STRESS

Several people lately have asked how I handle stress, as I often appear to be calm when others don't. The definition of stress I'm referring to is "the state of extreme difficulty, pressure, or strain". In physics, stress is an applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body, and the internal resistance of that body to the applied force. That is the root of what we refer to as stress in our lives. Many times it is capable of an increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability, and depression, with perhaps more alarming damage to both our physical and mental health. A recent Booth Research poll for Ester-C asked adults if they were more stressed today than they were only 6 months ago. An astonishing 64% of adults aged 18 to 24 said they were. The percentage dropped with each age group (55% of 25-34, 47% of 35-44, 46% of 45-54) to a low of 37% of adults 55 and older. It provides a clear picture that stress continues to build at an increasing rate in our culture. With internet access the amount of knowledge available (often negative) is increasing exponentially, perhaps explaining some of the age related percentages in the poll. I want to make a case that this stress is not a bad thing, but a good thing, and explain the heavenly wisdom of how it should be handled.

About 15 years ago I started a physical fitness regimen that included a session with a personal trainer. He explained that muscles grow in size when I lift additional weights by tearing the muscle fibers causing them to repair themselves with more fibers if given time to do so. Muscles also grow in strength with increased repetition of the same weight without additional pounds. My choice of exercises and the time period between them would end in two different results, either bulky muscles or smooth muscles. The difference was the level of stress I chose to apply to them. If I chose no exercise at all my muscles would continue to weaken until I had no strength. It is a principle that made sense to me because the output was determined by the input. Recent 24/7 news about our economy, negative campaigning for the election, housing price fluctuation, and years of war on terrorism are all examples of negative input. Our mind is the control center of the body, so the input we choose for our mind will result in the output of our physical and mental health. Our thoughts are often controlled by the surroundings we choose to place ourselves in.

In the same way that lack of exercise results in weak muscles, lack of stress results in a weak person. God made us with all the chemicals in our body that react to input. Adrenaline automatically is released when we come face to face with a bear, or one we fear. Seratonin is automatically released when we come face to face with our spouse, or one we love. Spending our time and our thoughts on these two extremes requires a balance. If you are running from "bears" every day your personality will become increasingly negative and stressed. If you always want to feel good and avoid all the "bears" you won't learn how to run and one will eventually eat you (think of drug, alcohol or sex addiction). Learning to deal with and enjoy all aspects of life is wisdom. I'd say it requires a plan, as what we were probably taught by our parents comes from a different era that didn't have the 24/7 news of every event in the entire world. In the February 2006 version of this blog I wrote about a balanced life, and that should be your plans starting point. Many of the subjects written about that year apply to your plan: Confidence (where its says loving and being loved is the key), Goal Setting, Preparation, and Contentment. The point I am making is it won't happen accidentally, you need a plan. The plan should not avoid any area of life, nor should it dwell on any one area of life, but the first step is the most important.

Those that teach martial arts or boxing say that the key is to redirect the force behind the punch. In Toastmasters we teach that the nervous adrenalin should be redirected to the energy and passion behind your words and gestures. Consider those things in your life that you find stressful and determine how they can be redirected. I believe everything I have is God's and I am a steward of what He has allowed me to accumulate. When events beyond my control such as the large drop in 401K values happened recently the stress level was low for me as a sovereign God changed where he placed what belongs to Him, so my response was to pray for financial wisdom as a steward of what remained. When the presidential candidates inundate me with negative ads and insult my intelligence with what they say, I know the Bible says in Romans 13 and elsewhere that governmental authorities are established by God for his purposes, so my role to vote and pray (not necessarily in that order). For God to send his only Son to die on a cross for my sins, then promise a heavenly reward for accepting him and repenting of sin, is only possible if He loves me. John 3:16 says that is applicable to the entire world. He calls for those that have accepted to "deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Being a Christian is not an easy life as we are voluntarily slaves of the King of Kings, but it should not be a stressful life.

The applied force or system of forces that tends to strain or deform a body, and the internal resistance of that body to to the applied force is how we defined stress earlier. The Bible acts as an owners manual for what is absorbed, what is redirected, and specifically how the resistance to the applied force should be obediently completed. Adversities are allowed by God to not only strengthen us, but to help us look to him in all things. Stress is not a bad thing, but a good thing, as for both the Christian and the seeker it ultimately focuses our attention where it belongs, a commitment to God. The first commandment God gave to Moses was "You shall have no other gods before me". Becoming a Christian involves putting ALL things lower than Christ. That acceptance is the first step of any plan, which will allow 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18 to become a reality in your life as I strive to make it in mine. "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:8 says "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything is worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things". Verse 6 is the ultimate for how to live in our stressed-out world. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God".

ACCUMULATION

A single snowflake is beautiful and eagerly anticipated at the beginning of the winter season. Even thousands are viewed with appreciation. It isn't until they begin to accumulate that the scenario begins to change. The accumulation begins to be measured in inches, then in feet, and if it continues to snow can stop almost all activities. When the season changes, the warmth begins to melt the snow and a trickle of water runs into a small creek, then a river, and eventually an ocean. If the accumulation of warm days comes too fast, the trickle becomes a stream, the creek becomes a rapids, and the river becomes a flood. The accumulation of all things have a different long term effect than a small quantity in a short amount of time. With warm weather comes opportunities to spend time in the sun, absorbing vitamin D. Stay outside too long and you'll have a sunburn. Accumulate too many sunburns and you'll have permanent skin damage or even skin cancer. Wise people understand the effect of accumulation and over their lifetime use that understanding to avoid catastrophes, and embrace positive uses of the abundance. The accumulation of knowledge is happening faster than at any time in the history of the world, challenging our educational systems. 2nd Timothy 4:3 and 4 warns however, "for the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they will have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths". Please recognize the difference between known facts and truth (see my January 2007 blog on avoiding truthiness).

A recent AP story stated that Amazon deforestation is on the rise. It noted that in 2007 4,250 square miles of rain forest was razed for agricultural use. That accounted for 2.7% of the Amazon rain forest according to the National Institute for Space Research. The need of Brazilians to raise cattle and grow corn and sugar cane is recognized but the accumulation of years of deforestation affects the entire world. Our human systems produce CO2 and need oxygen, while trees need CO2 and produce oxygen. If deforestation continues in Brazil at the current rate the accumulation of years will eliminate the largest rain forest on earth in 37 years. While tree planting programs can prevent the damage to the world environment from becoming permanent, the reality is that they are not even close to offsetting the damage. Most people listen to loud music, work where excessive noise is part of their commute or workplace, or attend celebrations with loud fireworks each year. Long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the shorter the time period before hearing loss can occur. Noise induced hearing loss is a permanent hearing impairment resulting from prolonged exposure to high levels of noise. One in 10 Americans has a hearing loss that affects his or her ability to understand normal speech. Excessive noise exposure is the most common cause of hearing loss. When noise is too loud, it begins to kill cells in the inner ear. As the accumulation of exposure time to loud noise increases, more and more hair cells are destroyed. As the number of hair cells decreases, so does your hearing. There is no way to restore life to dead hair cells; the damage is permanent. These are two examples where the accumulation of daily events can lead to catastrophe.

