INITIATIVE

“Quality of Life Series”

2/10/04

LEADER: So now that you’ve asked for wisdom…what are you going to do about it?

Henry Ford once said, "Thinking without constructive action becomes a disease."

FROM: http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #1

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

“Never confuse motion with action.”

Benjamin Franklin

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #2

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=819

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible;
and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

St. Francis of Assisi

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #3

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Indecision is often worse than wrong action."

Henry Ford 1863-1947 Founder of Ford Motor in 1903

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #4

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/inaction/

"An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body."

George Patton 1885-1945 American General in World War II

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Motivated”

FROM: Bits & Pieces, June 22, 1995, pp. 6-7.

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=820

In his book Being the Best (Thomas Nelson Publishers), Denis Waitley has some interesting observations about procrastination.

“When you stop to think about it,” he says, “there is no such thing as a future decision. You face only present decisions that will affect what will happen in the future. Procrastinators wait for just the right moment to decide. If you wait for the perfect moment, you become a security seeker who is running in place, going through the motions, and getting deeper in a rut.

“If I wait for every objection to be overcome, I will attempt nothing. My personal motto is, Stop Stewing and Start Doing. I can’t be depressed and active at the same time. I like changing the word motivation slightly to reflect a personal commitment to take charge of today and make it the best day I can—motive plus action equals motive-action.

“Everybody is looking for new ways to get motivated. Companies and corporations pay sizable fees to consultants who try to make their personnel more productive and fire up their salespeople. A motivated person thinks, I’m going to try it. But motivation must turn into motive-action, or nothing will happen. “That is the quandary of the unknown poet who wrote:

I spent a fortune on a trampoline,
A stationary bike, and a rowing machine
Complete with gadgets to read my pulse,
And gadgets to prove my progress results,
And others to show the miles I’ve charted—
But they left off the gadget to get me started!

“The gadget that can get you started is motive-action. “Try it and see!”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Civil War”

Today in the Word, July 18, 1993

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=798

In the early years of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln became so angered at the inactivity of Union commander George McClellan that the president wrote his commanding general this one-sentence letter: “If you don’t want to use the army, I should like to borrow it for a while. Respectfully, A. Lincoln.”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #5

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/inaction/

"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind."

Leonardo De Vinci 1452-1519 Italian Genius/Artist/Scientist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #6

http://www.tanbible.com/tol_ill/tol_ill_action.htm

“I find that the great thing is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 1841-1935 Supreme Court Justice

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #7

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Thinking will not overcome fear but action will."

W. Clement Stone 1902- American entrepreneur

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #8

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought."

Henri Bergson 1859-1941 French philosopher

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #9

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Words may show a man's wit but actions his meaning."

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790 Entrepreneur/Statesman/Scientist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #10

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."

Andrew Jackson 1767-1845 7^th US President

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “The Bridge”

Pulpit Helps, May, 1991

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=19

Dr. J.B. Gambrel tells an amusing story from General Stonewall Jackson’s famous valley campaign. Jackson’s army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other side.

After telling his engineers to plan and build a bridge so the army could cross, he called his wagon master in to tell him that it was urgent the wagon train cross the river as soon as possible. The wagon master started gathering all the logs, rocks and fence rails he could find and built a bridge. Long before day light General Jackson was told by his wagon master all the wagons and artillery had crossed the river. General Jackson asked where are the engineers and what are they doing? The wagon master’s only reply was that they were in their tent drawing up plans for a bridge.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #11

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Set your expectations high; find men and women whose integrity and values you respect; get their agreement on a course of action; and give them your ultimate trust."

John Akers 1934- Past IBM Presiden/CEO/Chairman

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #12

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Once you've done the mental work, there comes a point you have to throw yourself into the action and put your heart on the line. That means not only being brave, but being compassionate towards yourself, your teammates and your opponents."

Phil Jackson, Pro Basketball Coach of Chicago team w/Jordan

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #13

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action."

Al Batt, Writer/Speaker

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #14

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied."

Arnold Glasow, American Humerist

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Music Man”

http://elbourne.org/sermons/index.mv?illustration+1165

In Meredith Wilson's MUSIC MAN, the professor tried to get Marion the librarian to go out with him. He asked her to meet him at the footbridge

across the stream running through the park. She wanted to, but she refused. She said, "Please, some other time. Maybe tomorrow." The professor persisted, yet she continued to put off their meeting. Finally, in exasperation, he said, "Pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find that you've collected nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays."

