CHANGE

"Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken."

Frank Herbert 1920-1986 Science Fiction author of Dune

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE# 2 http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/change.htm

“Everything continues in a state of rest unless it is compelled to change by forces impressed upon it.”

Issac Newton’s First Law of Motion.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE# 3

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/change.htm

"If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living."

Gail Sheehy, author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “The Rut” By Clark Cothern Tecumseh, Michigan.

The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is four feet, eight-and-one-half inches. Why such an odd number? Because that's the way they built them in England, and American railroads were built by British expatriates. Why did the English adopt that particular gauge? Because the people who built the pre-railroad tramways used that gauge.

They in turn were locked into that gauge because the people who built tramways used the same standards and tools they had used for building wagons, which were set on a gauge of four feet, eight-and-one-half inches.

"Why were wagons built to that scale? Because with any other size, the wheels did not match the old wheel ruts on the roads. "So who built these old rutted roads? "The first long-distance highways in Europe were built by Imperial Rome for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been in use ever since. The ruts were first made by Roman war chariots. Four feet, eight-and-one-half inches was the width a chariot needed to be to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses." Maybe "that's the way it's always been" isn't the great excuse some people believe it to be.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Rut” Grady Nutt, Homemade, July, 1990

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/rut.htm

Openness is essentially the willingness to grow, a distaste for ruts, eagerly standing on top-toe for a better view of what tomorrow brings. A man once bought a new radio, brought it home, placed it on the refrigerator, plugged it in, turned it to WSM in Nashville (home of the Grand Ole Opry), and then pulled all the knobs off! He had already tuned in all he ever wanted or expected to hear. Some relationships are "rutted" and rather dreary because either or both partners have yielded to the tyranny of the inevitable, "what has been will still be." Stay open to newness. Stay open to change.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#4

“Change is difficult but often essential to survival.”

Les Brown, Author, Motivational Speaker

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Monday Morning Mission” By Howard Hendricks

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/change.htm EXCERPT

The clerk of Abbington Presbytery, outside of Philadelphia, approximately 100 years ago gave these 5 kinds of attitudes about change:

1. Early innovators (2.6%), run with new ideas

2. Early adaptors (13.4%), influenced by (1) but not initiators

3. Slow Majority (34%), the herd-followers

4. Reluctant Majority (34%)

5. Antagonistic (16%), they will never change

The majority of ministers are being nibbled at by the last group. They focus on the minority opinion. This group is basically carnal. You expect antagonism from them.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#5

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/change.htm

The soft-minded man always fears change. He feels security in the status quo, and he has an almost morbid fear of the new. For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.

Martin Luther King Jr. 1929-1968 American Clergyman/Nobel Prize Winner/Civil Rights Leader

LEADER: What if we experience some unpleasant changes…what are our typical reactions?

When things don't go our way, we typically go through 10 stages which are a normal part of the coping and healing process.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Unpleasant Changes – What To Do” #1

By Stephen R. Yarnall, MD, Fellow of the American College of Cardiology

1. Denial--"It can't be," It can't happen to me," "It's not true".... The first stage of reaction to any sudden, unexpected event tends to be denial. Denial is normal if it lasts a short time, but persistent denial is unhealthy because it blocks further growth and healing.

2. Anger/Blame--"Whose fault is it?," "This makes me mad," "This isn't fair," "Why me?" The second stage of reaction looks backward in hopes of finding the cause and someone or something to blame it on. Although nothing can be done at this point to change the past, it's nevertheless a normal response. Like the stage of denial before it, the anger/blame stage is unhealthy if it persists for an unreasonable amount of time.

3. Despair--This stage tends to be characterized by tears, negative and hopeless/helpless thoughts, and a feeling of total emptiness and loss. Sleep and eating disturbances are common as the "reality" of the situation sets in. Relationships with other people can become more difficult at this time, but understanding and compassion must be given and accepted if one is to move beyond this stage.

4. Perspective--In this stage, the individual begins accepting the change and is no longer caught up in denial, anger, blame, or despair. The problem is seen in its proper perspective. Although the sense of loss may be significant, the individual does not feel that "all is lost."

5. Relationships--Coming out of the withdrawal and isolation that is inherent in the previous stages, the individual is able to talk and relate to other people and participate in normal activities.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Unpleasant Changes – What To Do” #2

By Stephen R. Yarnall, MD, Fellow of the American College of Cardiology

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/change.htm

6. Spiritual Changes--The individual's relationship with the spiritual side of life is strengthened as a result of having lived through (and survived) the experience.