Retirement planners recognize the time value of money. The accumulation of funds grow exponentially, depending on the interest or rate of return and the length of time. The rule of 72 says money will double when the multiplication of time and interest equals 72. $1,000 becomes $2,000 when invested at 14.4% for 5 years, or 7.2% for 10 years. The idea of interest is that those who need money will pay a charge for the use of it. If you are paying the interest, such as with credit cards, you'll have a different view than if you are earning interest, such as a savings account. Banks can pay you interest for your savings because they loan your money to others at a higher interest rate. An entire industry of mutual funds exists to accumulate the investment funds of many people and use those larger totals to purchase stocks or bonds of businesses and provide a rate of return. The larger the amount of money, the higher rate of return can be expected. The longer the time of accumulation the bigger the total. Saving $25 per week for 30 years will give you significantly more money than saving $50 per week over 15 years, assuming it is invested in something with the same rate of return. Most of us eat three meals a day, and all of us eat food. If it is good food that nourishes our body, we remain healthy and have fewer diseases. If the food that we eat is not nourishing, but just tastes good at the moment, we become sickly and have more diseases. By controlling the intake of food each day to only the nourishing kind, each year and decade has fewer diseases. These are two examples where the accumulation of daily events can lead to abundance.

The discipline I'm asking of you is to take a lengthy view of the accumulation of each thing you do each day. A great saying is "life will come out the way today went". It means that our life is an accumulation of all the days in it. Another consideration is a lengthy view of the accumulation of each thing you do NOT do each day. Our days fill up with thoughts, and those thoughts become our actions, and eventually our actions become our habits. A quarter pound hamburger won't hurt me, but if I eat that everyday for twenty two years I've consumed a ton of beef. Will eating 2000 pounds of beef improve my health? Setting aside 20 minutes per day to pray and converse with my heavenly Father doesn't sound like a long time. Do that for 30 years and you've spent over 150 days focused totally on Him. Planting a tree each month to offset what is happening in Brazil will add 120 trees in 10 years. Convince 10 people to do the same and their 1200 trees will add to your 120, but if they also convince 10 people the ten year total will be over 12,000 trees. The Bible warned us about the population turning away from truth. Understanding the wisdom of accumulation, we can make a difference where we have been placed. The same math that works for trees also works for people. Jesus said to Thomas in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. " In Matthew 28:19 he told all the disciples "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you". A film was produced this year titled "Demographic Winter". http://www.demographicwinter.com It graphically shows that Satan understands accumulation very well. How we live makes a difference and our combined lives make a bigger difference. The various roles your life has been assigned need introspection. Will you start the accumulations of abundance and stop the accumulations of catastrophe? It's up to you.

HUMOR

Most people think of jokes or someone being funny when they hear the word humor. Seriously, it has an astoundingly powerful meaning that you may need to check out yourself to believe. It is more closely associated with moisture, and the liquids required of life. The #1 meaning of humor in the unabridged dictionary is "any fluid or juice of an animal or plant considered responsible for one's health and disposition". If you're like me, you're thinking that's not funny, just weird. Meaning #2 is "a person's disposition or temperament - mood or state of mind. Meaning #3 is a whim or fancy. You have to get to meaning #4 before it even sound familiar "the quality that makes something seem funny or amusing". When I laugh hard my eyes tear up and become moist, but other than that I didn't get the connection at all to the critical importance of humor. Laughter may be contagious but some people laugh more than others. Is laughter even a good thing?

The truth is that laughter reduces stress and perks up the immune system. Clifford Kuhn, professor of psychiatry at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, said "drug companies would be knocking themselves out to get the patent, if medicine could harness the proven health benefits of laughter". In his book, The Fun Factor, he states that laughter reduces the level of stress hormones, relaxes muscles, clears the respitory tract, increases circulation and reduces pain. Lee Beck, while an associate professor of Pathology at Loma Linda University said "laughter soothes and stimulates with endorphins allowing us to feel like we do after an aerobic workout". Psychiatrist William Fry of Stanford University says "laughter is a total body exercise that requires repetition. All mental stimulation expands brain function which is a good reason to laugh a lot". Milton Berle called laughter an instant vacation.

For most of us a sense of humor is defined as the ability to perceive and appreciate or express what is funny, amusing or ludicrous. In Ecclesiastes 3:4 the Bible says there is "a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance". Well executed humor has the power to deliver a message in an entertaining and therefore memorable way. Peggy Noonan, a noted speech writer for President Reagan, says "humor is gracious and shows respect". Perhaps the best way to describe humor is to review what it is NOT. It is not joke telling. It does not embarrass, insult, offend, or demean. It is not slapstick silliness, although there is a place for that skill. Comments that are sexist, racist, or otherwise dismissive of a group of people, just like crude language, is not funny. When people think of Mark Twain as a humorist it is because of his stories. The more tangled they were the more entertained we were.

Humor is the attitude we have about what happens to us. If your family has not drummed the humor gene out of you, your life experiences can be described in a way that will make folks laugh. As you learn to paint rich word pictures of your life events the comical view you have will cause your own life sustaining laughter. Author Norman Cousins reported in his book, Anatomy of an Illness, that 10 minutes of laughing at himself resulted in the release of enough natural opiates to be pain free for 2 hours. Keeping company with positive, optimistic people helps raise our moods. Emotions are an "open" system that allows us to pick up the moods of others. Rudyard Kipling said "words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind". Creating a "light mood" around you at work, at home, at church, or with others as you meet them, will encourage spontaneity and mirth-making. Humor is that fluid in the brain responsible for my disposition, and I have the responsibility of administering it.

Picture me as a young first-time father proud that I could be helpful in the care of our new son when my wife asked me to change his diaper. I knew from previous observations that the chill of being diaper less could cause a steady stream of yellowish liquid shoot straight up in the air to an amazing height. I cautiously ripped the sticky tape holding the sides of the diaper together and cleverly held it above his appendage like a hovering UFO. With my other hand I deftly grabbed a wet wipe and began to cleanse the buttocks area when an unexpected eruption occurred. A gray-green substance began oozing onto my confidently placed wet wipe. It continued and continued and soon my large outstretched hand was full so I spun the hovering diaper around to assist the out manned wet wipe. Now both hands are placed to receive what I later found out was a meconium release seemingly as large as my son. I instinctively yelled for help, but when my loving wife and my sister saw my predicament they both fell down laughing and were of no help at all. I prayed for a third hand but God was apparently laughing as well and didn't send one. By this time the ooze has left the wipe and diaper and was headed up my arm while I was stuck awaiting the soon to arrive urine stream aimed at my self-confidence as a father. I suppose that is humor, especially if you laughed.

QUALITY

Twenty five years ago the dentist I went to had a sign in his office that said "The bliss of a low price is long forgotten when the pain of inferior quality shows up". The longevity of items we choose or purchase should be weighed against the price we paid, when comparing to other price points for similar things that will last for less time. The low salary of employees who accomplish little, are far more expensive than a highly paid employee that performs well. An old English saying is "penny wise and pound foolish". It meant a person was tight with money in small things but lost all their savings and more with big things. Wal-Mart has had an enormous effect on our country in the past 25 years by forcing their vendors to provide lower price points on the items they carry. As consumers warmed to the lower quality and price points provided by these vendors, the retail competitors of Wal-Mart were forced to reduce the quality of their goods to compete in the marketplace. Companies who provide high quality goods have been forced to find retail channels that cater to groups other than the masses. More and more consumer goods have become disposable. As costs were driven out of the supply chain, manufacturing moved to other countries that provided lower production costs. When Sam Walton was alive Wal-Mart advertised that their products were made in America, but no longer. Other third world countries have offered labor at even lower rates, moving manufacturing jobs to their people. The American consumers that liked the low prices found more of their own jobs disappearing and Wal-Mart products came from China and Indonesia, among others.