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #15

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Your life will be no better than the plans you make, and the action you take."

Alfred Montapert 1906- American motivational writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Farming”

action_frameset.htm

A farmer was once sitting on his front porch when a friend dropped by to visit. "How's your wheat going this year?" asked the visitor.

"Ain't got any" replied the farmer. "I didn't plant any. I'm afraid the weevil will get into it and ruin me."

"Oh, well how's your corn?"

"Ain't got any" replied the farmer. "I didn't plant any. I'm afraid the crows will eat it all up and ruin me."

"Oh, well how are your potatoes going?"

"Ain't got any" replied the farmer. "I didn't plant any. I'm afraid the tater bugs will poison them and ruin me."

"Well, what did you plant this year?" asked the confused visitor.

"Nuthin'" replied the farmer. "I just played it safe."

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #16

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"You must take action now that will move you towards your goals. Develop a sense of urgency in your life."

Les Brown 21st Century Motivational Speaker

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #17

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"In every case, the remedy is to take action. Get clear about exactly what it is that you need to learn and exactly what you need to do to learn it. BEING CLEAR KILLS FEAR. Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world."

Miguel de Cervantes 1547-1616 Author “Don Quixote”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #18

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."

Joel Barke, Corporate Trainer/Author/Speaker

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #19

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"We are responsible for actions performed in response to circumstances for which we are not responsible."

Allan Massie 1938- British Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #20

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions."

Aristotle 384-322 BC
Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #21

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity."

Edwin Hubble Chapin 1814-1880 Clergyman/Author/Speaker

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #22

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold — but so does a hard-boiled egg."

Unknown

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #23

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"The inlet of a man's mind is what he learns; the outlet is what he accomplishes. If his mind is not fed by a continued supply of new ideas which he puts to work with purpose, and if there is no outlet in action, his mind becomes stagnant.

Jeremiah W. Jenks – Past Board member of Boy Scouts of America

Past President of American Economics Assoc. 1906-07

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #24

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny."

Frank Outlaw, Actor- quoting someone wise

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #25

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster."

Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1919 26^th US President

LEADER: “Initiative and Listening” By Kent Lenard EXCERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60656&ContributorID=7638

Webster’s dictionary defines and initiator as someone who causes or facilitates the beginning of something.
ARE YOU AN INITIATER?

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Initiative and Listening” #2 By Kent Lenard

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60656&ContributorID=7638

Kemmons Wilson has always been an initiator. He started working when he was seven selling magazines, news papers and popcorn. In 1930 at the age of seventeen he started working for a Cotton broker in his first salaried job, for $12 a week writing figures on the price board. When a bookkeeper’s job paying $35 a week came open he applied for it and got it, but when he got his first check it was still $12, and when he asked why, he was told that they weren’t going to pay a 17 year old kid that kind of money. So, he resigned, and that was the last salaried job he ever had.
Wilson made money at different jobs after that in pinball and vending machines, and saved enough money to build his mother a house. That’s when he realized that there was a lot of money in building, so he started a building business, and made a fortune in the post World War II building boom. Wilson’s initiative made him a lot of money, but he didn’t have much of an impact on the world, that is until 1951. Wilson took his family on a vacation to Washington D.C., and learned about the sorry state of motels that were available to traveling families. Some were suitable for families, and some rented rooms by the hour, and there was no way to tell which was which. Wilson said, "Some places were too squalid for words. And they all charged for children." Wilson had five children and that tripled his bill. So he decided to do something about it. He told his wife "Let’s go home and start a chain of family motels." His goal was to build four hundred motels, and his wife just laughed. When he got back to Memphis, he hired a draftsman to help him design his first motel, and by 1959 he had 100 motels built, which didn’t meet his goal. Then Wilson decided to franchise his motels and that boosted the openings, and by 1964 there were 500 Holiday Inns in America, by 1968 there were 1000, and in 1972 a Holiday Inn opened somewhere in the world every 72 hours, and the company was still growing in 1979 when Wilson stepped down from his position as leader after a heart attack. Wilson said" I was so hungry when I was young, I just had to do something to make a living. When I retired after my heart attack, I went home to smell the roses. That lasted about a month." You see it is hard for an initiator to stop making things happen.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Founder of Eastern Airlines”

http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=820

He was born in Columbus, Ohio, 1890, the third of eight children. At eleven he quit school to help with the family expenses, and got his first full-time job at $3.50 per week. At fifteen he got interested in automobiles and went to work in a garage at $4.50 a week. He knew he would never get anywhere without more schooling, so he subscribed to a correspondence home study course on automobiles. Night after night, following long days at the garage, he worked at the kitchen table by the light of the kerosene lamp. His next step was already planned in his mind—a job with Frayer-Miller Automobile Company of Columbus.