7. Acceptance--This stage involves the restoration of self-esteem, and the acceptance of the consequences and boundaries of the new reality. 8. Humor--Smiles, laughter, and a sense of humor return to the individual and help in the healing process. There's a renewed sense of joy in life.

9. Activity and Action--Where once the individual had been restricted or immobilized by the change, he or she now returns to activity, action, and improved productivity. Travel and group activities become more interesting.

10. New Goals--In this final stage, the individual is able to focus on the positive aspects of whatever change occurred, and on new goals and activities. He or she takes comfort in Ashley Brilliant's line, "I may not be totally perfect, but parts of me are excellent!" When faced with an unexpected, unpleasant change, you may not go through all 10 of these stages in this order, but it helps to keep them in mind. While it can seem as if life changes nearly drown us at times, by and by we see that it's only through meeting the challenges of change that we can grow.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Monday Morning Mission” #2 Howard Hendricks

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/change.htm EXCERPT

Three stages people go through when confronted with change:

1. Resistance to change

2. Tolerant of change

3. Embrace the change

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#6

"None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives."

Kathleen Norris, author, from Hands Full of Living

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#7

http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200008/20000804_family1224.html

“You must welcome change as the rule but not as your ruler.”

Denis Waitley, Keynote Speaker, Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Monday Morning Mission” #3 Howard Hendricks

http://www.higherpraise.org/illustrations/change.htm EXCERPT

Principles for change:

A. People must have reasons for change

    1. They must see the value to them of the change
    2. The plan must be understood by them
    3. They must be involved in the process

B. People must be prepared for change, don't just drop it on them. Introduce the ideas/changes months ahead of time.

C. People must be involved in the process of change. If people are involved in the planning stage, they'll be involved in the implementation. Therefore, don't do too much for them.

D. People must be exposed to models of change.

1. Tapes and books (Men listen to tapes, women read)
2. Evaluative experiences (experience is worthless unless you evaluate

         it)
    3. Educational conferences and seminars
    4. Expose them to infectious people

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Growth and Change” By Dr. Paul Faulkner

I think we know that everyone who wants to grow has to learn to change. But what are those things that motivate people to change? Is it status, or money? Is it power?

One bit of research done by Harris Poll found that people who changed said it wasn’t status, it wasn't money, it wasn’t power that made them want to change — it was self-respect, affection, and acceptance. Those three were more important than the ones listed before.

Do you know where you get those, don’t you? You get your self-respect from being respectable, you get your affection by being affectionate, you get acceptance by giving acceptance.

The principles taught in the Bible by the Good Lord way back yonder still work today.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#8

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”

Winston Churchill – Prime Minister – Nobel Prize Winner

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#9

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Gandhi 1869-1948 Indian Leader

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#10

“You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.”

Les Brown, Author, Motivational Speaker

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#11

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.”

Robert F. Kennedy 1924-1968 Attorney General to Brother JFK

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#12

http://biblecenter.com/illustrations/change.htm

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." Maya Angelou author/poet

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “God Turns Our Lives Into Things of Beauty”

Mistreated. Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 3

Standing nearby, the innkeeper surveyed the damage. "That stain will never come out," he said in dismay. "The whole wall will have to be repainted." "Perhaps not." All eyes turned to the stranger who had just spoken. "What do you mean?" asked the innkeeper. "Let me work with the stain," said the stranger, standing up from his table in the corner. "If my work meets your approval, you won't need to repaint the wall."

The stranger picked up a box and went to the wall. Opening the box, he withdrew pencils, brushes, and some glass jars of linseed oil and pigment. He began to sketch lines around the stain and fill it in here and there with dabs of color and swashes of shading. Soon a picture began to emerge. The random splashes of tea had been turned into the image of a stag with a magnificent rack of antlers. At the bottom of the picture, the man inscribed his signature. Then he paid for his meal and left.

The innkeeper was stunned when he examined the wall. "Do you know who that man was?" he said in amazement. "The signature reads 'E.H. Landseer!'" Indeed, they had been visited by the well-known painter of wild life, Sir Edwin Landseer. God wants to take the stains and disappointments of our lives and not merely erase them, but rather turn them into a thing of beauty.

LEADER: Sometimes, it’s all in the way we look at things.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#13

“Keep a grateful journal. Every night, list five things that happened this day that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change your perspective of your day and your life. If you can learn to focus on what you have, you will always see that the universe is abundant; you will have more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough.”

Oprah Winfrey, Talk Show Host

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#14

http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=3347

“Lord grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.”

Saint Francis of Assisi 1182-1226

Franciscan Patron Saint of Animals

LEADER: “Change” By Betty King EXCERPT

In one way or another, all of us have an aversion to change, especially when things appear to be going reasonably well. But we serve a God who makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). God is not interested in preserving the status quo; he is committed to nothing less than an entirely new order or creation. The incarnation of God the Son brought about a radical change that disrupted the status quo for all eternity. The Gospel of John begins:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#15

“Today is not yesterday: we ourselves change; how can our works and thoughts, if they are always to be the fittest, continue always the same? Change, indeed is painful; yet ever needful; and if memory have its force and worth, so also has hope.”

Thomas Carlyle 1795-1881 Scottish Essayist/Historian

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “I Change Not” #1 By Richard L. Strauss EXCERPT

Change is one of the most threatening things many of us face in life, and yet we encounter it every day. The universe itself is changing. Scientists tell us that all observed systems are continually changing from order to disorder, and that every transformation of energy is accompanied by a loss in the availability of energy for future use. In other words, our universe is running down.

Besides that, the world we live in is changing. Highly sophisticated technical developments have radically altered our lifestyle, and now they threaten our very existence. Ideological developments have changed the balance of world power and threaten our freedom as a nation. Governments are toppled and new ones established overnight, and sometimes it seems as though revolutions are as common as eating and sleeping. Every day the news reports focus on some new changes occurring in our world.

People change. One day we may be in a good mood, the next day in an ugly mood. And it is disconcerting if we never know what to expect from our wives, our husbands, our parents, or our bosses. Nice people sometimes get irritable and touchy. Fortunately, grouchy people sometimes get nicer. But we all change. That is the nature of creaturehood, and that is the nature of life. We find it unpleasant and intimidating at times. We would rather keep things the way they always were because the old and the familiar are more secure and comfortable, like an old shoe. But shoes wear out and need to be replaced, as does most everything else in life. So we struggle to adjust to change.

We grow and we strive to better ourselves, and that is change. Sometimes our sense of well-being collapses around us; we lose our health, our loved ones, our money, or our material possessions, and that is change. Our bodies begin to wear out; we can no longer do the things we used to do, and that is change. It is all unsettling and unnerving, but it is inevitable. What can we do about it? Is there anything unchanging that we can hold on to in a world where everything is so tenuous and transitory?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 102:11-12

11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; And I am withered like grass. 12 But thou, O Jehovah, wilt abide for ever; And thy memorial name unto all generations.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “I Change Not” #2 By Richard L. Strauss EXCERPT

We may begin to think God has changed when trials invade our lives. We say to ourselves, “God used to be good to me, but this surely doesn’t seem very good.” The Apostle James had some penetrating observations for a group of persecuted people who were beginning to think like that. Listen to James encourage them: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow” (James 1:16-17).

The “Father of lights” is the God who created the heavenly bodies. They move and turn and cast shadows on the earth and on each other. They are created things, so they change. But the God who made them does not change. There is absolutely no variation with Him, no eclipse of His loving kindness and care. His gifts always turn out to be good, even when, for the present, we cannot figure out how. He will give nothing but what is best. We can count on that. It is the promise of an unchanging God.

LEADER: “I Change Not” #3 By Richard L. Strauss EXCERPTS

God is in charge; He has complete control of every situation, and His hand never gets shaky. Trust Him, and enjoy a consistency and a constancy you may not have known before. All that God ever was, He always will be. Let’s look at a few Biblical examples:

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 119:89

Forever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Isaiah 40:8

The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Psalm 33:11

But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Hebrews 6:17-18

In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, in order that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Isaiah 46:9-10

Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, “My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure”

LEADER: We can always count on the Lord.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Jeremiah 31:3

3 Jehovah appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Isaiah 54:10

For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith Jehovah that hath mercy on thee.

LEADER: “I Change Not” #4 By Richard L. Strauss EXCERPTS

He always acts on the basis of kindness. We can count on it. The better we know Him as the immutable God, the more we shall be able to trust Him and hold on to Him for stability and strength when everything around us is changing.

This is a great doctrine, and it would be beneficial for us to keep it in mind. But unfortunately one of our most glaring defects as mortal human beings is our inability to remember what we have learned about God when we need it most. Did you know that God has given us a visible sign to help us remember His immutability? It is the rainbow. When Noah and his family emerged from the ark God promised them that He would never again destroy the whole earth with a flood. He said, “I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth” (Genesis 9:13). He has not destroyed the whole earth by water again. He is a God of His Word. He always does what He says He will do. He never changes.

Every time you see a rainbow remind yourself that you know the immutable God.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE#16