I think that successful people often share similar characteristics. Over time I have come to believe that the one thing successful people have most in common is that they find success on the far side of failure.
What do I mean by finding success on the far side of failure?  Well I find that almost all successful people have experienced significant failures in life or in their work, but they have learned from their failures.
On the other hand, it seems that people who don’t recognize their failures or don’t seek …

Jo Isabella and I wish you all, our family and friends every blessing this Christmas. As Christmas approaches, we are full of gratitude for the way God has blessed and guided us this year… We wait with excitement for the great adventures which are to come! Love to you all!

There is a lot of humor in the Scripture…at least I see it that way.

One place is in 1 Kings 22 when Ahab, king of Israel, wants to go to war, but doesn’t feel he has enough army men to succeed. So, he asks Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him. Jehoshaphat rightly wants to first inquire of the Lord. Ahab quickly agrees, snaps his fingers and his prophets march in with their “Go Ahab” signs. Jehoshaphat recognizes that these are merely “yes” men and asks if there is not a prophet of the Lord around. Ahab responds by saying that there was one, Micaiah, but he hated him because he never said anything good about the king…old Ahab.

Nevertheless, Micaiah is called in. But Micaiah isn’t a “yes” man for the king and he declares that Ahab would die in the battle and dogs would lick up his blood.

Ahab sneers, “See, I told you he never says anything good about me!”

But what happens next is interesting.

Micaiah, who had sounded a warning to the king, is slapped on the face by one of the “yes” prophets for speaking a contrary word about the king’s plans. The king then orders Micaiah to be arrested, put in prison, and fed bread and water until the king returned from battle…which he never did because Ahab died just as Micaiah had prophesied.

Micaiah is not an anomaly in the line of God’s people. Yes, there are those today who say that we are not to speak out against the king or his plans. But Moses did. And Elijah. So, too, Elisha and Daniel and Jeremiah…down to John the Baptist, who lost his head because he stood before the king and said “you do wrong!” Jesus declared there was no man born greater than John.

Don’t let anyone tell you that it is wrong to speak out, nor be afraid to do so.

For if we do not, who will?

There will always be a host of “yes” men that will cry out “Go Ahab!” even when that pathway leads to destruction. We, however, are called, not to flatter and appease, but to warn…whether that is to the king, or to the citizens who hold the power of a king, or to leaders in the church, or business owners, or husbands or wives…or neighbors or friends.

Just make sure it is always done with grace…attractively winsome!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” Matthew 5:6

One of my favorite phrases is “A great question is better than a right answer to the wrong question.”

Questions are powerful. The good ones evoke a little bit of perspective and a lot of inward thinking to the thinking man or woman. With that I do my part on this day to evoke a bit of something good in you. If you like them, pass them on.

If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be? Just kidding. They are better than that.

1. When you were little you most likely dreamed about what you wanted to do when you grew up? Did you ever dream

Just to let you all know that I am changing the blog’s theme again. I will be using the new wordpress arthemia theme. Please be patient while I make some of the adjustments necessary for the corrects functionalities. thanks
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In honor of God, my family, and my future spouse, I commit my life to sexual purity.

This involves:

- Honoring God with your body
- Renewing your mind for good
- Turning your eyes from worthless things
- Guarding your heart above all else

What if a million students committed their lives to the Purity Code? What if a majority of kids in your youth group did? Personally, I think it could radically change the way students do relationships and, this may seem incredibly idealistic, but save an amazing amount of couples from carrying excess baggage into their marriages.

All studies show that the more positive, value-centered sex education kids receive, the less promiscuous they will become. Youth workers and even parents are doing a better job but the results still aren’t that impressive. We can definitely be more effective in communicating healthy, God-honoring sexuality.

Here are two things we can do:

1. Give Your Students a “Theology of Healthy Sexuality”

Far too many adolescents view sex as unspiritual. They are told not to do it because it is dirty, ugly and sinful without the benefit of ever understanding that God created our sexuality. In the context of a loving marriage relationship, sex is beautiful and God-ordained. I’m convinced that people make healthy sexual decisions more often when based on a spiritual component, rather than just refraining physically. We need to teach our students what the Bible does say about sexuality. (Genesis 1:26, 31; Exodus 20:14, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Matthew 19:4-6 and 1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

2. Help Students Set Standards

Too many students make sexual decisions based on 1) the pressure to conform; 2) their emotional involvement that exceeds their maturity level; and 3) lack of value-centered sex education. With this in mind, we can help young people make healthy decisions and create healthy boundaries regarding issues like modesty, how far is too far, media, pornography and much more. We can’t do it by just telling them it’s all bad. Rather, students learn best when they talk, not us. We have to listen, dialog and then give them standards to fit with the Biblical worldview.

Dr. James Dobson wrote the book Preparing for Adolescents in 1984. It was the book we used with our kids. I reread it this summer and frankly, he did a great job for 1984. Back then we didn’t have issues like internet pornography, HIV, or the increase of dealing with “friends with benefits.” Today’s youth workers and parents must speak to the relevant issues of the day and help steer kids’ minds and hearts toward the Purity Code. I love the scripture in Proverbs, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Jim is willing to take on your questions and dialog on this subject by writing him at Jim.Burns@HomeWord.com

Bio on Jim

Jim Burns new claim to fame is that he was Doug Fields youth pastor. He is the author of The Purity Code, Teaching Your Children Healthy Sexuality, Accept Nothing Less: God’s Best For Your Body, Mind and Heart and a bunch of other books. He is also the President of HomeWord and has a daily radio broadcast.

One of my favorite parts of the Harvard Business Review is the cartoon section. Of course, the articles make the magazine distinguished, but the cartoons make me laugh. Every month the aptly named “Strategic Humor” section is what I turn to first. In these tough times I enjoy cartoons that regularly puncture the self-inflated bubble of our management culture.

Senior managers are a special target; everyone loves to see them taken down a peg. Also satirized are silly “feed the monster” practices that do nothing but waste time.