One day when he felt ready, he walked into the plant. Lee Frayer was bent over the hood of a car. The boy waited. Finally, Frayer noticed him. “Well,” he said, “what do you want?” “I just thought I’d tell you I’m coming to work here tomorrow morning,” the boy replied. “Oh! Who hired you?” “Nobody yet, but I’ll be on the job in the morning. If I’m not worth anything, you can fire me.”

Early the next morning the young man returned to the garage. Frayer was not yet there. Noticing that the floor was thick with metal shavings and accumulated dirt and grease, the boy got a broom and shovel and set to work cleaning the place. The rest of the boy’s future was predictable. He went on to a national reputation as a racing car driver and automotive expert. In World War I he was America’s leading flying ace. Later he founded Eastern Airlines, bought the Indianapolis Speedway and founded Rickenbacker Motor Car Co. His name—Eddie Rickenbacker.

LEADER: “Initiative and Listening” By Kent Lenard EXCERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60656&ContributorID=7638

One of things that we have to develop in ourselves to be initiators is WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT WE WANT!

1. Comic and Pianist Oscar Levant once joked, "Once I wake up my mind, I’m full of indecision." And unfortunately that’s the way that most people operate.
2. No one can be indecisive and EFFECTIVE. Napoleon Hill says it well, "The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE."
3. For us to be effective leaders in our family, and vocation, and in our service to God, we have to know what we want to accomplish.
4. Knowing what we want to accomplish is the only way that we will be able to see and opportunity when it comes.
5. And as leaders in our family, and vocation, and in our service for God we have to be looking for ways to initiate things that will improve the lives of those we lead.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Initiative or Inertia” By Doug Goins EXCEPRT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/outsideURL.asp?OutsideURL=http://pbc.org/dp/goins/4470.html

In Psalm 138 David writes of how he called out to the Lord out of weakness and fearful inertia: "When I called, you answered me;

and you made me bold and stout-hearted."

That's initiative in faith. David said, "Lord, do it," and God did it. And he will do it for each one of us no matter what circumstances we find ourselves mired in.

LEADER: “Initiative and Listening” CONT By Kent Lenard EXCERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60656&ContributorID=7638

Another thing that initiators do is THEY PUSH THEMSELVES TO ACT!
1. There is an old saying " You can if you will."
2. Initiators don’t wait for other people to motivate them. They motivate themselves, and they push themselves beyond their COMFORT zones to see positive things happen in what they believe in. And, they make it a REGULAR practice.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Initiative and Listening” #4 By Kent Lenard

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60656&ContributorID=7638

Theodore Roosevelt was one of the greatest initiating leaders in the twentieth century. He said " There is nothing brilliant or outstanding about my record, except perhaps this one thing: I do the things that I believe ought to be done...And when I make up my mind to do a thing, I act!

LEADER: “Initiative and Listening” CONT By Kent Lenard EXCERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60656&ContributorID=7638

We also have to be LISTENERS.

MOST IMPORTANTLY WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO GOD. Most of us have the habit of making prayer a time that we talk to God, but for it to be what it should be we have to talk and then take the time to LISTEN.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #26

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"By these things examine thyself. By whose rules am I acting; in whose name; in whose strength; in whose glory? What faith, humility, self-denial, and love of God and to man have there been in all my actions?"

Jackie Mason, Author

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #27

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Faith is that which, knowing the Lord's will, goes and does it; or, not knowing it, stands and waits, content in ignorance as in knowledge, because God wills — neither pressing into the hidden future, nor careless of the knowledge which opens the path of action."

George Macdonald 1824-1905 Scottish Writer

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #28

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Nothing is more terrible than ignorance in action."

Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865 16^th US President

LEADER: You need wisdom…we need to ask for wisdom before initiating action.

(SOME OF THE FOLLOWING IS FROM LAST WEEK THAT WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO COMPLETE)

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #29

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"If you make a habit of sincere prayer, your life will be very noticeably and profoundly altered. Prayer stamps with its indelible mark our actions and demeanor.

