our hearts heavy and our minds full of thoughts that take us off our focus.  Things like envy, jealousy, grudges, selfishness and fear. Be honest, we all carry some or all of these weights each day as we push toward success. Throwing off these weights will empower you to move faster each day and clear your mind to focus on the task at hand, not the negative thoughts they may contribute to your failure.

Only YOU know the heavy baggage you need to throw off to travel and faster and lighter. Success requires a single minded focus on the rock you are pushing today.  There is no room for the baggage of envy, grudges, jealousy, or fear.  Great is the man who can see their own baggage and be able to leave it at the bottom of the hill as they push towards success. Pity the man who proudly retains these weights for he may be the one thrown off the airplane the next time a "weight" problem develops.

Every great man is always being helped by everybody; for his gift is to get good out of all things and all persons. "John Ruskin"

Greatness is rarely achieved alone.  While it may start with a single person or solitary idea, true achievement always needs help.  Great leaders understand this concept. Too often great leaders have "Great Egos" that result in the failure of both the leader and the idea.  If the leader does not know how to get "good" out of those they lead, they get no help when they need it most.  No one wants to help the leader who always acts like they need no one's help in achieving success.

The leader who has created an environment of "help" has figured out how to focus on the good within the team.  Balance strong leadership with an openness that that allows the team "to help" you push uphill towards success. If you are making the achievement about your success then the team may not be inclined to help when it is needed the most.

There is a saying "drop the hammer and pick up the shovel".  If your leadership style is one of beating the team with a hammer to achieve your greatness, over time the hammer becomes very heavy and there will be no one to help you lift it.  Greatness is achieved by being able to pick up the shovel and lead by example. Show the team how to take their "good" and make it great.   With this attitude, the team will advance with you to the top of the hill called success. When you stumble (and you will) the team is there to help you succeed. Because they know your success is their success and together you all win.

What lifestyle am I showing everyone I have?

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6: 6-7)

Looking at these verses as a whole in today's words, they guide us to a christian lifestyle. A lifestyle is defined as a way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group.

God gave us rules and told us to put them in our hearts. We are to impress, on our children. We are to talk about them ALL the time. What our hearts and minds are focused on define our lifestyle. What lifestyle are we projecting to our fellow works, our neighbors, and the "one anothers" we come into contact with.

Does the word of God permeate all of our actions from morning to evening. Is your last thought at night about God and the first thoughts when you wake up to acknowledge God. Thats what these verses are talking about. These commandments were the ten commandments, as a follower of Jesus Christ these commandants were expanded to include loving the one another's. When combined and followed they produce a lifestyle that flows out of our hearts.

If someone looked at my "lifestyle" what would they see? What would they observe based on my words and actions. Would they say, He is a Christian, you can tell by his lifestyle. I rather doubt it. Many people try to obtain a lifestyle by acquiring stuff and showing it off to everyone. Few believe that following God is a lifestyle, its simply religion.

God tells us in these verses that lifestyle flows out of your heart. Your kids will follow the lifestyle you model. Lifestyle is something you are passionate about because you are focused on it 24/7.

Watch a persons attitude, follow what they are passionate about, where they spend their time. There you will see their lifestyle. For me its a simply question. Do I want to follow the lifestyle God has provided for us, or do I want to follow the lifestyle of my wants and desires in the flesh. Where is your heart today?

“A salesman is the act of one, on behalf of another, for the benefit of both.”

This is an unknown quote I came across many years ago.  While we do not know who wrote this quote, I am pretty sure that they had to have been a very successful sales person and rock pusher.

I challenge anyone to come up with a more descriptive definition of a selling in a fewer number of words.  While this quote applies to selling, I would argue that it also applies to life. Taken at the simplest level it is summary of a philosophy for selling and for life. 

Every great action starts with one person.  It may be an act of service, a product, or a passion to change the world.  It starts with the act of one.  Then as “one” comes together with “others” who are like-minded, they now act as a group.

For a great action to succeed it requires a motivation, through out history when one person acts on behalf of another, it creates a selfless path to success.  When the focus is not on “you” but on “them”, a culture of greatness is created. 

For this greatness to grow and multiply, the act of one must benefit both parties.  The “one” and “the another” must both feel that they have benefited during the process.  In sales this is pretty easy to measure.  Did the sales person use good judgment and provide a product or service that benefited the customer, if so they probably made a sale.

An act of one, on the behalf of another, for the benefit of both

Most of us know how to say nothing; few of us know when.

