Today's Key to Confident Living

Honesty is the absolute best policy for a successfully functioning society.  

Are there loving and kind things you want to say to your parents, your spouse, children or a friend that you just haven't got around to saying yet?

Are you bothered by feelings of prejudice?  I am not necessarily talking about an issue of race or color though that may be part of it.  There are many other ways we can exhibit wrong attitudes that are not based on truth or reality - but we hold these attitudes just the same.

Are you a procrastinator?  Do you practice the Manana Mentality in doing your work?  Waiting to do tomorrow what needs to be done today is not only a bad habit, but a difficult one to change.

Do you have a project you want to do in you organization, but can't move forward for lack of funds?  Have you developed a clear vision for the project?  Have you tried to sell the project to your followers?  Vision usually goes ahead money of any new major undertaking.

Why would any church usher say to a person, "I won't seat you and I suggest you go worship with your own people?"  That action by one person may have kept an entire country in its caste system.

St. Francis Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words”.  While that does not always work, we can certainly practice deeds of kindness until we have the opportunity to use words.

A good work ethic is critical to your success in business or the ministry.  Are we born with a love for work or is it something we learn - or both.  Listen to what the Bible has to say about work and the worker.  Use the following link to connect to the PODCAST:  https://www.keyministries.net/podcast/episode/24c69e92/work-ethic-podcast-24

A meaningful life has some creative tension in it that papa our energy and at times pushes us to the limit of our reserves.  "Lord, I do desire some peace and quiet, but thank you for all the wonderful things you have brought my way that disturb my peace."

Many couples are on a tread mill of work in order to provide things for their children they never had when they were growing up.  But are "things" what our children need?

Are you in a perplexing situation and you don't know which way to turn?  You are willing to make the right move, if you only know whaat that move should be?

A major goal in extinguishing a blaze is to remove one of the essential elements needed for fueling thee fire: a controlled back fire removes the necessary wood.  The same principle applies to defusing quarrels and angry disputes. 

How people sound to us may be the same way we sound to them. 

Have you ever listened to what you sound like to others?  Do you mumble, fret and strike out a people verbally?  Learning to manage ourselves during stressful times is extremely important for successful living.

Overseeing the work may be the least understood and uncomfortable part of the leadership responsibility, however, without doing the Oversight part of the job, we leave ourselves vulnerable to failure.  An axiom we cannot forget as leaders is, "Don't expect what you don't inspect. "

There are people who want to be a leader, dream of being a leader, and aspire to be a leader, but fail to motivate others to get the necessary resources together or recruit others to accomplish the goals.  For example, "If you cannot recruit other individuals and couples to join you in the work, you will struggle to lead a church."  Based on our acrostic POLO, leading is the 3rd part of...

It is not enough to just seek some kind of salve to put on a guilty conscience.  We need to be sure that we are dealing with the problem that is causing the guilt.

Do you stop and think how many time the hurricanes of life have passed you by?  Things could have been so much worse.  We need to develop the attitude of the grateful heart.

As we plant our garden of character, we must remember that every garden needs to be carefully and continually cared for.  Unless there is a gardener to care for it, the garden our our lives will be nothing more than a weed patch.

God does not want our failures to finish us and wants to help us regroup and go on.  Failures can be stepping stones if we allow them to be.

A desire to own something unique and rare motivates certain people, but we need to be constantly reminded to devote our energy to that which is most important.  

Caring for a child with a disability can be very demanding.  There are not usually easy answers as to why a particular child was born with a specific problem, but it seems God richly rewards those who accept such a challenge with grace and devotion.

"Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders' work is useless." LB  Ultimately, it is the Lord who helps us build the relationships that make for strong families.  There is no institution more important to the individual, the community or the nation than the family.

Learning to be content with what we have is vital to healthy living.  Wishing we had what someone else possesses violates one of the commands of God.

Do you try to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders?  Are you burdened down with what is and what you think might be?  Why not shift the weight you are trying to carry to the One who can truly carry it.