Dr. Alexis Carrel 1873-1944

Surgeon- developed methods for transplantation of organs

HAVE SOMEONE READ: James 1:22

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

LEADER: “Backed By Action” By Elmer M. Bolocon The Upper Room EXERPT

http://www.upperroom.org/devotional/default.asp?start_pos=1&item_id=71794

Words may not always be effective, especially if they are not backed up by action. To the Christian, therefore, witnessing by action is primary. That is, we act out God's love in Christ through deeds of love, care, and concern.

We can witness for Christ in all the activities of our lives -- work, home, play, worship. Words and deeds of love are appropriate in any situation.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: QUOTE #30

http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/action/

"Following the way of Jesus Christ and doing all we can for His cause and for our fellow men expresses something of our worship in action.”

J.B. Phillips 1906-1982 Clergyman/Author

Paraphraser Phillips New Testament in Modern English

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Proverbs 4:25-27

²⁵Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. ²⁶Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. ²⁷Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Dealing With Distractions” By Brian Bill EXCERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=58397&ContributorID=4381

Practice saying, “yes” to God’s priorities. The best way to not be distracted is by being attracted to those things that are on the heart of God. Once we’re aware of what those are, and are attracted to them, we need to commit ourselves to a life of full devotion and complete commitment.
The enemy will act to distract you. But while he blasts away, God is building His kingdom. Satan is subtle but God is sufficient. Remember, when God’s priorities become our priorities, God’s kingdom work will advance.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: 2 Peter 1:5

⁵Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Taking Initiative” #1 By Daniel Villa EXCERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=55653&ContributorID=8106

WISE PEOPLE TAKE INITIATIVE. They just don’t sit and watch,
they take action to accomplish what they believe God wants.
Wise living is understanding and patterning our lives according to the structure and order that God built into the world. A truly wise person lives according to God’s plan.
Wise people have a sense of what God wants and plan their lives to fulfill those plans. Wise people have a sense of their God-given destinations and have made plans at arriving there.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “Taking Initiative” #2 By Daniel Villa EXCERPT

http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=55653&ContributorID=8106

The natural course of life is not up, but down. Those who choose to sit back and go with the flow normally end up going downhill. If we want God’s best, it will require an uphill climb. Without doubt that uphill walk is going to require action and initiative, and nobody who has embraced the “somehow, some day” philosophy will ever reach God’s best for their lives.

Someone said there are three types of people in the world: those who do not know what is happening; those who watch what is happening; and those who make things happen. Wise people make things happen. Wise people take initiative. They see a problem and act on it. They don’t just sit passively and wait for opportunities to come. They prayerfully take actions. When faced with a problem, or a need, the wise person goes to God, seeks for wisdom, and then takes a piece of paper, and begin to consider her/his options. What should I do Lord? What do you want me to do? And then take action.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: Proverbs 5:1

¹My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding;

LEADER: “Where Wisdom Dwells” By T.M. Moore EXCERPT

http://www.pfm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Daily_Devotions1&template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=12549

Wisdom does not come cheap. We have to work for it, beginning with a labor of prayer and pursuing the wisdom of God in Jesus Christ by every means at our disposal. The challenge is great, but the payoff is glorious, as God will equip us with His wisdom, meditated to us through Jesus Christ, to serve unto righteousness, purity, and love in the Body of Christ.

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “31 Days To A More Powerful You” #2

By Dr. David Jeremiah EXCERPT

http://www.turningpointradio.org/archive/0103_articles/01_31.html

Fortunately, wisdom from God is just a prayer away. The book in the New Testament most like Proverbs is James. The hands-on nature of James mirrors its Old Testament cousin. And James is the one who tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” James 1:5.

The author of Proverbs, King Solomon, gained the wisdom to write more than 3,000 proverbs the same way James advises us to get it: by asking God (I Kings 4:32). When Solomon succeeded his father David as king over Israel, God presented Solomon with a blank check: “Ask! What shall I give you?” Understandably, twenty year-old Solomon’s knees were knocking at the prospect of being king. So instead of asking for riches and long life, he asked God for wisdom, and God was true to His word: “I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.” And as a bonus, Solomon received riches and honor too.

Word of Solomon’s wisdom spread far and wide throughout the nations. He wrote proverbs, composed songs (the Song of Solomon), and taught about botany, agronomy, zoology, and all facets of nature. Kings from the surrounding nations sent their officials to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and some rulers made the trip themselves-like the Queen of Sheba who journeyed from Africa.