Without jobs, Americans had less money to spend, causing retailers to find even cheaper means of providing goods. When the toys they bought their children turned out to have potentially deadly lead in the paint, they were outraged. When the helpful employees at stores they shopped were replaced with fewer lower paid people who didn't know enough to help, they were disgusted. The result of this multi-decade process has been a huge decline in the number of people in the U.S. considered middle income, as more people are employed at low quality jobs, that pay less than what is called a livable wage. When health warnings go out because our food sources as a country have been moved beyond the inspection of a bloated government agency, nothing changes to prevent the next one. The percentage of low income workers is now big enough to control the election of politicians who promise higher "minimum wages". The percentage of the population employed in non-government jobs is at the lowest in history, about 58%. Combine folks who get their incomes from the government and those who make less than a "livable" wage and politicians find a new majority that can get them elected with promises of higher income, guaranteed jobs regardless of work performance, and higher government benefits. Once elected, they provide poor quality representation to the overall population, choosing instead to focus on promises to their special interest groups for re-election .

During this 25 year time period the quality of family life came under attack by a rapid rise in dual-income families as people tried to keep up with an increasingly disposable society. Products that previously were made to last for many years were manufactured to be disposable or in need of replacement frequently. A new generation believed they could have everything immediately that their parents worked many years to obtain. Easy credit made it seem simple and those same politicians mentioned earlier passed laws to encourage trade, consumption, and growth in all areas that could be taxed (or get them re-elected). When societal disintegration of the family grew, politicians then used those tax dollars to lock up the people who had reduced parenting in the home and committed crimes against society. Quality family life (see the July 2007 blog on family) can not be cheapened by teaching and preaching that quantity of time with each other is not as important as so called "quality" time with each other. The current foreclosure crisis is but one example of the economic strain on families who have been weakened by too many hours of employment and not enough at home. When the market price drops and the easy credit becomes hard credit, they not only lose their house but also their family. The definition of family has now begun to change. If you believe, as I do, that the foundation of our society is the nuclear family and the qualities instilled by caring parents, our future looks quite bleak without fundamental changes.

Quality is defined by the dictionary as any characteristic which make something commendable or reprehensible; the degree of excellence which is possessed; the attributes or elements of superiority. 1st Corinthians 3:13 says "his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work." Precious metal is considered more valuable when it is purified, a process that is accomplished with fire, then removal of the impurities. The lesson here is that the process of burning off the poor quality components is what brings out the high quality components. Many Old Testament stories are misunderstood, because God seemed to continually "burn" the Israelites in ways that consumed seemingly important things. The reality is that He was exposing the true quality and pureness by burning away the rest. Deuteronomy 8:2 says "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these 40 years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands". So, you ask, how do we get out of this mess? A glimpse is seen in 2nd Kings 23:3, which reads "The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord - to follow the Lord and keep His commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant."

Quality life begins in the heart, is taught in the home, preached in the marketplace, and chosen by you, the individual. Society is made up of the people and in the U.S.A. the majority of voters choose the politicians that make the rules that govern society. Our founding fathers realized people are responsible for their government. John Adams in 1798 wrote: "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Joshua said in the Bible "choose this day whom you will serve". All aspects of life have high quality and low quality options. The choices are yours to make, and your actions make the choices so you can't choose not to participate. The sign in the dentists office meant the seemingly higher price for high quality is always worth it in the long run. Be discerning in all things and constantly question choices made for any reason other than top quality. The burning sensation you feel is the impurities being "burned" away to reveal what really matters. Do your actions as a consumer, as a voter, as a parent, as a spouse, as a follower of Christ, as a citizen, as a worker, as a human being, match up with the highest degree of excellence? If you need a reference book to define the highest degree of excellence I would suggest the Bible. When a boat crosses the water the ripple effect is called a wake. What does the wake of your life look like? If it is not what you want, please change and teach all those placed around you to influence, to do the same. Together we can reverse the previous choices of low quality made by our fellow citizens, making the channels chosen by the masses the high quality choice.

OWNERSHIP

From my perspective there are three roles you can play in a given situation. One is observer, two is as a helper, and three as the owner. Knowing your role is a crucial part to knowing how you should respond. I mentioned last month that private ownership had proven to be a far better economic system than government or societal ownership. I live in an area that has homes that are rented as well as homes that are owned by the occupants. Normally I can tell the difference by what we refer to as pride of ownership. Rights, responsibilities and privileges come from the ownership role. My boss tells a story that illuminates this. "Imagine yourself walking down a deserted street and finding a $20 bill in the gutter. Most people would look around, note there was no way to discern the owner of the $20 and put it in their pocket. Imagine the same scene but the $20 is in a wallet with an ID card. Most people would attempt to find the owner and give them the wallet and $20". In both cases the $20 was not yours, but it was much easier to keep when ownership was not assigned to it. The owners of the homes in my area link the appearance of the yards to themselves, while the renters link the appearance of the yards to the owners of the house, not themselves, and don't take as much care with the appearance. Small business owners are often more entrepreneurial than corporation owned businesses because they recognize the positive or negative results affect them more. Employees may see themselves as helpers, but like the renters know they are not the actual owners.

This same thought process applies to more than homes and small businesses. In any group activity ,the roles of owner, helper and observer become obvious even if they are different than assigned. Observers may be engaged but only at a superficial level of talking, not at an activity level of helper, or responsibility level of owner. If observers are expected to help, or helpers are expected to own, major disruptions and poor results will occur. Joint ownership takes an even higher hurdle to overcome unless they think and believe exactly the same about all things (an unlikely scenario). In many cases the multiple helpers also make success more complex. Each one knowing and carrying out their role is the best avenue for success. Certain types of people who more willingly accept responsibility will move toward the ownership role of any group project. Others, who are not as interested in the limelight or responsibility, work better as helpers. Many times their assigned roles in the project don't match up. Project management can be defined as getting the right people in the right roles at the right time. By the way, observers do have value. The perspective they provide from the detached position they've taken is helpful for direction. It should be obvious, however, that a limited number of quality observers is all that is needed. Observers should not offer their opinions or observations unless requested, because only the owner can make what is actually an opinion into an observation.

Dysfunction occurs when someone who should be the owner tries the observer role. Accountability means being responsible, answerable for activities and results. If I am assisting or helping, my only accountability is for my actions, not for the result of what I am helping with. Observing is just a way of helping by bringing perspective to the situation that an owner may not have, but should only be given when asked. Ultimately the wisdom of ownership is that authority and responsibility are fully linked. Helpers may be the largest part of the solution but like the renters and employees mentioned before, they recognize their level of accountability does not include ownership. Ownership then, is what we are each individually accountable for, so knowing who to answer to is important. An individual business owner is answerable to the IRS and has to maintain their business records in such a way that they can be audited. In an organization large enough for "ownership" to be delegated, the supervisor recognizes they are ultimately responsible but includes the authority with the delegated responsibility so they can require an answer. Each of us are answerable to God for our conduct and decisions, making us all owners. In each personal relationship we are answerable to the other person for 100% of our side of the relationship. A major component for a civil society is personal responsibility, meaning we are answerable to society for our actions. Everyone is answerable to someone and most of us are answerable to many. This helps us define our ownership areas, which are to have a higher priority than those things we help with.

The theological description of being answerable, Revelations 20:12 and 15 says: "I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. Anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." The Bible explains in John 20:31 "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name". Liable means to be legally bound, as to make good any loss or damage that occurs in a transaction: answerable: responsible. We are all liable for how we live our life, spend our time, treat people, and what we believe. Having it wrong theologically has eternal implications because you can't change your role after death. Having it wrong in other aspects of life can be temporary. Take time now to recognize aspects of your life that require your ownership and step up if you are not performing the ownership role. Look at those areas that your role is helper but you've pushed the owner out to claim ownership and apologize if needed. Perhaps there are areas that your role is helper but you are not even helping. It's possible to "own" the helper role if that is what is to be done. Consider all the instances where your role is observer or you take time to observe even when you have no role at all. Are you spending too much time that way? Are you telling anyone that will listen what your observation is, even when you are not asked? Should you actually be helping by asking the owner what is to be done? There is one of three roles you can be responsible for in a given situation. One is observer, two is as a helper, and three as the owner. Knowing your role is the crucial part to knowing how you should respond. There is great wisdom in ownership, even when it is owning your role.