God gave us two ears vs one mouth for a reason.  We need to learn to listen more and talk less.  Too often we decide that to take control of a situation we need to talk. One might argue that the one who knows when to say nothing and let others talk is really in control. 

Years ago I heard a saying that I put into action. The saying was "he who talks first, generally loses".  I was selling typewriters for IBM and had gotten to the stage with a large company where it was time to close the sale.  As I stepped into the Presidents office (who I had not met before) I was a little intimidated. I explained the contract, pushed it across the desk and said, "press hard, there are three copies."  I sat back in my chair and waited, prepared not to utter another word.  I sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity as the CEO looked back from the contract to me.  Finally, the CEO looked at me and said, "I am late to lunch young man and you must practice the same philosophy I do.   "He who speaks first loses", smiling at me as he signed the contract. 

You see too often when we have said all there is to say, we do not know when to close our mouths and say nothing.  A look or body movement, and we want to resell the situation even after we have finished and answered all the questions.  The silence makes us nervous.  

When we begin to talk, we give others a reason not to act, they are having to listen which may encourage a new set of questions.  Its those new issues that may kill a deal that was already done.

So today, take a deep breath, keep you mouth shut and enjoy the silence in the situation you find yourself in.  It means that you are closer to success than you think.

Diamonds, Bricks, Dirt-clods, or Lumps of Coal; Who do you want on your team?

Better to be a strong man with a weak point than to be a weak man without a strong point.  A diamond with a flaw is more valuable than a brick without a flaw. " William Boetcker"

Building a team is essential in the success of any organization. As you look to build a team of strength, it is important to understand who you are surrounding yourself with and what are their weaknesses. Everyone you hire is going to have at least one weakness.  It is important to balance that weakness with the strength that they bring to the team.  My definition of a weakness is simply something that a person cannot claim as a strength.  With leadership these flaws can be moved into the strength column.

Those "diamonds" may have a flaw but they are still the most valuable members of your team.  How you manage and control that flaw that exists within the diamond is the most basic key to your success as a leader.

As great as that "diamond" candidate  may appear, it is still too risky to many leaders to hire a person  with a flaw.  It is always safer to hire the average person who may not shine as bright as the diamond, but does not seem to have any weak points.  An average person will never let you down, never surprise you, never challenge the direction of your leadership. A couple of things about the average person, those "bricks" that work with/for you.

If a person is average in the role they are in, they can never be great, because they are average.  No matter how hard you try to lead them, mold them, train them, encourage them, they will remain average.  As leaders we all think we are different, we can move an average person to greatness.  Great leaders understand they cannot change average, and recognize the fact that it takes the "diamonds" to advance a company to greatness.

Please understand, I am not against average. An average person may become great in another company or even another job within your company. They are simply average in the position they are currently serving. It is important to understand you will always have more average people in your organization than diamonds.

So, evaluate your team today. How many diamonds do you have?  How many bricks do you have?  How many dirt clods do you have?  As a leader you will achieve success as you balance the team between diamonds and bricks.  A proven trait of great leaders is to constantly be replacing the dirt clods as quickly as possible with diamonds, bricks, or lumps of coal.  Because anything is better than a dirt clod. It is the dirt clods that drag down an organization to mediocrity.

Do not be afraid to hire that lump of coal into your organization because if you apply constant pressure on a lump of coal it eventually becomes a diamond.  The visionary leader is the one who can successfully identify those lumps of coal that can become diamonds.

You will need bricks on your team, but keep in mind a bunch of bricks get very heavy on the steep hill of life. Many times the leader will have to carry the "average" on their back uphill to success. Carrying "average" can be an exhausting task for those in the quest of greatness if there are no diamonds helping to advance the team to success.

An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea. "unknown"

Ideas. We all have them. They are up waiting to explode from the dark recesses of our thoughts.  Most times we never know when an idea is about to explode out into the foreground of our minds.  Everyday we have ideas on an unlimited number of topics.  The question is what will we do with those ideas. To advance an idea to reality you need the personal confidence to put it out on the table for inspection and comment as you push the idea forward into action.

In business, I practice the black bullet of death theory for all my ideas.  When idea emerges, I try to find the one big reason why it will not work.  Reasons like money, existing laws, time, and peoples opinions do not count as they can all be changed.  I am looking for that single reason that that the idea could not recover from.  If I do not find the black bullet I continue advancing the idea towards reality.