For specific wisdom in unique situations, we may not have because we have not asked (James 4:2). But in many more of life’s situations, we may lack wisdom because we haven’t poured over the proverbs of Solomon.

LEADER: “31 Days To A More Powerful You” By Dr. David Jeremiah EXCERPT

http://www.turningpointradio.org/archive/0103_articles/01_31.html

Dr. David Jeremiah offers both a challenge and a path to wisdom:

“There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs.

I challenge you to read a chapter a day each month-two chapters on one day in the months having only 30 days-for the next year. Whatever the day’s date is, read the corresponding chapter of Proverbs. If you do that faithfully for a year, you will have read the book of Proverbs 12 times and your life will never be the same.”

HAVE SOMEONE READ: “In This Day…”

FROM: "The Flight of a Lifetime!" a book by Bob Perks
http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon8/in_this_day.htm

· In this day I choose living not just for the sake of passing time.

· I choose to take advantage of the milliseconds between my breath and my sigh.

· In this day I will make up for time lost by living between my thoughts and my action.

· I will live up to my potential, which through God's Grace is unlimited.

· In this day I will help someone else find the greatest secret of all...While we spend our lives in pursuit of success and happiness, we have all that we will ever need from the moment of conception until our last breath.

· In this day I will acknowledge that I am a magnificent creation capable of the greatest accomplishments. I am one of a kind. Never before in the history of human existence and never again will there be another me. I have a purpose, a mission and with that a responsibility to fulfill those goals.

· The key to success is in "knowing" and "believing" that I can, then purposefully taking action. The "knowing" is the small voice you hear deep within that gives direction. It sparks the dreams and softens the indignant blows that life throws at us. It is the spirit of our being connected to the Great Power. It never goes away although many spend a lifetime trying to block it out.

· "Believing" comes once we have accepted that self esteem is not an ego trip but a verification that you are a living miracle created by God. Although we are all capable of grand accomplishments that can change the world, we all succeed at various levels none less important than the next.
In this day I will celebrate as if it was my birthday and 24 hours was my gift. I will treasure the sunrise and save the light in my hand for darkened days. I will fill my lungs to capacity with the sweet smell of life and consume the colors that surround me like a meal fit for a king. I will taste the reds and yellows of the flowers and bathe in the blues and greens of the sky and grass. At the end of the day in the darkest hours my soul will light the way to rest in the satisfaction of knowing I did not waste a morsel.
Then in my last day on this earth I will leave filled with joy to a better place knowing that I have served my purpose and completed my mission.

LEADER: This day I will ask for wisdom

This day I will exercise initiative not inertia.

This day I will act on God’s will for my life.

So now that you’ve asked for wisdom…what are you going to do about it!

COMMENTS…SHOULD BE PLENTY OF TIME

STOP AT 10 TILL FOR

PRAYER REQUEST AND PRAISES

CUT AND DISTRIBUTE FOR READING:

QUOTE #1

“Never confuse motion with action.” Benjamin Franklin

QUOTE #2

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible;
and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

St. Francis of Assisi

QUOTE #3

"Indecision is often worse than wrong action."

Henry Ford 1863-1947 Founder of Ford Motor in 1903

QUOTE #4

"An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body."

George Patton 1885-1945 American General in World War II

“Motivated”

In his book Being the Best (Thomas Nelson Publishers), Denis Waitley has some interesting observations about procrastination.

“The gadget that can get you started is motive-action. “Try it and see!”

“Civil War”

QUOTE #5

"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind."

Leonardo De Vinci 1452-1519 Italian Genius/Artist/Scientist

QUOTE #6

“I find that the great thing is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 1841-1935 Supreme Court Justice

QUOTE #7

"Thinking will not overcome fear but action will."

W. Clement Stone 1902- American entrepreneur

QUOTE #8

"Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought."

Henri Bergson 1859-1941 French philosopher

QUOTE #9

"Words may show a man's wit but actions his meaning."

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790 Entrepreneur/Statesman/Scientist

“The Bridge”

Dr. J.B. Gambrel tells an amusing story from General Stonewall Jackson’s famous valley campaign. Jackson’s army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other side.

QUOTE #10

"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."

Andrew Jackson 1767-1845 7^th US President

QUOTE #11

"Set your expectations high; find men and women whose integrity and values you respect; get their agreement on a course of action; and give them your ultimate trust."