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COMPETITION

Our culture has begun to disparage a subject that has previously made us successful as a country and is largely responsible for the current USA world power status. That subject is competition. All humans are born with an innate biological trait to survive, meaning we automatically try to acquire basic needs such as food. That survival instinct is also seen in nature with each species using other species as their food source. Websters defines competition as the act of seeking or endeavoring to gain that for which another is striving; a contest or match. When two lone male lions are after a single wildebeest, one will be fed and the other will keep searching or join a pride as an underling to eat last. At the core of the subject, competitors become better when there is competition. The contest causes each competitor to improve. In the lion example, the one still searching is forced to improve it's hunting or fighting ability for basic survival. The same pressures apply in all societies, in all business, in all aspects of life. The wisdom of competition is the improvement process we must all go through to be more successful in any aspect. That process always includes responding to unsuccessful outcomes. Without competition the sometimes painful lessons won't be learned and the result is we will be weaker, as a person, as a team, as a business, or as a country.

A key difference between humans and lions is how the competition is handled, but lion prides do give us a hint. Some people think the discipline competition teaches should be avoided but it is a crucial part of the action plan process people require. On the other hand, we have the ability to learn how to have proper relationships with our competitors. Picture a family table with multiple children and one plate of food. Children are taught to share the food for the good of the others in the family. They are each in competition for the food but learn to share for a larger cause than themselves. This thought applies to all people. Jesus said in Matthew 15:17 "This is what I command you: love one another". This does not take away the responsibility for each to work. 2nd Thessalonians 3:10 says "in fact, when we were with you, this is what we commanded you: If anyone isn't willing to work, he should not eat". In the famous parable of the talents in Matthew 25 the responsibility to compete in the marketplace was given based on their ability. The one given five talents earned the most, by doubling his money, while the one with only one talent made nothing because he did nothing. The lesson was not for the one with all the talents to provide for the one with only one, quite the opposite. Verse 28 and 29 quotes Jesus; "So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has 10 talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him". It's not as cruel as it may sound because a crucial lesson must be learned. An old saying applies here: Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.

Alfie Kohn, a speaker and author, has published among his 10 books one titled "NO CONTEST: the case against competition". He is also famous for his stance against standardized testing in schools as well as all homework. As a critic against workplace management and the entire education system, he focuses on the thought of winning at the expense of others and success at the expense of failure for others. In his view the comparison of your results with any other is what produces winners and losers, causing self-esteem issues to anyone not at the top of any list. This extremely dangerous thought by him and others has leaked into our education system and is producing an entire generation of Americans that are not able to compete in the global marketplace the preceding generation has left them. India and China each have more high school honor students than the USA has high school students. While a need to develop collaborative teams is certainly a part of the competitive response required, it is ridiculous to whitewash the reality that our best and brightest are being held back by this mind set. The zero sum game mentality (not understanding the marketplace continues to enlarge) believes that all winners cause losers. The reality is that there can be more winners than losers but there will never be a situation where everyone "wins" equally because the abilities, motivations, and situations are all different. Interactive human relationships go through this same competitive process with marriage partners, friends, neighbors, and politics all results of known or unknown competition.

The anti-trust laws passed by Congress and cooperative theories of Adam Smith greatly influenced the competitive business environment I've grown up in. The Bible clearly covers how we are to live, including numerous stories of enemies, competitors, and relationships. Proverbs 24:17 says "Don't gloat when your enemy falls, and don't let your heart rejoice when he stumbles". Matthew 5:43-44 says "You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you". The destructive view of competition isn't really about competition at all, but the human response by some competitors who have lost confidence. One of the sports I enjoy watching is boxing. Mike Tyson was working with a winning record when he fought Evander Holyfield. In the process of being beaten he became frustrated and bit Evander's ear. When the bout was started again he bit a chunk of his ear completely off. He lost on the resulting disqualification rather than a knockout or decision. When we struggle as country competing in an industry, our government adds a tax for imports from a competing country to even the playing field. While there may be situations where that is the reality, the marketplace is the best place for this balance. Capitalism is the economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit under fully competitive conditions. Communism is the economic system in which all means of production are owned by the society and operated under controlled conditions. A "feel good" intervention by governments in business and society is almost always bad. Beware the politicians that promises what they or government can do for you.

Nearly all the modern world now has some form of a capitalist economic system, despite varying government systems. This came about because the competition in the global marketplace forced the weaker, less productive communist system to change. Adaptability became the result of the seeking, or endeavoring to gain that for which others were striving, a response to a competitive marketplace. As people, as businesses, as a country we are also striving for things that many others are striving for. It makes them harder to achieve, causing us to be more innovative, forcing us to face our weaknesses, motivating us to work harder. We can and should stop destructive practices by those like Mike Tyson, who recognize they are losing and wish to hurt others in the process. We should never believe those practices make competition a bad thing, just the unacceptable response to competition. For many people these lessons are taught in team sports. When the right guard in football doesn't do his job the quarterback is sacked as a result. That competition is in response to an opposing team. Prior to the season, each of the players were in competition with others for a spot on the team, as well as first string or second string (an internal competition). As an industry, all the football teams combined are in competition for television time with other sports or other shows. Levels of competition are all around us, so we must be wise enough to measure the talent and motivation required to achieve. The level of individual effort, the leadership required of key positions, and the balance required of a well rounded life are all components of your achievement plan. So, learn how to compete in a civil way and work your plan. One last thing; the marketplace is dynamic and changes constantly, so include in your plan continual awareness of your competitors changes. It's a competitive world out there so continual improvement of yourself shows wisdom.

INFLUENCE

The power of persons or things to affect others, seen only in effects, is a great definition of influence because we all influence others. The purposeful power to produce positive effects without the exertion of force or authority is the wise use of influence. Consider all the people you know and the things you control, then determine if your influence is positive or negative. Does anyone rely on you for their physical, emotional, or spiritual health? Is your neighborhood, city or workplace better or worse because you are a part of it? You may read that you negatively affect the environment based on a carbon footprint, meaning the natural resources you consume. Rarely is there any discussion of what is produced and positively affects the environment with the natural resources you use. Perhaps you know someone that is so needy people avoid them because of the negative effect they have on those around them. Should you list everyone you know in two columns, one would be positive people and one would be negative people. Negative people have influence, but it is always negative influence. While they all influence others, more than likely you'd rather be around the positive group. The first step of having influence is to be positive. When Jesus walked the earth people were attracted to him and were delighted to be in His presence. In John 13:35, Jesus said "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another". Sometimes our English language doesn't have enough words to properly convey what was meant in the original text, and love is a word with multiple meanings. This use isn't eros, a romantic love, but a benevolent concern we can refer to as serving or ministering to.

One of the mysteries of human nature is the belief that it is important to point out to people what is wrong. It's as if we seem sure that if we don't tell them they won't ever know. Problems or bad habits different than ours are often at the top of the list. Just like in math class in school, the solution is all anyone is really looking for. In this election year most of the presidential candidates ran on platforms that included solutions for specific problems. Barack Obama took a slightly different approach that resonated with many people, especially young people. He didn't provide solutions, he just sold the idea that they could be found by people that care if they stay positive and don't lose hope. Many people think that leadership is identifying problems and obstacles that need to be overcome. While I don't support Barack Obama in any way I can see and appreciate the leadership influence he uses in convincing people they can be effective by being positive and working to make a difference. Joel O'Steen has broadened his influence far beyond the megachurch he pastors in Houston with a positive message. Another term for positive influence is encouragement. Encouragement is inspiring someone to continue on a chosen course, primarily by imparting confidence to embolden and support them, as I wrote about in the November 2007 edition of this blog. The second step of having influence is to be assertive. Unlike being aggressive which is an attack, assertive means to declare with assurance. Art Williams used to say nobody follows a dull, disillusioned, dadgum, crybaby. Influencers are persuasive about those things they care about. This reveals their passions and is often accomplished with a process called framing. Using key words to add desired context to any subject frames the perception of those you want to influence. As an example, the murder of babies is framed as a woman's right to choose what happens to her body by one side, and the horror of the immoral, extremely cruel and painful death of a human life, that God created for himself, is framed by the other side.