It will take courage to share your wild and crazy ideas with those close to you.  They are the ones who always care about you, and in my case they want to protect me from myself.  Take heart, all great ideas go thru three life cycles on the way to success.  1.  It can't be done, 2. It probably can be done but its either too hard or not worth doing, 3. They knew it was a good idea all along.  

So when that next big idea emerges, see if you can find the black bullet of death for the idea. If not, be prepared for the "It can't be done" comments from everyone.  This is where most great ideas die before succeeding.  The it can't be done" is not the black bullet of death, but this is where many warriors give up.  You see advancing ideas to reality are like a mother giving birth. She hears many comments and has many helpers on the topic of the actual delivery.   But in the end it is one person, the mother, who endures the final pain to allow that new life its first breath of earth's air. Great ideas are same, they can be painful and in the end their birth into reality depends solely on you.

So the key is to great ideas is action.   The birthing of great ideas is hard and painful to those pushing this square rock uphill. However,  the payoff is exhilarating to have the naysayers come to the point where they knew it was a great idea all along.

So have the confidence to release those great ideas out of your mind and into action, and do not be swayed by the unimaginative who want to simply tell you why things can not be done a different way.

Don't let the guage get under 1/4 full in your relationship tanks.

My wife of 33 years has been telling me for years not to let the gas tank get below 1/4 of a tank.  When it approaches that mark she goes and gets the tank filled up. We have had an ongoing conservation for the entire length of our marriage about this concept.

She want to be prepared for the unexpected and has enough gas to get where she needs to go. I think I will always be able to find gas even when the yellow  fuel light is blinking.  I have run out of gas at least five times over the past 30 years, my wife has never run out. 

Too often, we view our relationships like a tank of gas,  we run them so low on fuel that when we run out of gas in our relationships we are surprised.  It seems we have a lot of realtionships that have yellow flashing lights, and we are not sure where to find the fuel to power that relationship back to a full tank.

Relationships are like gas tanks.  Taking the lead from my wife, we should never let our relationship "tanks" get below a 1/4 of a tank.  The first step in this approach (men) is to understand how to read the guages. Many of use think the tank is full in our relationships and they are running on fumes. Most of the time this happens because we have been too busy to put in any fuel. Fuel can be many things: time, a hug, a gentle word, a non combative discussion, all add fuel to the relationship tank.

We all are moving so fast today, we do not see those we love needing replenishment of any kind. So the tank gets lower and lower and one day there is simply no more fuel to keep the relationship going.  Then we are forced to make mad dash and try to find fuel and get it back in the relationship tank so we can continue down the road of life.

We have all been there at one time or another trying to recharge a relationship.  Imagine if we maintained a self awareness never to let the relationship tank get below 1/4 of a tank.  Its those relationships that last because they never have to stop, they continue with momentum down the road of life.  It takes a lot longer to get down the road of life pushing a car because its out of gas versus driving with a gas power vehicle.

So today, take a moment to determine how much fuel is in the tank of that person you have a relationship with.  If it needs refueling take it immediately to be refueled.  Because if you depend on the flashing yellow light you may be disappointed , it is only an estimate of how much fuel is left. Don't take the chance with any relationship that you can make it another few miles without fuel, or you may be left alone on the side of the road without anyone with you.

I call it the 1/4 of a tank rule, its a good one for cars and relationships.  Spend today filling up the cars and the reationships in your life to a full tank and never let them go below 1/4 full.  While this is the most important with personal relationships, it also applies to business relationships. Imagine pushing big flat square rocks up the hill of life with a team who is running on relationship fumes because you as the leader were too busy to replenish the tank.

It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? Henry David Thoreau

We are all so very busy today.  Work, play, family, and a myriad of other responsibilities. So we are very busy, but are we busy with a purpose?  Too often we use being busy as an excuse for why we cannot begin a great journey.  We say, I would love to take a chance and pursue that dream but I am just too darn busy.  

When we use the "busy" excuse we need to take a deep breath and spend a little time examining what are we busy about.  Does our busy translate to the achievement of our life goals, are does busy mean we are simply in the circular loop of living out our years without a real purpose.  

It is the person with purpose who finds value, finds joy, and finds an inexhaustible supply of passion in pursuit of busyness.  As I have shared, we are all pushing different rocks up the steep hill called life.  As we take a moment to examine the different rocks we may be pushing, how many of them are related to those things that can advance our careers or improve the relationships in our families.  If those rocks are not supporting the purpose and goals you have established for your life, then you are simply being busy like an ant.  

