A Journey from Surviving to Thriving

But what was that illusive “something”?   In my previous post I described my feelings of “living in the margin” of my previous organization while adjusting to a new role that involved stepping out of some leadership responsibilities — and felt like I was “on the outside looking in” as my life and day-to-day purpose as I knew it was ending.  But then “something” rose up within me and an awareness gripped me that life was not ending, but indeed was just beginning with new purpose.  At that point I seriously suspected that if that “something” had not been gradually personalized through the years, life for me at that moment might indeed have been over.   The purpose of this post is to explore that “something” and whether or not I can thrive in that state of mind. Please note: I’m using the term “margin” in a manner different from what was popularized by Richard Swenson in his book Margin in which he describes margin as “…having breath left at the top of the staircase...

"Marginalized, I muttered under my breath as I tossed the new headquarters policy memo onto my desk.  Several years ago I would have been the one to write that policy memo.  Now in my almost-retired years, I seldom even heard of these new policies.  I was drifting deeply into despair as I visualized my position on the margin of all that was happening in my organization.  I felt like my life as I’ve known it was ending.  But then something rose up within me and an awareness gripped me that life was not ending, but indeed was just beginning with new purpose.  I seriously suspect that if that “something” had not been gradually personalized through the years, life for me at that moment would indeed have been over.  What was that “something”" ? The above paragraph is from my book, From a Dad … to Those Who Follow.   As I reread these words I realize there is probably more to be deeply explored about this concept of living in the margin. That’s the pla...

Several posts ago, one of you, my Dear Readers, suggested  that it might be interesting to explore what “gives life” to our daily journey.  I agree and this post is to respond to your suggestion.  What gives life probably varies with each person.  That’s OK — God designed each of us differently.  Yet there is probably some commonality among us such that we can learn from each other and appreciate together the life that God gives to each of us.  So let’s learn together. Marilyn and I are getting our heads together here to list the activities, thoughts, and attitudes that bring us life.  We want to share them with you and are hoping you’ll respond back with what brings life into your journey. But first, just what is a “life-giving activity”?  Ultimately, of course, God is the one who gives life.  But He often also leads us into activities that give a sense of really living.  The dictionary says “a ‘life-giving’ activity is whatever gives o...

  No, I have not yet reached the finish line!   But one of my ultimate life-goals is that when I get there I will “finish well” to the glory of God.  The older I get, the more relevant this goal seems to be. And with this life-goal staring me in the face, I find myself thinking about it during more than a few fleeting moments.  But first, let me define what I’m talking about.  In reality, this is not all that complicated.  It’s simply about ending life in a way that truly brings glory to God.   The purpose of this post is to process what “finishing well” means to me and to identify what it might take to make this a reality in my life. Unfortunately not all leaders finish well.  It is sobering to reflect on studies that have shown that approximately one out of three leaders down through the years, including biblical leaders, fail to finish well!  (To read the details, google Dr J. Robert Clinton, Finishing Well, Six Characteristics )....

I woke up this morning with a rather troubling question on my mind which I believe God put there.  It went something like, “Don, is your focus these days primarily on allowing My thoughts to feed your soul … or is it on allowing TV talk show hosts and YouTube videos to fill your brain with lots of disturbing current events?”   Frankly now that I think about it, the first part of that question  generally energizes me, gives me hope and purpose, fills me with awe and wonder, and helps me thrive.  However, the second part usually tends to anger me, cause anxiety and confusion, weakens me, and leaves me rather lost and hopeless. After allowing these words written on this page to stare back at me for a while, I found myself saying to myself — why in the world would I not clearly focus continually on allowing God’s thoughts and words to feed my soul and less on news anchors and the disastrous spin they tend to put on the news to fill my brain?  Dear Reader, I am be...

In a previous post (Post #8)  I shared “My Story” of how years ago I admitted to a friend on the Air Force Base that my “time in the Word” was not good, and thus accepted his invitation to meet with him for a series of Monday mornings before work to read the Bible together and pray. That year was life changing for me!  I had been a “Christian” for years before this, but was not what I’d call today a “follower of Jesus”.  But with my friend’s mentoring and thoughtful care, I became reasonably confident in my relationship with the Lord. Then, after about a year or so of meeting like this, he said, “Don, let’s pray that God leads you to someone in whom you could invest and share what I’ve shared with you” .  This was a new thought to me, and a rather frightening one at that, yet with my new confidence in the Lord I was able to pray about this possibility. THE REST OF THE STORY Generally when we hear about “investing”, our minds go to the financial world.  This is...