Successful influence goes beyond a positive attitude, encouragement, asserting your beliefs, and even advancing solutions to problems. The wisdom of influence is in the inspiration. My son, who is already wise at age 29 suggested I read a Dale Dauten book "Laughing Warriors". Dale says "Take helping and innovating together and you've tapped into the "chi" of expanding usefulness. The best bosses and the best employees, the best suppliers and the best customers are attracted to innovation, being in on the action, to the adventure of the different and the better". Achieving creative usefulness is a fancy way of saying your contribution matters. Understanding human nature is the third step of having influence. We are born with a need to be part of something bigger than ourselves. The Bible describes how humans really are, from the perspective of the Creator. When we hear that different isn't always better, but better is always different, we desire to be better (therefore different). Your positive influence comes from reinforcing the desire with specific actions. The first is to regularly express confidence that the person you are influencing can and will do it (whatever it is). The second action is to regularly specifically describe the better future (whatever it is) and the positive impact it will have. There are fakes in this process to be aware of. Oprah recently publicized "The Secret", which boils down to a concept that you attract positive things to yourself. People may be inspired by it for awhile, but they really want to focus on others, not themselves. They know selfishness is not a high achievement and ultimately feel guilty when they exercise it. James 3:17 says "wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy".

Staying positive and understanding human nature so you can call upon their admirable qualities works well, but requires continual and constant reinforcement. The fourth step in having influence is persistence. Critics hesitate to attack the positive uplifting message of high achievement, and the longer you persist the wider the audience that will listen. Writing books, giving talks, and now writing blogs are ways to expand the size of the group you desire to influence, but sending out those in the group to tell others about the message is where influence truly grows. The verses in John previously mentioned are part of the story of Jesus, who has influenced the world for thousands of years after starting with 12 followers. His followers, and I count myself as one, are out influencing the world around them. Blog entries for May of 2005 and May of 2006 both had the "Cliff Notes of Christianity", so if you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, check out those archives. If you are a Christian, you are in the process of being discipled. Discipling is a process of submitting to the perspective of your Creator about everything. The sin nature is the part of our nature that causes the focus on self and what is wrong. The action to be taken by our spiritual nature is to focus on others and what is right. Hence the saying, you are what you think about. The human nature mentioned earlier has two sides that have to be understood as good and evil. That understanding is available to all by the divinely inspired words recorded in the Bible, the Word of God. A great example is Philippians 4:8 that says "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise - dwell on these things."

DIVERSITY

In preparation for opening our new office in Pensacola, I've been responsible for hiring an entire marketing team in the past month. With a new group of people in a new office comes the opportunity to establish the desired workplace culture. Because it is a one-time opportunity at the beginning of a new organization I had to reflect on what was important and what was not. Each of the 13 authorized positions have specific responsibilities but need to be a cohesive unit reinforcing our market position and plans. The results produced, however, have to be better than our competitors and preferably better than any other team in the company. Because of the modern use of the term diversity many people think of racial differences or even sexual orientation. The dictionary defines diversity as the fact or quality of being different, or a point or respect in which things differ. That opens up a much wider spectrum with not only gender, but cultural differences, religious and political beliefs, as well as what I'll call a worldview. While diversity is highly desirable, a similar worldview regarding human respect is crucial to teamwork. I believe that without exception every human being is a valuable person created by God in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) and thus possesses inherent dignity, and we are called to love and treat every person with genuine respect. Regardless of the source that each one on the team derived their belief in the worth and dignity of the individual, they all must affirm it.

Critical thinking is a form of judgement that is purposeful and reflective. It gives due consideration to evidence, known facts, applicable methods and knowledge of societal pressures. We want to make fact based decisions in our business, so logic avoiding bias, prejudice, propaganda, and distortion is desirable. We also want teamwork, a cohesive, well integrated marketing group presenting a united front to promote unity. A risk is groupthink, where members try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing and evaluating ideas. The key to these potentially opposing concepts is what I'll call celebrating diversity. Sometimes people fear that if they accept someone or something different, that they are approving. Diversity isn't approval of the differences, it is the acceptance and understanding of the differences with respect given to the person. Many times people refer to tolerance, but that is just tolerating or putting up with the differences, rather than investigating them. Human respect (Romans 5:17) should be given to all people of all age groups so that constructive conversation is possible.

The real value of diverse beliefs, personalities, cultures, genders, upbringing, and perceptions comes from that constructive conversation. If everyone lived the same way, had the same opinions, and looked at the world the same way, the same risk that groupthink causes would take place. It's the discussion that prompts research, factual review, and improves the decision process (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). The potential for conflict is elevated when there are differing strong opinions about any subject. To mitigate that potential, hiring quality, open-minded humans that are diverse in as many ways as possible, while finding track records of successful experience has been very challenging. I've read an enormous number of applications and resumes and interviewed dozens of people. It's similar to putting a puzzle together in that the various shapes have to fit together to reveal the true picture, but more like a 3-D version.

In the January 2006 version of this blog I wrote on the subject of offending and being offended. I'll repeat a key line from that issue: Demonstrate respect and civility in the discussion that is so crucial to our critical thinking. Political correctness has devastated the ability of large parts of our population to challenge the status quo without being rude or having it perceived as a personal attack. It has been my experience that the more intelligent someone is the harder it is for them to consider points of view that differ from their own. As I strive to hire the best it is obvious I've hired a group of intelligent people, so this culture of respect takes on a new level of importance (Proverbs 24: 5-6). Working with 20 somethings and caring for elderly widows the past couple years has provided insights into age groups of people that I wouldn't normally socialize with. My Tampa Toastmasters club with a majority of members from India has been helpful in the same way. I can be more persuasive about my point of view when I've taken the time to understand theirs. I also open the possibility that my point of view can change with added input, but with a caveat that it could change with false information so research is required. Even my training in servant leadership through a decade as a Deacon prepared me for this task.

I've described our future office culture as relaxed intensity. It's important to me that we are principled, consistent, disciplined, and communicate clearly in simple language. Each person was hired with my belief that they are capable of being developed and promoted to the next level, (1st Thessalonians 5:11) which puts pressure on me to provide that path to career success. Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts football team, wrote a book titled "Quiet Strength". It was important to him that they win the Super Bowl the right way. When results were less than expected they didn't question their strategy, they worked on their execution. As he wrote for those situations, they would do what they do, but better. It is an excellent book and he read the audio version himself. I was inspired to that same type of leadership role, that has a larger worldview than the business at hand. We won't do a large number of innovative things, but we will do well what we do. When our Vice President hired me he wisely engineered the culture of accountability by allowing me to recruit, hire, train, and develop the team that will determine our marketing success. By choosing the diverse group I've chosen I'm striving for life success as well. This entry marks my third complete year of sharing my insights each month. I pray they help you as much as they have helped me.