We all share the common element of twenty-four hours in a day.  Use your time this week with purpose, examine your time spent and you may find you only spent a fraction of your day in true pursuit of your life goals. The rest of the time you were acting like an ant, busy without a purpose.   Focus on your purpose and you will find you have plenty of time. 

"Thoughts and Ways", that guide my life, whose are better? God's or Mine?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

God does not think like I think. If I was honest, this is a very good thing. I swing like a pendulum back and forth from living in the Spirit to living in the Flesh. So my thoughts swing in both directions.

God's ways are not my ways. Our "ways", our actions, are a result of our thoughts. I have no way to act without having a thought first, so "thoughts and ways" go hand in hand. Looking back only as far as yesterday, I am thrilled that God does not think and act like I did.

Taken at their simplest form these verses should instill a quite confidence in those who follow God. God is telling us, he does not think like us nor does he act like us. He only has one nature, Holiness. He sees things from one perspective for us, Holiness and Worship. That is where he wants our Thoughts and our Ways.

He encourages us by showing us that he has a unique perspective to look at our life, he is looking down and seeing everything from a Heavenly perspective, not the earthly perspective that I have. The saying "you cant see the forest for the trees" comes to mind from these verses. God's view is clear for us from Heaven, God's thoughts for us are Holy and want us to draw close to Worship HIm. When my thoughts are in the Flesh, my "Ways" follow, It these thoughts that get me lost in the darkness of the forest.

God does not get mired down in the earthly issues that affect our "Thoughts and Ways" He is looking down from Heaven seeing our lives and actions clearly. He has a clear perfect perspective what our "Thoughts and Ways" should be, its our job to yield out "Thoughts and Ways" to His. Easy to say, hard to do.

So today, think about it this way, as a believer we have the mind of Christ, when combined with these verses, it like having a walkie talkie connection to God. When our thoughts are confused and we do not know the way to go up our steep hills of life, we simply have to get direction from God. He is never confused, never wrong. He is waiting to provide the guidance we all need, So push the talk button on your personal walkie talkie today and get perspective from the God of Grace who is waiting to spend eternity with you.  From experience, its hard to push square rocks uphill all alone. 

“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope”

As human beings when we were created, we are wired with Hope. While I forgot the name of the movie, I remember this line, "when you lose your dreams, you die".  The same thing is true with hope because it is the foundations of our plans and dreams.

There are those among us who are dead, they have lost their hope or their dreams have died. They still have plenty of food, water and air, so to those looking at them would think they are still full of life.

When disaster strikes anywhere in the world you can see this death of hope across the newscast.  We know what to do.  We send bottled water, food, and money in an effort to restore hope to nations of people struggling in tough situations. But what about those sitting at the table with you today, those you worship with, your fellow workers or employees. Do they still have their Hope, are they still in pursuit of their dreams?

As the leader, I want a group of followers who still have hope, who can still dream.  If I am too busy leading and not keeping hope alive then I may be in for a big surprise.  The attitude of hope can be squashed and lost in a single second.  It is a fragile business asset that must be protected for all the members of your team, or it can quickly become a liability.

What can we give those whose Hope is gone? Should we give them bottled water?  What we need to give them, is simply a reason to Hope again.  For some its encouragement that there is light at the end of the tunnel or they will have a job tomorrow.  For others its giving of your time to help them find another reason back to Hope. You see unlike physical death, Hope can be restored back to life.  Many times it may be a  new or different Hope.

It is from this simple act of giving your time, your encouragement, and sharing your dreams with others that can provide the restoration of their Hope.  Be on the look out today for those whose Hope is dead, make it your personal responsibility to help get them back among the living. If you work with them I can assure you a person with Hope makes a much more productive worker.  So protect your bottom line, make sure your entire company is alive with Hope. Who knows, maybe someday you will need assistance in restoring your own Hope.

The First Step in Rock Pushing is Vision Casting

Too often, vision casting is simply an exercise in viewing the future through a big telescope. You look to see where you want to end up achieving your business or personal success. In order to push big Square Rock uphill you must use your imagination and not only see where you want to go but how to get there.

I have been most successful when I can in-vision every element on the very steep hill that is standing between my efforts and success. For every idea I have had, only those where I can see myself actively engaged in have been successful. If you cannot imagine yourself in the daily grind towards success, you may be on the wrong hill with the wrong Square Rock. The successful entrepreneur must not only take the time to cast a vision for the ultimate destination, but also a plan on how to get there.