John Akers 1934- Past IBM Presiden/CEO/Chairman

QUOTE #12

Phil Jackson, Pro Basketball Coach of Chicago team w/Jordan

QUOTE #13

"It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action."

Al Batt, Writer/Speaker

QUOTE #14

"An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied."

Arnold Glasow, American Humerist

“Music Man”

In Meredith Wilson's MUSIC MAN, the professor tried to get Marion the librarian to go out with him. He asked her to meet him at the footbridge across the stream running through the park. She wanted to, but she refused. She said, "Please, some other time. Maybe tomorrow." The professor persisted, yet she continued to put off their meeting. Finally, in exasperation, he said, "Pile up enough tomorrows and you'll find that you've collected nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays."

QUOTE #15

"Your life will be no better than the plans you make, and the action you take."

Alfred Montapert 1906- American motivational writer

“Farming”

A farmer was once sitting on his front porch when a friend dropped by to visit. "How's your wheat going this year?" asked the visitor.

"Ain't got any" replied the farmer. "I didn't plant any. I'm afraid the weevil will get into it and ruin me."

"Oh, well how's your corn?"

"Ain't got any" replied the farmer. "I didn't plant any. I'm afraid the crows will eat it all up and ruin me."

"Oh, well how are your potatoes going?"

"Ain't got any" replied the farmer. "I didn't plant any. I'm afraid the tater bugs will poison them and ruin me."

"Well, what did you plant this year?" asked the confused visitor.

"Nuthin'" replied the farmer. "I just played it safe."

QUOTE #16

"You must take action now that will move you towards your goals. Develop a sense of urgency in your life."

Les Brown 21st Century Motivational Speaker

QUOTE #17

Miguel de Cervantes 1547-1616 Author “Don Quixote”

QUOTE #18

"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."

Joel Barke, Corporate Trainer/Author/Speaker

QUOTE #19

"We are responsible for actions performed in response to circumstances for which we are not responsible."

Allan Massie 1938- British Author

QUOTE #20

"We become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions."

Aristotle 384-322 BC
Greek philosopher, student of Plato, tutor of Alexander the Great

QUOTE #21

"Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity."

Edwin Hubble Chapin 1814-1880 Clergyman/Author/Speaker

QUOTE #22

"Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold — but so does a hard-boiled egg."

Unknown

QUOTE #23

Jeremiah W. Jenks – Past Board member of Boy Scouts of America

Past President of American Economics Assoc. 1906-07

QUOTE #24

Frank Outlaw, Actor- quoting someone wise

QUOTE #25

"Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster."

Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1919 26^th US President

“Initiative and Listening” #2 By Kent Lenard

“Initiative or Inertia”

In Psalm 138 David writes of how he called out to the Lord out of weakness and fearful inertia: "When I called, you answered me;and you made me bold and stout-hearted."

That's initiative in faith. David said, "Lord, do it," and God did it. And he will do it for each one of us no matter what circumstances we find ourselves mired in.

“Initiative and Listening” #4

“Founder of Eastern Airlines”

QUOTE #26

Jackie Mason, Author

QUOTE #27

George Macdonald 1824-1905 Scottish Writer

QUOTE #28

"Nothing is more terrible than ignorance in action."

Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865 16^th US President

QUOTE #29

"If you make a habit of sincere prayer, your life will be very noticeably and profoundly altered. Prayer stamps with its indelible mark our actions and demeanor.

Dr. Alexis Carrel 1873-1944

Surgeon- developed methods for transplantation of organs

James 1:22

QUOTE #30

"Following the way of Jesus Christ and doing all we can for His cause and for our fellow men expresses something of our worship in action.”

J.B. Phillips 1906-1982 Clergyman/Author

Paraphraser Phillips New Testament in Modern English

Proverbs 4:25-27

“Dealing With Distractions”

2 Peter 1:5

“Taking Initiative” #1

Proverbs 5:1

“Taking Initiative” #2

“31 Days To A More Powerful You” #2

Fortunately, wisdom from God is just a prayer away. The book in the New Testament most like Proverbs is James. The hands-on nature of James mirrors its Old Testament cousin. And James is the one who tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” James 1:5.

“In This Day…”

In this day I choose living not just for the sake of passing time.

· I choose to take advantage of the milliseconds between my breath and my sigh.

· In this day I will make up for time lost by living between my thoughts and my action.

· I will live up to my potential, which through God's Grace is unlimited.