NUMEROLOGY

Perhaps because I'm aging or perhaps because I've now voted for a presidential candidate that was younger than I, or maybe for the divine reason of explaining it with this blog, I've become interested in numerology, specifically Biblical numerology. In a strange way I don't fully understand, mathematics and music is intertwined. Music seems creative and mathematics seems logical, but experts in both recognize the linkage. The dictionary definition says that numerology is the study of the occult meanings of numbers and their supposed influence on human fate. Occult has a negative connotation in modern life that doesn't match it's true meaning. It means a study of supernatural spiritual realities that are difficult to see. There are however many twisted views that you must avoid. Unless it comes from the source God chose to reveal himself, God's Word, it is a danger to consider it. The Bible includes a book with the title of "Numbers", but I believe there is a link to the supernatural that is more than Israelite census figures. Numerals contain symbolic meanings that add dimensions to understanding God's revealed message, but do NOT try to make numerology fit everything. Before we start, let me repeat the warning: DO NOT try and force this where it isn't to be applied, just consider it another perspective on what is written. I heard Dr. Adrian Rogers, former President of the Southern Baptist Convention who is now deceased, speak on this once and that started my research. My understanding of this subject is similar to looking through a slightly opaque glass. You can't be positive of the detail but you know something is there.

One means primacy; unity, as in One God and One Church, or God the Father. Two means confirmation; marriage; strength, as in a witness, or Jesus the 2nd person of the Trinity. Three is the divine number, the simplest unity as the Trinity is three in one, so the connotation of the Godhead with the Holy Spirit, heaven and love is understandable. Four means the world, or the number for the earth with 4 seasons, 4 directions, and 4 world empires. Five is the number for Man: complete: 5 senses. Six is number of evil: failure, falls short of perfection by one. Seven is the number of perfection; fulfillment, representing the earth crowned with heaven (7 days). Eight is for new beginnings. Nine represents finality or attainment. Ten is five doubled or human completeness, 11 is sin and twelve (3x4) is God's perfect manifestation of himself to the created order: authority; government. Multiples are interesting as well with 40 being testing and trial (4 x 10) and multiples of seven meaning perfection in time, while seven divided is evil. It's quite a bit to think about. 77 is maturation to it's greatest potential. Addition is as important as multiplication to this subject.

The Bible has many specific passages that refers to numerals in the original text, as chapter and verse numbers were added later to enhance studying. I've seen some writings that used the chapter and verse numbers to make a point and that is probably not correct. The book of Daniel is a prophetic book that uses these numerical references. Perfection (7) without God (1) is evil (6). There are 7 notes on a musical scale (and you were wondering how I'd bring music back to this). The Bible says the Anti-Christ will have a number of 666, showing evil(6) a divine (3) number of times. Revelations 1:4, 2:10, 7:1 and 21:12 explain some of the numerals, with Deuteronomy 6:4, Ecclesiastes 4:9&12, and Leviticus 14:14 providing other examples of what's being presented. The more important part to consider is the interworking of the mathematics. Three, the number of God, times 4, the number of earth makes 12, a number of authority on earth. Six, the number of evil, when doubled also makes 12, setting up a conflict of authority. A prime number is one that can only be divided by 1 or itself. All prime numbers are odd numerals (2,3,5,7,11,13...) except for #2. The only even number among all those prime numbers, representing an exception to the norm, is the one that is used as Jesus. If the Father represents #1, then he can divide all numbers (and what they represent). When Man (#5) tries to be his own god (#1) the result is evil (5 plus 1=6). When he adds Jesus (#2) to himself he finds the provided perfection (5 plus 2=7) and the addition of the divine number (#3) and Man (#5) results in a new beginning (5 plus 3=8).

The 8 (new beginning) people on the ark and the 40 (trial) days of rain in the story of Noah have new meaning with the addition of biblical numerology. When the ark rested on Ararat in the 7th month on the 17th day is there a special victory meaning? 13 is the number for rebellion, 14 for deliverance, 15 for rest, 16 for love, 17 for victory, 18 for bondage, 19 for faith, and 20 is redemption. A subset of alphabetics is a discipline called gematria. It assigns numerical value to letters, largely because Greek and Hebrew languages had no numbers. The sum of the letter values in words create total numbers. I should point out that there are no hidden codes, nor end times prophesies likely to show up in this study. Controversies like the DaVinci Code book and movie alarmed many Christians due to the false conclusions it arrived at. My interest is understanding more about God's Word, not contesting what it says. I've read that mathematicians revere the number six because it is the first perfect number (in our fallen world). Ivan Panin was a Russian mathematician who immigrated to the United States and around 1890 made news as an agnostic who converted to Christianity by applying gematria to the Greek text in the New Testament. JESUS in Greek adds up to 888, CURSE adds up to 66 and other intriguing words and phrases clicked for Ivan. He became a leader in the previously referred to gematria discipline. I'm hopeful at this point that your interest has been piqued enough for you to research this subject even more. Should you do so, I strongly caution you to recognize the dangers in non-Biblical conclusions.

Let's try some easy math without the use of Greek or Hebrew words: 6(evil) plus 5(man) equals 11 (sin). Is it possible that all these numbers apply to our lives? As we prepare to move to Pensacola to start a new job in a new city, does 2008, the 8th year of the new century, apply to my family as a new beginning? Does my new age of 54 add up to 9 and represent the attainment of my recent promotion? Does the address of the new office, 25 Cedar, add up to the perfect number of 7, with the zip code of 32502 meaning authority? Perhaps the address of our new home that God pointed us to first, and after looking everywhere else we agreed, 10725 Crosscut, adds up to rest (15), which mysteriously is the same total as our current address at 21336 Marsh Hawk? Of course, these could all be coincidences and please remember the warning I gave you at the start. DO NOT try and force this where it isn't to be applied. False conclusions can do far more harm than good. It is intriguing however, to consider the possibility that beyond our perception God has numerically written a version of our life that is really a musical score that we're not aware of. To complete my MBA I had to take a course in statistics, that turned out to be a study of mathematics far beyond the finite math courses I took earlier. In my childhood I took years of piano lessons, and some organ lessons. Perhaps this gives me just enough knowledge to be dangerous. In all my teaching I attempt to leave enough unknown to inspire students to research more for themselves. In this subject, my personal research is just beginning so the gaps of my unknown are still huge and my many cautions warranted. This is written to you on March 1st, 2008. Third month (the divine number), first day (unity) in the eighth year (new beginning). I ask that you take it from here, for your life and perhaps the music of your soul.

WELLNESS

As Mike Huckabee runs for president, he mentions we don't have a health care crisis in America, we have a health crisis. Preventative care is much cheaper than intensive care. I noted that I'm not only older than Mike Huckabee, but also older than John Roberts, the Chief Justice. That may help explain my renewed interest in health and wellness activities as I turn 54 this month and have to spend more time and energy as the steward with that responsibility. I believe the word wellness describes what we all need and have chosen to present alphabetically words that describe how wellness can be achieved by individuals. These are all things I currently do to care for my health or believe I should be doing, during those times I fail to do them.

A - Attitude: A close runner-up is the word avoid because of all the things we can do to damage our health, but a positive mental attitude is crucial.

B - Brush: A close runner-up is buckle as car accidents continue to happen, but brush covers hair and body dry-brush as well as dental health.

C - Cardio: A runner up is cholesterol, as the cardio system is too crucial to not have a habit developed with diet and exercise for the whole system.

D - Diet: The runner-ups of doctor and dentist care, while important, lost out to the importance of a balanced diet of the right quantity of the right things.

E - Exercise: Eating was a possible choice, but by far the most crucial part of health after diet is a comprehensive and regular exercise program.

F - Floss: Fasting can be good, followed by fiber but the benefit of flossing to avoid inflammation and infection made it the most important.

G - Glucosamine: Green tea is a popular addition to wellness, but glucosamine-chondroitin does so much to build healthy joints it was chosen.