General Norman Schwarzkopf who laid out the blue print for the allied forces in the first Desert Storm battle in Kuwait and Irag, inspired me with his vision casting for the battle plan of the war. He said the vision was to win the battles, the difficulty was to in-vision all the different ways to get to the successful outcome. He said he tried to anticipate all the different moves the Iraq Republican Guard might make and be prepared to respond to them. The battle field is like business, the successful leader must adapt as changes happen real time. Nothing kills business momentum as quickly as having to stop pushing the Square Rock uphill because you have encountered a major obstacle in your path that you did not expect.

This concept has been around for thousands of years. Sun Tzu who wrote the "Art of War" said it a little differently but the end result is the same. He said' "The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his mind before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand."

By spending time each day on the vision for your company, project, or idea you are able to look at different ways up the hill. To often, we see only the prize and one way to achieve our goal. As the leader you must see things as a whole, which includes the daily grind of helping insure you team does not become confused by the obstacles they encounter on the hill.

I am able to close my eyes and role-play a variety of scenarios all with the intent of reaching the top of the hill. This is how I use the in-vision process to make sure I have evaluated as many possible directions and situations as possible. The exciting thing is when one of the in-vision role play actually becomes a reality. Just as General Schwarzkopf did in Desert Storm 1, I have practiced the reality in my mind and I am not surprised when or if it actually happens. Shame on the leader who only sees vision casting as a single final destination or single caculation. The successful Rock Pushers are always evaluating and recasting their vision to include as many possibilities as they can imagine.

Go out today and bring your vision casting from the top of the hill down towards the path you are rapidly approaching and see if makes it easier once you approach this part of you quest.

The Chief Rock Pusher.

If we have the Power of God living in us, why do we act like a bunch of spiritual wimps?

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

It drives me crazy to see fellow believers who are walking around with a timid, afraid attitude. It appears that we have a church full of religious wimps. Afraid to take any action due to the fact it might be misunderstood or offensive to those in the church and workplace. So these timid Christians quietly keep their heads down and go through the battle of life during the week and come to Church on Sunday to celebrate their Faith. To the non believers, why would anyone want to be a Christian, if it means becoming a wimp?

This verse give encouragement to men and women of faith and action. As a believer, I know I was not given a timid spirt. The Holy Spirit who lives in us is a Spirit of power that is balanced by love and self-discipline. I think the concept that best describes the combination of these three, power, love and self-discipline is MEEKNESS.

I define Meekness as strength under control. Meekness is going into any situation full of confidence and strength but keeping yourself under control. Jesus modeled meekness everyday. He had more power, more love and more self-discipline that any man who ever walked on the earth. Yet his attitude was that of meekness. He could have nuked the Pharisees at any point for any number of reasons but he did not. There was not one shred of timidity when Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple. As a believer we have power indwelling in us through the Holy Spirit, not timidity. This Spirit of Power should bring you incredible confidence as you push your square rocks of life uphill.

It is this attitude of meekness that keeps the power we have dwelling in us under control. The command of "love your neighbor as yourself" provides the important balance to power. Self-discipline is also needed to balance power as it focuses us on living in the Spirit where our power resides. Without self-discipline we always choose to live in the Flesh where we try to create "self power". Without God, we have no real power just the worldly power that is not sustainable. Power without Love leads to arrogance. An attitude of arrogance leads us quickly into sin and living in the flesh.

So go into the battle of life today knowing you possess a Spirit of power that is balanced with God's love. Our job is chose to be self disciplined by focusing our mind, body and soul on things of the Spirit not the Flesh. This combination will produce meekness which is strength under control and focused on showing the love of God to the "one another's" we encounter today.

When an archer misses the mark he turns and looks for the fault within himself. Failure to hit the bull's eye is never the fault of the target. To improve your aim improve yourself. Gilbert Arland

We live a a culture of "its not my fault".  It is from this culture that we must pull ourselves out of this mindset and then move on to those around us.  A culture of of "it can't be my   fault" leaves us all mired in mediocrity. We have nothing to make us better. At the very center of many of the issues we are dealing with as a nation, is the  mindset of our leaders its not my fault the target must have moved.  

For the archer to become better he needs to examine what he did wrong and work to fix it so the next time he strikes the center of his target.  The same is true for all of us as we push the square rocks of our lives uphill. If we can develop a mind set of introspection of ourselves and our actions then we are on the way to improving our aim.  

After each encounter with someone that did not go well, push the replay button and examine what you could have done better.  After a failed business meeting, its easy to blame the other side and say "it was not my fault".  But what if it was?  Without a quick replay in you mind, how do you know?

Every day we  hit the replay button on our DVR's, DVD's, voicemail, and Ipods to make sure we got it right and heard it clearly.  Why not take a minute to replay those events, conservations, emails, and meetings to see how you might have aimed a little differently. Show me a person who has a "its not my fault attitude" and I will show you a person who has chosen not to improve their aim.

It always easy to blame the targets, its not as easy to self evaluate the archer when we miss the targets we are aiming for in life, in business, and in our relationships.  

Imagine the power of an organization if all the archers are constantly looking to improve their own aim first before trying to fix or blame a missed target on others.  There will be massive, positive change in that organization. 

Loving God, Loving my Neighbor and putting "ME" last, does that sound fair?

"Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

If you are pushing your rocks uphill alone, it may be time for attitude check.  Is it always about you?  Jesus said make it about God and your neighbors, not yourself.  

As a believer we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. It is only through the power of God in us can we love the way God intended. First, we need to be right with God. The love described in this verse is a complete yielding of myself to God. Jesus tells us me I have to Love our Lord, my God with ALL my heart, with ALL my soul and ALL my mind. I fight a battle each day within myself of who wins the battle of my attention my flesh or my spirit. Generally Satan and the flesh wins. It is not possible for us to love completely and yield completely when we are focused on ourselves not God.

Too many days I intently push my square rock uphill with all my heart, soul and mind for myself and set aside my focus on God. I am so very busy, so important, so self consumed that I never seem to have time for part two, love your neighbor as yourself. I am so busy loving myself, and taking care of my self that there is nothing left to give to my neighbors.

Thats why Jesus said, love the Lord with everything, make it about God and not about you. Only then, are you able to show this selfness love to your neighbor. So according to Jesus, its about loving God, then loving your neighbor and finally if there is anything else loving yourself.

Remember we serve an "Always" God, if He is directing your life, time is not an issue. Have confidence and Faith today that by giving all you have to God, he will direct your path to both your neighbor and yourself. You see the verse includes "US" in this love, it just not make "US" the priority. For me that's what it means to get your priorities in order. Too often mine have been reversed with a self focus. Until we focus our love on God, our flesh will always want our full attention. Go out into the world today, with a confidence that the God you love is in control and actively look for ways to show your neighbors and the "one another's" God's love through you.  By the way, did I mention that many times you will need your neighbors and the "one another's" to help push your square rocks uphill.  No Rock Pusher has ever made it uphill alone.  

True success pushing rocks is achieved with the guidance of God and the assistance of those you engage to join you.  If you make it about your success, few will want to join you on the hill. Make it about your neighbors and the one another's and you will create a lot momentum for you and your rocks. 

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD"

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

There are so many rich concepts in these three verses. First, God knows what he has planned for you and I. I try to ask God each morning, where do you want me to go today? When I push my rock into a black hole on the hill of life it us usually because I am trying to go a direction that God does not have planned for me. Have you ever wondered why sometimes your square rock  seems so easy to push? I believe that when we let go of control of our lives and yield it to God, we create momentum because God is pushing our square rock with us.

I have asked myself this question many times, can I really have more in this life than God has planned for me. When God says he will prosper us, I do not think its about growing our checkbook. God views prosperity a lot different than society does. Prosper might mean we have more opportunities to serve God in our daily activities. We have more opportunities to show people the love of God through our daily actions. In any case, its about what God can do for us, not what we can do for God. God can prosper me however he chooses.

We are given a clear operating manuel. I am to call on God, go to God and pray to him, and we have the eternal promise that God will listen. We must be committed to God, looking always for him and we are promised to find him when we seek with all our heart. Its the "with all our heart" that causes me trouble. There are times when I know if I seek Gods will and plan for my life that it might conflict with the fleshy plans I have for my self.

Yet this passage clearly tells me that 1. God knows the plan for my life. 2. He wants to prosper me, protect me, give me hope and a future. My job is is seek to follow God's plan through daily prayer knowing that the has promised to listen. (notice it does not say agree with my prayer) Then be prepared to go directions that I might not have gone in the fleshly side of my live simply because I define prosper a little differently than my Life Leader does.

We are all pushing square rocks uphill, imagine the momentum we will create if we yield to God and follow the path up the hill of life he has planned for us.