H - Hydrate: I agree with experts that we don't drink enough, and despite the hydrating products on the market, 80+ oz. of daily water is the answer.

I - Immunity: Control of infection, inflammation and insulin are all crucial but the immune system health is by far the key to longevity.

J - Joints: Jump rope, jog or other activities could have been chosen but caring for and preventing damage to joints is crucial as we age.

K - Kissing: Kinetics might have been the choice, but despite the potential spread of germs, the emotional help kissing provides is important.

L - Learn: Laughing is also a possibility but constant learning will ward off diseases like Alzheimers and make life more interesting.

M - Movement: Moisturize was a close second and massage is a good idea but daily movement of all parts of the body keeps it young.

N - Nutrition: The change in food processing makes this more difficult now, but a balanced daily nutritional intake is very important.

O - Organic: Olive oil and outdoor time were other possibilities but food processing mentioned before make organic foods a growing need.

P - Posture: Prayer was a close second but wanted to get spinal health and chiropractic mentioned and proper posture is part of that.

Q - Quiet: Not only do loud noises injure the ears, but mentally we all need times of quiet. Try sitting in a wooded area alone and silent.

R - Relaxation: Running used to be a regular activity but a specific time set aside each day to do what you enjoy is key. I read newspapers.

S - Sleep: Stretching, skin care, and sex were potential subjects. Our bodies require 7 to 8 hours each night, and less shortens our longevity.

T - Talk: Conversations with people are part of wellness, and one of those conversations should be with your doctor about medical tests.

U - Ultraviolet: Excess UV rays can harm our skin and eyes but the daily absorption of sunlight for a controlled amount of time is required.

V - Vitamins: As food has less now, we need supplements to get all the vitamins required, especially "C". Vaccinations are also a good idea.

W - Walk: We've walked together most morning for 20+ years and the rhythmic walking motion can't be replicated with any other exercise.

X - X-rays: Even though too much can be bad, they're cheaper than an MRI and bone health is a key part of the immune system.

Y - Yoga: I've taken several classes and tend to forget the stretching movements, but flexibility is needed and yoga is the best at providing it.

Z - Zinc: Along with many other minerals, zinc is an important nutrient. My daughter bought me Z-Coil shoes and that was the only other "Z" I have.

There are other things we can do that were not mentioned, especially in a long list of what to avoid. Drugs including legal prescriptions, alcohol and tobacco, or at a minimum a massive reduction in their intake will have positive effects. Two years ago in the February 2006 blog I wrote about the requirement for a balanced life that considered the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental measurements. Stress is a modern phenomenon that can overwhelm us if life gets out of balance. In a nutshell, stress comes from what we do and what we think about. Added suggestions from Prevention magazine include singing, giving blood, gardening, weight training, completing random acts of kindness, and having a pet. Biblical mandates for Christians include 1st Corinthians 6: 19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body". Romans 6:13 and 12:1 says "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. Therefore, I urge you, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship". Wellness isn't just a word, it's a lifestyle.

TRANSPARENCY

We are all born with transparency, notifying the world we are hungry by crying, or laughing when we are amused, regardless of the surroundings, and accepting all things as they exist when we discover them. We are who we are, and not a thought is given to being any different. Parental teaching and discipline starts the process of learning what is acceptable to the rest of the world and what is not. My mother told me when I was a child that I'm not who I think I am, and I'm not who others think I am. She said that "I am who I believe, others think I am". It may sound strange, but for many people this is a tough process of growth that clouds transparency for decades. Childhood is a tough time period to make all the mistakes and face public consequences. We're no longer as sure about who we are as we mature. It is the start of what we call our self-image.

I remember fights as a child over something called "getting in my business". Somewhere along the line a right to privacy became an awareness, so secrecy about thoughts and feelings became a more comfortable way to live. An outward persona that is socially acceptable in the culture or climate we live in is like a second personality that is learned. For most, if not all people there becomes a private life and a public life. Real or perceived weaknesses are not part of the public person, so privacy must be maintained so people won't find out. Behaviors become acceptable or unacceptable based on the surrounding cultural acceptance, rather than what is right or wrong. Privacy is being secluded or isolated from view so great value is placed on that ability, so others can't know what we do. That just makes it easier to do things the wrong way. Experiences are added to our self-image as we mature and it becomes harder to "reinvent" who we are. For some people there are multiple versions of themselves, one for work, one for church, one for school etc. The advancements in technology have made this harder. Social networking sites like MySpace are tripping up job applicants who published a "version" of themselves for friends that employers don't find acceptable.

Transparent is defined as the capability of transmitting light so that images can be seen clearly. Being open and impartial without pretense is the opposite of the secluded politically correct image that hides actions and behaviors from the view of other people, out of the light. In Galatians 5 it says "The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself...So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want...But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control". God develops the fruit of the Spirit in our lives by allowing us to experience circumstances, usually tempting us to express the opposite quality. I'm taught love by having unlovely people placed around me, joy by suffering, peace by chaos, and patience by waiting. Last month's subject, integrity, is built by defeating the temptation to be dishonest; accountability to others often helps. We have to lose the concern about how we will appear to others and know others are not perfect either.

It seems like it would be so embarrassing for "everyone" to know your weaknesses, foibles, sins and details. That feeling must be pride because God knows all those things and he loves, forgives, and helps us for our good. James 4:6 says "But he gives us more grace. That is why the Scripture says: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." In a nutshell, since you are transparent to God, not being transparent to those around you means what they think about you is more important to you than what God thinks about you. James 5:16 just says it straight "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective". Your effectiveness is diminished substantially if you strive to maintain multiple "personalities", and sooner or later you will be caught. You can't serve two masters, you can't be on opposing teams. In Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, he says "Most of all, our weaknesses increase our capacity for sympathy and ministry...Ministry begins with vulnerability". There is a caveat to this, however. People, unlike God, will attack for purposes that are not for your well-being. Be forewarned there is a price to pay for transparency.

Recently I went through an examination in preparation for some chiropractic work on my spine. There were plenty of questions about symptoms, lifestyle, and even a thermal test to help determine where the body was signaling distress. Prior to any spinal manipulation, however, was a series of X-rays so the doctor could see the structure of the bone and ligaments. The X-ray was the transparency that was used to assure help was provided in the right places. Similarly, being transparent allows those that can provide help to know where the right places are. The picture at the beginning of this blog shows you my bones and teeth in my head. My thoughts and feelings can only be seen if I share them. Relationships strengthen with transparency. It is also a requirement for me to help others, not just for being helped.

Being transparent is obviously the right thing to do and there is great wisdom in transparency, but it is only possible with spiritual maturity. By it's definition you or I are transmitting the light that is God, for clear vision to those around us. It is, however the opposite of how we grew up and how we are taught in our country. I just finished serving two years on our HOA board and was part of making the HOA decision process transparent to the homeowners. We want our representative government to be transparent to us as citizens. In this season of political campaigning the attacks at every real or perceived weakness is obvious from all the media reports. In my formative years the pain associated with the attacks of people built a crusty layer of protection, essentially pretending to think and be like them to be left alone, or at least out of the "limelight". In our country the "right" to privacy has been expanded to kill unborn babies as well as allow behaviors that in the recent past were crimes. It is critical that I take a stand and that you take a stand, not to fight, but to speak the truth in love. In the January 2006 edition of this blog I said it was OK to offend and be offended. If you are transparent that will happen as we're all different. It requires courage and assistance from those that are more mature. It is up to you to determine whose assistance you will accept but a bit of wisdom is start with someone who seems to be the way you want to be.

I've been told that others know exactly what I think and feel, but I know I'm not transparent. The hard knocks of life has clouded the view, and repeated coats of ridicule, without cleaning through prayer, keeps it that way. Confidence (see July 2006) is hard to maintain especially if it's built on being accepted and you aren't. Pride goeth before a fall is a true cliche, and I have many areas of pride. The bottom line on this subject is that it is very,very hard. A place to get started is accountability to one person, then two, then three etc. Entering into that first open and honest relationship that risks rejection is scary. For most people, it is a parent or spouse. A good friend or two, accountability partner, or pastor should be an early step if you haven't taken it. Those individuals you've chosen have to officially be given the authority to be honest with you. The goal of the journey is for there to be only one image of you, both to the outside world as well as yourself. The American ideal of privacy is disappearing with desires for security and public cameras capture our image more each day. My blog has thoughts and feelings on many subjects and the links to my blog include a MySpace profile and organizations that I believe in. My daily Outlook schedule has all the various aspects of my life interlocked into the prioritization I've determined, and is open to those that I work with. If you've read this far you know more about me than many others. It will take a lifetime to be fully transparent so it is a long process. Where are you on that journey? It's a new year, perhaps a time for a fresh start for you as well.

INTEGRITY

Twelve years ago I attended my first Promise Keepers gathering in Dallas Texas, and found that the goal of that organization matched mine (check the PK link at http://wilkinswisdom.blogspot.com/.) Since then I became more involved attending conferences in three other states and volunteering to work the Phoenix Pastors Conference in 2002. "Men of Integrity" sounded right but what exactly is integrity? The dictionary defines it as a strict adherence to a code of moral values, artistic principles or other standards; complete sincerity or honesty. Imagine if all men (and women) were men (and women) of integrity. The difficulty I have with the definition is a lack of defining what the standard is. Consistently immoral and being honest about it could qualify as integrity so allow me to add to the dictionary definition.

In the book of Titus, the Apostle Paul teaches in Chapter 2: "In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us". In another part of the chapter he states "You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance......similarly encourage the young men to be self-controlled." Living a self-controlled, upright and godly life, while teaching and challenging with encouragement and love is more consistent with my view of having integrity.

It's been my experience that living by that definition has not been as hard as is might seem, for the small number of minutes each day it is accomplished in me. The harder part is the consistency of having integrity at all times, in all circumstances, with all relationships, day after day, year after year. The word comes from the Latin "integritas" meaning completeness (whole, as the math term integer). God has to empower us to practice integrity in our dealings with others because our human selfishness will rise up and influence our perspective of all things. Our culture that focuses on possessions and lifestyle adds an element of difficulty to having integrity in many areas of our lives. Christian and church culture focuses more on avoiding negative behaviors than demonstrating positive ones.

Even the definitions of the word honest begin with two NOTS before moving to HAVES; 1) NOT given to lying, cheating, stealing, or taking unfair advantage 2) NOT characterized by deception or fraud 3) HAVE equity and fairness 4) HAVE or manifest integrity and truth. Integrity certainly includes avoiding the negatives, but it also must include having the positives manifested by loving others. In a general sense men are more concerned about being respected and women more focused on being loved. While work is required to be worthy of respect, no work is required to be worthy of being loved. The same can't be said for loving. Both respecting and loving requires hard work and continually avoiding selfishness. My suggestion is to start each day with prayer and ask for the empowerment that God offers to have integrity for the day.

Reputations come from past actions that are known by people. A reputable person or business gained that estimate of trustworthiness from previously being honorable and upright. A reputation for integrity is highly desirable and only possible with a consistent life that begins now. Regardless of the level of integrity shown in the past, the present is what matters since it is the start of the future. It allows you to start over if you messed up, or it allows you to continue a life-long reputation that is only valid if it continues. My request is that you take a moment to reflect on relationships, circumstances, and the various roles you have in your life today and determine your future reputation for integrity. At some point my life will end and my goal is to be referred to as a caring but tough MAN OF INTEGRITY. How about you?

I fought writing about this subject with the Christmas season upon us and so many things to write about Christmas, but continue to believe this piece on integrity is what is needed. YouTube does have a great song out called "Christmas with a capital C" that I encourage you to investigate. In many facets that fast changing world of technology requires more integrity of each of us due to the enhanced ability to fool people with slick digital media manipulation. Be careful out there.

ENCOURAGEMENT

Encouragement is inspiring someone to continue on a chosen course, primarily by imparting confidence to embolden and support them. As it sounds phonetically you are to inject courage. Discouragement is defined by the dictionary as depriving of confidence, hope or spirit, as well as hindering or hampering. The two words are literally the opposite sides of confidence. In the June 2006 version of the blog we discussed your confidence from the perspective of you gaining that assurance regarding facts and beliefs. This discussion is how you affect the confidence of others by being encouraging or discouraging. It is wise to intentionally be encouraging. Your effect is greater on those that you are close to (see the September 2007 blog on relationships). My wife, as my closest human relationship, is extremely encouraging with words and actions. My father, on the other hand was quite critical and discouraging as I grew up. That may be why my initial reaction to situations is to find what's wrong.

My 23+ years (so far) in Toastmasters has taught me quite a bit about evaluation. After each presentation in the club, someone is assigned to provide feedback for the purpose of improvement. It is purposely called an evaluation rather than a critique because it is designed to build up rather than tear down. Speaking requires confidence, so pointing out what can be changed to make a speech better requires skill to avoid discouragement. What I've learned is that encouragement does not mean that you are only full of praise and ignoring those areas that are not praiseworthy. Encouragement then, is finding ways or words to convey that you believe in someone even when they are not perfect, rather than only noticing when they are perfect, or focusing on any imperfection for all those times they are not.

For decades I thought I should point out areas that needed improvement in others for their own good. When projects or programs were proposed I was quick to identify and communicate the flaws and risks with the design. God apparently gave me this intellect to assist all around me at noticing what needed to be changed. I could tell they were unaware of their many flaws because they still had them. Then I read Matthew 7:5 where Jesus said "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye". While I was working on that log I read Hebrews 3:13 that says: But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today"... 1st Thessalonians states in chapter 5 verses 9-11: For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with Him. Therefore, encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

That's a lot to absorb but it became apparent that my recognition of problems and flaws was not a gift but a curse, unless I changed how I addressed those problems and flaws. More Bible study revealed Romans 14:13: Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. Then in 15:4 it says "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope". The Scriptures provide encouragement, which we know is imparting confidence to continue on a chosen course. We are also to provide encouragement to each other day after day, meaning we'll need encouragement day after day. We are each a supporter or a stumbling block. This is true day by day and moment by moment. Even when in pain, in a bad mood, or focused on a task at hand, we are to be encouraging. If in doubt as to where to start, use scriptures.

Encouragement takes time as well as effort. In the same way we previously mentioned relationships the level of encouragement should be at a similar level as the relationship. I should be more encouraging to my children than the pro sports player I met once or twice. In business encouragement is also very important. Sincere compliments never get old or tiresome, and actually add impact to those times that you have to explain how one's strengths can be used to address and overcome a weakness. For some reason I thought if I admired a quality in a subordinate, I couldn't suggest ways they could improve performance in that area so I withheld encouragement, many times at a crucial moment when encouragement was needed. Actually it's the opposite. Providing that encouragement (infusing the courage) is what's needed when things seem to be going wrong.

Therefore, it is desirable to encourage those around you, and an intentional plan may be needed if you're like me. As mentioned before, my wife has encouragement as a gift and our children inherited what they have from her. Many stories are available in books or articles about teachers or coaches that impacted someone's life by believing in them and encouraging them. http://www.godswork.org/enccontents.htm is an on-line source for inspirational encouragement. The point is we should be more encouraging. Like the old saying that you can't be too rich or too thin, you can't be too encouraging. Your next opportunity may be adding comments with the link below: