Wisdom-Trek © - Archive 1

Day 296 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Cultivation

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 07:03:32 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 296 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Cultivation

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 296 of our trek, and yesterday we hiked on the 16^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Help. Today we will explore the importance of balance in all areas of our life as we hike the Trail of Cultivation.

There is a total of 18 trails on the trek, we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. These practical lessons were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. As we continue on each trail of our overall trek, I trust that you will also find this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen and read the daily journal.

Trail of Cultivation

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. There is a lot of activity in and around The Big House this week. Sunday afternoon I invested several hours varnishing the woodwork in the library. I have the trim on two more walls to apply the 2^nd coat to, and then it is onto the floor. Hopefully, we will have the library completed by the end of this week, and then we will move onto the other front room, which we call the parlor.

Our pair of hawks have been extremely busy this week and spending more time near their nest, which is right outside of our upstairs office, so it is enjoyable watching them. We can’t tell if they have actually laid their eggs yet as we do see both of them still flying around, but there is usually one of them near or on the nest. The female is noticeably larger than the male of this particular pair. If this is the same pair of hawks as in previous years, this is either their 5^th or 6^th year using the same nest.

Broad Winged Hawk

As spring is manifesting itself with daylight lasting longer, the temperature rising, and flowers blooming, it is time to start cultivating our gardens and fields in preparation for planting crops. As we head out on our hike for today, we want to explore this important concept of our spiritual lives on the Trail of Cultivation. This is the 17^th of 18 trails, which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Cultivation

The cultivation of good habits and character traits in all area of our lives is very important. As our children were growing up and still to this day, I emphasize the importance of balance in everything that we do or are involved in. There can be little question concerning the importance of balance. It is so vital in the mechanical, physical, aesthetic, and spiritual realms. Faulty balance often results in the breakdown and possible devastation to the surrounding area. This is true as we think about the cultivation and growing of crops in our spiritual lives.

In the agricultural world, there has to be the balance of the proper amount of rain, sun, nutrients, and temperature for proper growth to occur with any type of crop. When there is the proper balance, then the crops will produce a bountiful harvest that can be shared with many. As the crops are properly cultivated, all of its resources are initially used so that plant can grow to maturity. Once mature, it can then start producing what will later become the harvest.

Properly Cultivated Crops

It is the same with our spiritual lives. Each of us must be thoroughly cultivated before we can effectively cultivate others through us. As we are maturing, there will be areas of service that we can provide for God. It is important to realize, though, that until we are spiritually mature most of our service on the way to maturity is for our own development, not so much that of others. At first, as a growing believer we think, or would like to have others feel, that all our service is effective; but in time, we come to realize that the Lord is not doing so much through us as He is in us. Our Lord always concentrates on the greater need.

We are not saved to serve. We are matured to serve. Only to the extent, that cultivation reveals self for what it is are we in the position to assist others in their cultivation. We can best discover how to help cultivate others after we have been properly cultivated and understand ourselves as Proverbs 29:19 indicates, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” Just as it takes a period of time for crops to mature and produce a harvest, to counterbalance knowledge of self, God enables us to mature over a period of time as mentioned in 2 Peter 3:18, “Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

As we mature spiritually, in our excitement as Christ followers, we are tempted to immediately pull or push others toward spiritual maturity, and then we wonder why they are so slow to learn and seemingly apathetic in their understanding and concern. We soon forget the many years it took, and the wandering in our wilderness ways that our Lord had to traverse with us in order to bring us over our Jordan and into Canaan.

Spiritual maturity takes time, and that timeline is different for each Christ follower. We need to allow God to cultivate us in our spiritual growth and maturity. Let us look at the example of Moses. Moses had all the wisdom of the Egyptians, yet his idea of delivering Israel was to slay an Egyptian! He had to be trained in God’s ways, which was spending forty years in Midian as a shepherd. After Moses had been cultivated sufficiently, he was sent back to Egypt. God said for him not to trouble about Israel but to go directly to Pharaoh, the cause of their chains. God didn’t train Israel at the first but a leader to lead Israel. God seeks to get leaders trained in the knowledge of His ways who will help lead His people.

Moses Spent 40 Years in Midian Preparing

To the extent that we learn how our Father has had to handle us through the years will we understand how He would have us share with others. We must be cultivated to be cultivators. It is not up to us to determine the spiritual growth timeline for another. We need to leave that in the hands of that master farmer. We cannot force growth in another person any more than we force an apple to grow and ripen before its time. If we try to force growth on another person, they will never mature properly or be able to live the rich and satisfying life that is possible.

Through the strength of Christ living in us, we are responsible for our growth, which should include walking a life of integrity before others, but we are not responsible for the growth of others. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:5-7, “After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned the valuable lessons of growth on the Trail of Cultivation. We need to focus on becoming mature ourselves, and through our example and mentorship provide the proper cultivation for others to grow.

Tomorrow we finish up our current trek with the 18^th trail, which is the Trail of Continuance. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 295 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Help

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 21 Mar 2016 07:03:31 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 295 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Help

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 295 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 15^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Rest. Today we will explore a trail that all of us occasionally require which is the Trail of Help.

There is a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. These practical lessons were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. As we continue on each trail of our overall trek, I trust that you will also find this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen and read the daily journal.

Trail of Help

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We drove up to Marietta on Saturday and arrived late Saturday evening. The daffodils are in full bloom and are beautiful. I have included a couple of pictures in today’s journal. It was cloudy and a bit rainy when we arrived, so I will try to get some additional pictures when it is sunny out this week. We do have a full week with work projects and renovation work ahead of us, so we will need to stay focused to meet our expectations. It does require coordination with Paula and me having a clear understanding of our individual strengths, so we can best serve our clients. We do not have to beg each other for help. We understand that help is available at all times. This allows us to maximize our effectiveness as we work closely with our clients assisting them with their businesses.

Granny’s Daffodils in Bloom

As we head out on our hike for today, an important aspect of our spiritual lives is to understand where our help comes from as we explore the Trail of Help. This is the 16^th of 18 trails which makes up the Trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Help

I would like to take a bit of a different approach to this concept of help. For most of us, it is time to stop asking God for help. He didn’t help us to be saved, and He doesn’t intend to help us live the Christian life. Now, this probably sounds somewhat far-reaching, but stay with me as I explain. We need to know and understand that God’s help has already been set aside for us. It is up to us to appropriate and apply that help to our lives each day. We do not have to continually beg for his help. His help is ours for the taking.

There is no question where our help comes from. Psalms 121:1-3 tells us, “I look up to the mountains, does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber.”

As a Christ follower, it is not a matter of continually asking God for help. It is Christ living His life in us that already has provided all the help and strength that we will ever need. Hebrews 13:6 explains the confidence that we can have, “So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”

The evil one, Satan, wants to keep us in the place of continual defeat in our lives so that we remain ineffective. He wants us to be in the place where we are always asking for what God says He has already provided. This is a defeatist attitude that should not be part of our lives as Christ followers. This principle holds true for all aspects of our Christian life. In Christ, we are complete and have been provided with everything that we need. Colossians 2:9-10 says, “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

We do not honor and bring glory to God by our continual begging for help for that which He has already provided to us. Philippians 4:19 reminds us of this truth, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

Our responsibility is to see in the Word all that is ours in Christ and then thank and trust Him for that which we need.

Dr. A. W. Tozer puts it this way, “We are forever asking God to do things that He either has already done or cannot do because of our unbelief. We plead for Him to speak when He has already spoken and is at that very moment speaking. We ask Him to come when He is already present and waiting for us to recognize Him. We beg the Holy Spirit to fill us while all the time we are preventing Him by our doubts.”

Another area of weakness that we as Christ followers fall into is begging God to show us His will for our lives on matters that are clearly defined in His Word. We do not need to seek for guidance and direction in life, we need to know what is already proclaimed through knowing His Word. As we know His Word more fully, it will result in the fullness of Christ in our lives. Ephesians 3:19 provides further insight, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Let us not forget that since Christ is the Word, the more we know God’s Word, the more Christ lives in us. John 1:14 says, “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

While I do not adhere to the “name it and claim it” in theology, when we are in the thick of a spiritual battle, when we are the object of attack, plead less and claim more, on the ground of the blood of the Lord Jesus. We do not need to ask God to give us victory, but claim His victory to be manifested in us.

While the we do not have to beg for help, we do have to thankfully appropriate that which is already his in Christ, for Hebrews 10:38 tells us, “And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

God has already provided all that we need, it is up to us to appropriate by faith those promises as it says in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned on the Trail of Help that it is God who is our helper, and that help has already been provided to us. It is now our responsibility to appropriate that help in our lives on a daily basis.

Tomorrow we will move onto our next trail, which is the Trail of Cultivation. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 294 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Rest

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 07:03:06 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 294 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Rest

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 294 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 14^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of The Process of Discipleship. Today we will explore a very important aspect of our overall trek, and that is the Trail of Rest.

The Trail of Rest

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After several weeks of warmer than normal weather, it looks like this next week will be a bit cooler, especially since we will be farther north at The Big House for the next couple of weeks. As I mentioned, when we left from there the last time, the furnace has to be replaced due to a crack in the heat exchanger. Fortunately, the new furnace will be installed early this next week, so we should not be very many days without the furnace. All of the bedrooms do have gas inserts in them, and the kitchen/eating area has a separate large floor furnace. So, the house will not be without sources of heat. These situations are part of life, things wear out and break down, and we need to be prepared for these contingencies. In the same way, to make sure that our body, mind, and soul do not wear out prematurely, we need to exercise, eat properly, continue learning, and invest time in meditation and prayer. One very important area that I need to get better at is investing the proper time for sleep, rest, and relaxation.

As we head out on our hike for today, let us explore the very important Trail of Rest. This is the 15^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Rest

To become more and more like the Master Christ requires a significant amount of focus on discipleship, which we explored during the past two days. Remember, first we must die to self, then be diligent in our growth, so that we can produce an abundant harvest, which will allow us to use that harvest to feed others that hunger and thirst for God’s justice. This process may appear to be exhausting. What this scenario of discipleship does not take into account is that God has already provided us with rest through this process.

An analogy that is used in Hebrews 3-4 is the comparison that the nation of Israel who disobeyed God when they refused to enter The Promise Land, which is referred to as God’s rest for them. The nation refused to listen to Moses and forfeited the rest for 40 years. Now someone greater than Moses is here, which is Christ. In Hebrews 3:3-4 it explains this, “But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.”

What Moses and Joshua were unable to do was completely fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews 4:8-11 explains this, “Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.”

When we are obedient to the master, we will find rest in Him. We do not need to carry the burden of discipleship on us. To revisit a snippet of Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Christ tells us how to obtain the rest that we need as His disciple in Matthew [11:28]-29, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

When we view our work and ministry as a burden to be endured, we will never find rest and peace in it, and we will grow weak and weary. When we are disobedient to God’s precepts in His Word, then even our “good” actions in other areas of life will become drudgery for us.

We certainly do need to make sure that we get the proper amount of sleep, this is vitally important. Sometimes we also just need to unplug from our daily tasks and plug into God for recharging as our master did in Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”

We also need to take the time to rest in God and his promises as described in one of my favorite passages Isaiah [40:28]-31,

Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned the vital importance of obedience and plugging into God on the Trail of Rest. There are two factors for our rest to be complete. First, we are to be obedient to His Word, and second we need to put our trust in God for the strength that we need. When we do this, we will be able to carry on effectively every day on our Trek of Life. Following these two important factors will allow us to find rest for our souls, and once we have rested, we will find new strength to carry on. Tomorrow we will move onto our next trail which is the Trail of Help. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 293 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Process of Discipleship

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 19 Mar 2016 07:03:05 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 293 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Process of Discipleship

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 293 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 13^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Discipleship. Today we will explore a related trail which will help us to put practical content into what we explored yesterday as we hike the Trail of The Process of Discipleship.

As we continue on each trial of our overall trek, I trust that you will also find this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of the days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

The Process of Discipleship Trail

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. If all goes according to plan, we should be heading to The Big House on the day this episode releases. We hope to get a lot more renovation work completed while we are in Marietta this time.

Paula should be back from her visit with Aunt Pauline late Friday. It has been a great visit for her, and we are certainly glad that she made the choice to invest the time with her.

Speaking of investing time, as we head out for our hike, today we want to discover how best to invest our time in the process of becoming a disciple of Christ. As with every activity that we integrate into our lives, let’s change our mentality from spending time to investing time. When we invest time, it has a return on it, just like a monetary investment. The difference is when we invest time, it can have an eternal return that is part of living our legacy each day. Our trail for today is the Trail of The Process of Discipleship as we learn the process to become an effective disciple. This is the 14^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Process of Discipleship

One of the best analogies of the process of discipleship is found in the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:15 where it says, “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” It shows a distinct process of growth through patience. A parallel passage to this which gives us an analogy of return is Mark 4:8, “Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” There is a theme throughout the Bible of what it takes for solid growth that produces a good return. It is integral to the process of discipleship if it is to be long lasting. A farmer completely understands that concept that is also mentioned in James 5:7, “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.”

Within our lives, it has been a long season of growth from when the seed fell on the fertile soil of our hearts, sprouted, grew and is now producing an abundant harvest in our lives that is nourishing others. So many Christ followers only get to the 2^nd or 3^rd stage in this life process toward discipleship. If you are just growing and not producing an abundant harvest, then you will never be able to reach the level where you can feed others.

One important aspect that is missed by many Christ followers is that before the plant sprouts and grows, the original seed must die to bring out a new abundant harvest. As Christ was approaching His crucifixion and death, He knew that He must die to bring new life. John 12:24-25, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.”

To make sure that His closest disciples understood the Process of Discipleship, Christ provides further explanation in Mark 8:34-37, “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”

When the believer takes up his cross through the process of discipleship, the process of death begins to set in. The disciple finds himself a seed sown by the Son, planted in a home, office, shop, hospital, church, or online social media, as their place of ministry. Whatever or wherever it is, through the process of discipleship, there will be the death from which resurrection life follows.

We need to enter deeply into the truth that Christ could not enter into the glory of heaven until He had first given Himself over to death. This great truth will help us to understand how in our life and in our fellowship with Christ, we have to first surrender ourselves, every day, to die to sin and self. It is then we can abide in the unbroken fellowship of discipleship with our crucified and risen Lord.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned the precise path that must be taken on the Trail of The Process of Discipleship. Once we have fallen on the fertile soil of God’s Word, we must die to self so that we can grow, produce an abundant harvest, and will be used to feed those who hunger and thirst for God’s justice. We must be patient through this process because it requires the proper nutrients, care, weeding, and most importantly, time. There is no shortcut to the process of discipleship. Tomorrow we will move onto our next trail, which is the Trail of Rest. Throughout the process of discipleship, which will last our entire lives, there are times for rest. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 292 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Discipleship

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 07:03:56 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 292 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Discipleship

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 292 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 12^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of The Cross. Today we will explore a trail that we should seek after in many areas of our lives and that is Trail of Discipleship.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. I have been able to stay focused this week on the tasks that need to be completed, so we are able to accomplish a good bit. AT&T cell coverage where Paula is in Fort Myers is nearly non-existent. Although phone calls can be made, the signal is certainly not strong enough to use as a computer hot-spot. I have been able to pick up the required daily duties that Paula provides for our client’s, so we are able to cover our duties as she is away.

Paula’s visit with her Aunt Pauline is going well, and they are finalizing the details needed for when God takes Aunt Pauline home whether it is soon or months away. Paula is her executor, and although they had all the planning and paperwork completed several years ago, it is best to recheck to make sure everyone is prepared and nothing has changed.

As we head out on our hike for today, it is necessary that we are also prepared for our daily trek. Many times we can learn from those that have traveled this path before. This is referred to as being a disciple of a master. Our trail for today is the Trail of Discipleship as we learn from the ultimate master, Jesus Christ. This is the 13^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Discipleship

When we think of being a disciple of someone, it evokes the concept of learning. We are the student or the apprentice of someone who is a master in their craft or knowledge. As a Christ follower, we should desire to be a disciple of Christ. While the word disciple in my mind creates a positive image, the same root word discipline does not. How about you? Do these two words bring two different concepts in your mind? I like to think of myself as a disciplined person, but the thought of being disciplined by someone else does not give me the same sense.

Let’s explore what Biblical discipleship means. A disciple is one who first maintains the fellowship of the cross, which results in fellowship with his Lord or Master, which is discipleship. Christ is the master, but the cross is needed to clear the way for Him. It was because of the cross that He also became our master.

As a true master would, in spiritual progress Christ never pushes. He gently leads us step by step both in word and deed. We struggle and fail through our self-effort, which sets up a yearning and desire to overcome the times of failure in our lives. We learn from our master by observing Him as Hebrews 12:2 tells us, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

The more we keep our eyes and mind on our champion, in time we see the scriptural facts of deliverance in the cross, which is our identification in Him. In turn, this produces the required hunger and desire to obtain the victory over self to enter into that freedom, freedom for fellowship with our risen Master, who initiates and perfects our faith. If we desire to become like the Master, then we must spend time observing Him and learning from Him.

As a disciple or apprentice, there are certain practices that we must become proficient at so that they become integrated into the very fabric of our lives. Christ tells us in Luke 9:23 what the initial requirements are “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” Are you willing to give up your life to become like the Master?

When the believer begins to really see the cross for what it is—a place of death, he is inclined to hesitate about choosing such fellowship. Our Lord Jesus understands this well, but there is no other way since that is the manner in which He finished the work on our behalf. So He simply allows our needs to continue their relentless pressure until we finally bend to His inevitable way of the cross. We need to understand the Master is not asking us to do anything that He did not do. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.

As we begin to glory in the cross, our very own freedom is awakened from all that enslaves, from all that would keep us from fellowship with our risen Lord. Our shackles fall from us, and we are set free from the treadmill of sin that so many believers find themselves chained to. As we begin to take up our cross, our liberation, our freedom from God, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ, begins to become evident in our lives. In most circumstances, a child must come of certain age in order to draw proceeds from a trust fund. In the same manner, as we become more like our Master, the personally finished work held in trust for us so long patiently begins to be released by the Holy Spirit as we begin to evidence God’s image in our daily lives. Talk about your trust funds. There is no better investment.

How do we grow as a disciple or apprentice of the Master? How do we obtain this coveted freedom that we all desire? Jesus gives us the answer in John 8:31-32, “Jesus said to the people who believed in him,’You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned what is required to become and start growing as a disciple on the Trail of Discipleship. We must keep our eyes and our mind on the Master, emulating Him and learning from Him. We must become like Him.

Tomorrow we will continue on a parallel trail as we hike on the Trail of the Process of Discipleship, which will provide us with some practical advice about the process of becoming more like the Master. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 291 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Cross

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 07:03:26 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 291 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Cross

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 291 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 11^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Self-Denial. Today we will focus on one of the most important trails which is the Trail of The Cross.

The Trail of The Cross

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Paula had a long, but pleasant trip to Fort Myers on Tuesday to visit Aunt Pauline. Her aunt is very weak but is still living by herself. She has always been a very strong-willed person, but we are not sure how many more days on earth that God may grant to her. We are glad that our work situation and lifestyle allows for Paula to go and visit her on short notice. I was left to hold down the fort and have more work to do than hours in the day, so it was prudent that I remained in Charlotte although I would have liked to go. Paula is due back Friday night, and then we head to Marietta Ohio early on Saturday. We delayed returning to The Big House by a day so Paula could spend another day with Aunt Pauline.

As we move up the trail on our hike today, we are on the Trail of The Cross. The cross is where we gain our identity in Christ and the path to bring our image in line with God’s image. Until we learn how our lives as believers are completely integrated with Christ through the cross, we will have difficulty growing to maturity spiritually. This is the 12^th of 18 trails, which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – The Cross

Understanding and appropriating the facts of the cross proves to be one of the most difficult and trying of all phases for the growing believer. Our Lord holds His most vital and best things in store for those who desire to grow into a mature faith, for those who hunger and thirst for His very best as it is provided through our Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 5:6 tells us, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.” The believer’s understanding of the two aspects of the cross gives the key to both spiritual growth and life-giving service.

The cross is the starting point from which all Godly living must grow. We shall never know the experience of Christ’s victory in our lives until we are prepared to put our faith in His victory at the cross as the solution for our personal victory today.

There is no victory for us which was not first His. What we are to experience He purchased, and what He purchased for us we ought to experience. The beginning of the life of holiness is faith in the crucified Christ which sees more than His substitutionary work. It is a faith which sees yourself identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

As our Substitute, He went to the cross alone, without us, to pay the penalty of our sins. As our Representative, He took us with Him to the cross, and there, in the sight of God, we all died together with Christ. We may be forgiven because He died in our stead. We may be delivered because we died with Him. Through the crucifixion of the old man with Christ the believer has been made dead unto sin. He has been completely freed from sin’s power. He has been taken beyond sin’s grip, and the claim of sin upon him has been nullified. In our lives, the shackles of sin have been completely destroyed.

We are not left to deal with the old life ourselves. It has been dealt with by Christ on the cross. This is the fact which must be known since on that fact is built the New Testament principle and doctrine of holiness. In other words, the cross is as much the foundation for our spiritual growth as it was for us being made righteous in God’s sight. Both gifts spring from the same work and are two aspects of the same salvation.

Now, as long as the believer does not know this dual aspect of his salvation, the best he can do is seek to handle his sins through confession, which is after the damage has been done! 1 John 1:9 is clear that we are made clean, even when we do sin, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” This takes care of the penalty of our sins but not the source. Is it not time we allowed the Holy Spirit to get at the source and cut off this stream of sins before they are committed? Is this not infinitely better than the wreckage caused by sin even though confessed? When believers get sick and tired of spinning year after year in a spiritual squirrel cage—sinning, confessing, but then sinning again—they will be ready for God’s answer to the source of sin, which is death to self, brought forth from the completed work of the cross.

Our understanding of the finished work of our death to sin, in Christ at the cross, is God’s one way of deliverance—there is no other way because that is the way He did it. We learned not to add to a finished work in the matter of our salvation, and now we must learn not to add to the finished work of freedom from the shackles of sin. We will be freed when we enter His prepared freedom—there is no other. Romans 6:14 is clear, “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.”

God has taken the shackles of sin off, let us not put them back on. We need to accept the power of the cross by faith to live as Paul encouraged the church of the Galatians 5:13, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we have discovered that we have been set free on the Trail of The Cross. We must understand that the same power that saved us is the power we have available to live right before God as we grow spiritually to be in His image. Tomorrow we will begin a new hike on the Trail of Discipleship that will lead us along our trek of spiritual growth. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 290 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Self-Denial

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 16 Mar 2016 07:03:07 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 290 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Self-Denial

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 290 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 10^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Self. Today we will expand on yesterday’s trail, as we hike the Trail of Self-Denial.

Trail of Self-Denial

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has been a good week for work progress so far, and we have already completed several tasks that have been in the queue for a while and are making progress on others.

In a somewhat unexpected event, Paula headed to Fort Myers, Florida early Tuesday morning to spend a couple of days with her Aunt Pauline. She is not doing well, and it may be the last time she will be able to visit her. It’s a 12-hour drive, so it makes for a long trip to take alone. But, we both agreed that it would be best if I stayed and focused on our workload. Plus, it would be difficult to make arrangements on short notice for Paula’s mom who lives with us.

As we move from the Trail of Self, it is time now to hike a parallel trail called the Trail of Self-Denial. One of the most difficult tasks that we have in our lives is to deny ourselves those things which we crave. That could be food, drink, sex, power, or anything else that we struggle to overcome. Self-denial usually will not allow lasting victory through the struggles in our life because it is based on self. We established yesterday that left to ourselves, we will usually choose self over service to others or God. On our hike today, we will focus on why it requires a real change of heart and mind to grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and certainly spiritually.

This is the 11^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Self-Denial

Remember that I have mentioned several times previously that the word for heart and mind is used interchangeably within God’s Word. To keep it simple, I will refer to the mind throughout this hike today.

Until we are willing to change our thinking by what we allow going into our minds about ourselves and our commitment to God, we will continue on the roller coaster of spiritual chaos. Self-denial will never work long-term unless we change the way we think. We change the way we think by what we permit through the filters of our mind. This is why diets rarely work and addicts have such a difficult time breaking free from the chains that bind them. Although you may desire to be free, until and unless you see yourself as being completely free in your mind, you will eventually slip back into your old mindset.

In order to grow spiritually, you have to be convinced in your mind that it all happened at the cross of Christ. Your sins were paid for. Your sinfulness was dealt with. Both by the ultimate act, which is death. As Christ called out as he gave up His life, “It is finished.” You have already received the benefits of the work of the cross simply by grasping this truth and believing the finished work of the cross completely in your mind.

So the question is, “How is this applied to our lives?” First, through the Word, we find out what God did about our problem. Second, as we become thoroughly convinced in our minds of the fact then begin to understand it clearly, we are able to agree and understand this truth. Third, as we exercise faith in God’s fact, or in other words become fully convinced in our minds, we begin to receive the benefits of that finished work in our experiences of daily life. It was true of our faith in Christ for salvation, and it is true in the matter of our freedom from the slavery of the self-life. Then it no longer becomes denying ourselves but fully comprehending that Christ paid it all.

You may be asking, “How can you have this mindset change?” The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in Romans 12:1-2, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Changing the way you think is such a powerful concept. We do this by filtering out the impurities of this world through God’s Word so that what actually is filtered into our minds is pure and right.

An analogy to help us grasp this concept that I think most of us are familiar with is the Brita filter that you may have in a pitcher or faucet in your home. As the water, that may not be completely pure, goes through the filter, it traps all of the impurities and only allows pure water to pass through. In the same way, as we read, study, and meditate on God’s Word, it becomes the filter of our minds so that only true and right things pass through. This is best described in Philippians 4:8, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

As we learn to fix our minds on the finished work of the cross of Christ, the Holy Spirit will begin to faithfully and effectively apply that finished work of the cross to the self-life. This will allow our self-life to be held in the place of death, resulting in the truth of Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we have explored the truths on the Trail of Self-Denial. We have come to understand that the only way to have lasting spiritual growth is to change the way we think through changing what we allow to pass into our minds. Tomorrow we will begin a new hike on the Trail of The Cross where our entire identity in God is based. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 289 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Self

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 07:03:26 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 289 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Self

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 289 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 9^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Consecration. Today our hike takes us to the Trail of Self.

There is a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. These practical lessons were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. As we continue on each trail of our overall trek, I trust that you will also find this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Trail of Self

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We were able to take a break Sunday afternoon for a 4-mile walk as the weather was sunny and pleasant. Paula and I always enjoy our times of walking, as it spurs great conversations covering many aspects of our lives. Unless our plans change, we are heading back up to The Big House on Friday evening for a little over two weeks. We hope to get up there while the daffodils are still in bloom as we have missed seeing them in bloom the past couple of years. The daffodils come from ones that were around the property which my Granny planted, so they are special to us.

It is time to head out on our hike for today on the Trail of Self. This is a difficult trail because although we like to think of ourselves as being selfless, the contrary is true. Most of the thoughts that we have and the decisions that we make are centered on how we are going to benefit. Very few people, if any, are purely selfless in the decisions that they make. On our hike today, let us learn how to change our thinking about self when it comes to our relationship to God. This is the 10^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Self

One of the most important factors in Christian growth is the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the self-life to the believer. Self is the fleshly, carnal life of nature, the life of the first Adam described in Ephesians 2:1, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.” Even the Apostle Paul in the height of his ministry understood how difficult it is for us not to be a selfish person when he wrote Romans 7:18, “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.” Nowhere do spiritual principles mean more than here. Plato, with his “know thyself,” was more right than he knew but still only half right. Paul, in Galatians 2:20 says “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” and was 100% right!

In order for you to get beyond just knowing about the Lord Jesus and enter into a consistent and growing personal knowledge of and fellowship with Him, you must first come to know yourself. This is more than just introspection. It is the Holy Spirit guiding and teaching us through God’s Word and trusted mentors.

Here are a few items that we must learn first to grow from self-centered to Christ-centered:

Galatians 2:20 – My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
John 12:24 – I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.
Romans 6:5-6 – Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

We must continually be learning about ourselves. Self-revelation precedes divine revelation—that is a principle for both spiritual birth and spiritual growth. As a believer, if you are going through struggle and failure, it is very possible that you are being carefully and lovingly handled by his Lord in a very personal way. You are being taken through the experience (which sometimes lasts for years) of self-revelation and into death to your self so that you can be shaped into the image of God. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10-11, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”

God sometimes works in our life by paradox. Success comes through failure; victory comes through defeat; and yes, even life springs out of death. That is death to self. The only element in the believer’s life that crumbles away is that which has to go anyway. The new life can never be harmed or affected. Self will never cast out self.

Think of the analogy of the potter’s wheel. You start as a lump of clay and the master potter removes all the “self-parts” that are not to be part of the finished vessel. Another analogy is to think of the master goldsmith, by intense heat the gold is refined by removing all the dross that is not pure gold. Through God’s Spirit and His Word, He is the master potter and goldsmith working in our lives. So often the means utilized by the Spirit is adversity because most of the time we will not come to our sense of need until we feel the potter’s sculpting tools or the refiner’s fire.

We like to quote the verses Romans 8:28-29 as if God is going to work everything out for what we think is good, but let’s look at those verses again. The verses read, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” In these verses, God is working everything out for our good according to His purpose for us and His purpose for us is to make us become like His Son. Does that give these verses a bit of a different perspective to you? In order to become like His Son, we must have purged from our lives everything that is not in the image of God. That is difficult for all of us. Fortunately, it is not up to us to make that change, but Christ living in us that will. What is impossible with self is possible with God.

Someone has rightly said, “There are many ‘separated from the world’ Christians who are not ‘separated from themselves’ Christians.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we have explored the truths about self that are found on the Trail of Self. Through God’s Holy Spirit and His Word, we can trim away self to be the appropriate vessel that God has destined us to be. We are created in God’s image through this process. His image will shine through who we are. This is a gradual process as we grow and mature in our faith.

Tomorrow we will begin a new hike on the Trail of Self-Denial, where we will come to understand that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 288 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Consecration

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 07:03:44 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 288 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Consecration

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 288 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 7^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Identification. Today our hike takes us to the Trail of Consecration.

There is a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. These practical lessons were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. As we continue on each trial of our overall trek, I trust that you will also find this information valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Trail of Consecration

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We were able to make some good progress over the weekend, but I also felt the need to have some downtime to relax and recharge a bit. It has always been difficult for me to set aside the time to recharge. There is always so much to do, and I am energized by most of the projects that we are involved in. As I grow older and wiser, I do realize that all my activities, when consecrated to God, are worthwhile and beneficial. The times of rest and reflection are as important as the times of focus and pursuit.

Let us head out on the hike for today on the Trail of Consecration. The word consecration is not a word that is used much outside of religious circles but it means to be set apart for God. As we hike today, let us learn about this word and set this entire trek apart for God. This is the 9^th of 18 trails, which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Consecration

As we start out on today’s hike, we have to realize and understand that we do not have the capability to change other people in any aspects of life, and we certainly cannot force someone to be consecrated to God. It might be good to stress several points just here:

A Christ follower will never grow to healthy spiritual maturity through pressure, exhortation, or guilt. It is only when the Spirit has prepared a heart will a life change.
Healthy progress is based on the realization of a need combined with the understanding and appropriation of the truths in Christ which make for real growth.
The practical aspect of all truth and especially what are considered the deeper truths will not be evident until we are aware of our need to progress spiritually. If we do not become aware of our need, we will not grow spiritually and will remain an infant in Christ.

Hebrews 6:1 – “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God…”

This subject of consecration seems to be badly misunderstood by so many Christ followers. Many, especially those who are young in the Lord, have been victimized time and time again in this matter of surrender or commitment. The club most commonly used is “The Lord Jesus gave His all for you, now the least you can do is give your all for Him!” The believer is exhorted and pressured to consecrate, surrender, and commit his life to Christ on the basis of his love and gratitude for what has been done on his behalf – the crucifixion of Christ. It is like telling a toddler who has recently learned to walk that they are now expected to run a marathon race. Training for a marathon is a very slow and gradual process. It takes time, practice, proper eating, proper rest, and so much more. A toddler would not have the understanding, desire, or capability to do so.

As growing Christians, it takes time for us to see the necessity of going beyond the love motive to the life motive. We must grow so that our lives are lived for something beyond ourselves. Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Our consecration, surrender, or commitment will never last if we are just responding to outside pressures to be consecrated to God. It must be based on our recognition of our need for God to work through us, which will provide us the internal desire to make it happen. This desire is fueled by our love for God to do His will in all things. Yielding to God on any different basis will simply amount to our trying to live for Him without the strength to do so.

Romans 12:1 explains what God expects, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Until we have done this, there is nothing else we can do. This passage comes after Romans 6, which we explored yesterday, where we learned that we are crucified with Christ. There is a reason for this order—crucifixion comes before consecration. An uncrucified self refuses to be consecrated. This is why so many people with all sincerity are always recommitting themselves to God with little lasting change.

A careful study of all the letters of the Apostle Paul will show that they are written on the basis of the identification truths that we explored yesterday in Romans 6. Remember that we are identified with Christ in His Crucifixion, Burial, Resurrection, and Ascension in that order. The cross is the focal point of Romans 6 — the fact that God assigns our old fallen Adam-life to the cross where it died from God’s perspective. Our new life is in Christ and our consecration, or setting apart, to God is summarized in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we have discovered the treasure that is found on the Trail of Consecration. If we desire to be “set apart” for God, then we must fully grasp the truths found in Galatians [2:20]. Just like our trek of life each day on our Wisdom-Trek, the consecration of ourselves to God is a gradual process as we grow and mature in our faith. Tomorrow we will begin a new hike on the Trail of Self, and I think most of us realize that “self” is a difficult trail to conquer. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 287 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Identification

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 07:03:44 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 287 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Identification

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 287 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked on the 7^th trail of this trek, which was the Trail of Appropriation. Today our hike takes us to the Trail of Identification.

Trail of Identification

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This weekend is focused on finalizing some company tax work and preparing returns for family members. Once we finish those up, we will be able to focus on our personal return. We did make further progress on business planning projects that we set aside because of our heavy workload.

For so many of us, our identity of who we are is tied to the work that we do. I fall victim to this thinking and have to continually remind myself that we should consider our work as the platform for which we create and live our legacy. The positive impact that we have on others’ lives is most important. With that, we did take a break from our work for a great nephew’s birthday party on Saturday, and we do plan to worship with our local congregation at church on Sunday. We may also get outdoors on Sunday for a nice long walk.

As we consider our identity, as Christ followers, our identity should be in Christ, which is why today on our hike on the Trail of Identification we will explore the various aspects of how we are to identify with Christ. This will give us a focus of what to consider and how this applies to our spiritual lives. This is the 8^th of 18 trails, which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Identification

As we head out on our hike for today, our direction moves from the core truths of our new birth in Christ to the discovery of what we would call the growth truths. The primary passage to understand our identification with Christ is Romans 6. We will dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found in that passage.

The very foundation of Christianity is Christ in us. The Christian life is Christ living His life in and through the believer. The life of Christ is reproduced in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is a new life with new relationships. When Christ resided in a physical body while on earth, he was restricted by the limitations of that physical body. This is why after his ascension into heaven he sent the Spirit of Truth that could reside in all believers at once, allowing His impact to be much greater found in John 16:13-14, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”

Our identification with Christ is such a crucial element for a believer. Today we will barely scratch the surface of what this means. There are four essential ways that we have our identification in Christ. Those are:

We are identified with Christ in His Crucifixion.
We are identified with Christ in His Burial.
We are identified with Christ in His Resurrection.
We are identified with Christ in His Ascension.

While I could write a lot about each of these points, all four of these points are covered in Romans 6:1-11, so I will read it first and then wrap it up with a few comments,

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? ²Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? ³Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? ⁴For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

⁵Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. ⁶We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. ⁷For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. ⁸And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.¹⁰When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. ¹¹So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

There is a lot that is contained in these 11 verses. It would do us all well to meditate on all that is there. But, let’s look briefly at the four points.

· Crucifixion

All of our needs as sinners have been fully provided for in the cross of Jesus. Christ paid our sin debt. He died to set us free from our spiritual death. When Christ died, we died with Him. We are identified with His death. When did we die to sin? Romans 6:2 is past tense. We died to sin when we put our faith in Christ as our personal Savior.

· Burial

We who have died with Christ have also been buried with Christ. Our burial with Christ is beautifully pictured in the ordinance of baptism. In Romans 6:4, the baptism that is referred to here is not water baptism. It is the baptism of the Holy Spirit by which we were made part of the body of Christ. Water baptism is a sign or symbol of that, but the essential thing here is the baptism of the Spirit. We become united with Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.

· Resurrection

Believers have been resurrected to new life with Christ. Because of our co-resurrection with Christ we walk in a new kind of life. Our relationship to Christ is symbolized by the union of marriage in scripture. By His death, we were liberated, and by the co-resurrection, we produce righteousness unto God. Romans 6:5 says that “Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.”

· Ascension

God’s solution to our sin problem was to put us to death with Christ. He put us in the grave with Christ to remove us from the old realm in which we operated. He raised us out of the grave with Christ to bring us into a new kind of life. We have been co-crucified, co-buried and co-resurrected with Christ in order to walk in the newness of life with Christ. Christ lives His life in us.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we just barely scratched the surface of the riches that are found on the Trail of Identification. For today it is sufficient that we grasp that since we are identified with Christ, we should no longer act as if we are not.

Tomorrow we will begin a new hike on the Trail of Consecration. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 286 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Appropriation

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 12 Mar 2016 08:03:39 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 286 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Appropriation

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 286 of our trek. Yesterday we finished our hike on the 6^th trail of this trek which was the Trail of Complete in Him.

Today we head onto the Trail of Appropriation. There is a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. This book contains a series of practical lessons which were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Trail of Appropriation

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As we wrap up another busy week, it is our hope to utilize the weekend for additional business planning that we need to put in place. Even after all the years that we have been in business, it continues to be a balancing act of good priorities and plans. It sometimes becomes difficult to be patient and know how to exactly appropriate the time for all the activities that we would like to accomplish.

As we look at hiking the Trail of Appropriation today, especially during this election season in the U.S., it brings to mind how the various government entities appropriate funds for certain specific reasons. Once those monies are set aside, they are not to be used for other purposes. While that gives us some basis for the word appropriation, let us explore today how this would apply to our spiritual lives. This is the 7^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Appropriation

Appropriation is an important subject that has to do with our faith and the practical reception of that which we are able to trust God for. Appropriation does not necessarily mean to gain something new but to set aside for our practical possession something that already belongs to us. In the government analogy, it is the setting aside certain government funds for a specific purpose.

In order to appropriate something for our daily walk in Christ, there are two essentials: (1.) to see what is already ours in Christ and (2.) to be aware of our need for it. These two factors of seeing and needing bring us from childish meandering into a responsible, specific walk of faith. They take us from the “help me” attitude to that of giving thanks; from begging to appropriation. If we examine Ephesians 1:3 we realize that all of the spiritual blessings from God are already set aside for us, all we need to do is to be prepared to accept them, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

This verse does not leave any room for interpretation. It is much more ironclad than if the government would appropriate or set aside resources for a particular purpose. This is God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms…It is all done. It is finished. This verse is either true, or God is a liar and a sham. I know I fall into this same trap of asking, and sometimes pleading God to bless in certain areas in my life and the life of others. It is hard to understand that God has already blessed us, it is up to us to recognize and accept that appropriation of blessings that are set aside for us.

There is an element that we have not recognized yet, so let’s go back to the government analogy. If a government sets aside a certain amount of resources for a particular program, they do not send the full amount up front in hopes that it will be utilized appropriately. In the same manner, all the spiritual blessings are not poured out on us at once because most of us would not handle them correctly. Let me explain the critical phase, the key to it all. In most instances of appropriation, there is a waiting period between the acceptance and the receiving, often many years. Our responsibility is to patiently wait on God during the time necessary for Him to work into our character and our life that which we have appropriated in Christ. As it says in Isaiah 64:4, “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!”

Let me break this down in another example. As the result of the work of His cross and as the grand issue of Christ resurrection, eternal life is received already by those who believe. As with the other blessings, although it has appropriated to us, we have yet to experience the sinless life that will be ours in the eternity future.

Many believers don’t grow beyond the infancy of salvation, so is it any wonder why the other appropriated blessings have not been received. Because of this, many of us don’t receive what has been fully appropriated (set aside) for us. Jesus mentioned this in the verse that I often mention on our Wisdom-Trek, which is John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” So the question for you at this point is, “Are you growing and maturing in your faith so that you can receive all that is available for you today?”

Within this past section, we have seen a third element involved in our appropriation. After we understand our possessions and blessings in Christ and become aware of our need to grow and mature, then we must give God the necessary time to work the appropriation into our everyday walk. If we are looking for our needs to be met in the next job that we take, the next relationship that we establish, the next book we read, or the next purchase that we make, then reality will never come.

In the matter of Christian development, there is no shortcut, no quick and easy way. God builds into the believer that which He intends to have flow through them to others. In order to provide a living legacy to others, what you do and say must flow from who you are at your core. Who you are comes from your source of strength, the provider of your spiritual blessings. Hebrews 3:14 explains, “For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.” The blessings that are appropriated for us are too great for us to understand as Ephesians 3:19 proclaims, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

Receiving the appropriation of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms does take time for us to mature and to grow spiritually. God is in no hurry and desires most of all for us to grow into His image. As Hebrews 10:36 tells us, “Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we learned much on our Trail of Appropriation. All spiritual blessings are ours, let us be patient in our receiving of those blessings. Tomorrow we will begin a new hike on the Trail of Identification. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 285 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Complete in Him #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 08:03:55 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 285 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Complete in Him #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 285 of our trek. Yesterday we hiked the first part of our 6^th trail of this trek, which is the Trail of Complete in Him. Today we will finish this same trail.

There is a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. This book contains a series of practical lessons and was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen and read the daily journal.

Complete in Him

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Wednesday, it was time again for my annual physical and blood work, so unless there are any surprises with the lab results, I should be good for another year. Since I am very dedicated to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I do not expect anything out of normal ranges. Although it does take a little more effort on a daily basis to stay focused on exercising and eating properly, it is part of the overall holistic life that we have chosen to live. This is part of being a complete person physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. None of us is perfect in all of these areas all the time, but we need to incorporate into our lives the habits to help us reach these objectives.

So I will ask you the same question that we started with yesterday again, “Are you living a complete life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?” All areas are important, but for our hike today, we want to focus on the spiritual aspect as we hike the second part of the Trail of Complete in Him. This is one of the foundational principles that we need to address in our life. This is the 6^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Complete in Him #2

We covered a lot of trail on yesterday’s hike on how we are complete in Christ. If you missed that podcast, it would be best that you listen to it or read the daily journal. One of the suggested practices for spiritual growth to understand what it means to be complete in Christ is to spend time meditating on God’s Word and in prayer. This is a very important concept if we are to effectively hike the Trail of Complete in Him. In chapter one of the book of John, Christ is referred to as the Word. Let’s look at verses 1-5 and 14, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

In our finite mind, we do not have the capacity to comprehend how God, his Son Jesus Christ (the Word), and the Spirit can be three distinct entities and yet divinely one. By faith, we must accept the premise of the revelation that the one human personality which is Jesus Christ, who is our Mediator and through Him we are made complete. With the entrance of Christ into us on a personal level, the Divine life becomes part of us. This is a gradual and growing transformation of us individually becoming more like Christ as we comprehend and accept that we are complete only in Him.

Gradual and Growing Transformation

This is a complex concept, so let’s look at it from this analogy. A seed embodies in full the reproduction of the life from which it came. Everything that is needed for a fully developed plant that produces a harvest is contained (or complete) within that seed. A couple of interesting points to this analogy is that the seed must die to bring new life, just as we must die to self so that Christ can live through us. Also, each type of seed produces a different type of plant. We are not all the same. We will have different talents, gifts, and abilities, which we can use to impact the world in our own unique way. So for me being complete in Christ may very well be different than what it is for you. This concept is explained in 1 Corinthians 15:36-38, “When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed.”

When the seed of faith is planted in us, just like an actual seed, the entire question is one of growth and maturity. The development of the divine life in the Christian is like the natural growth in the vegetable world. We do not need to make any special effort, only place ourselves under the conditions favorable to such growth. This brings us back to the concept that for us to have the proper nutrients to grow and produce a harvest, we must take the time to meditate on the Word, which is Christ, and be in communion with the One, who is the source of all life.

You might be thinking, how can I know if I am growing properly and what should the harvest in my life be? First, realize that it will take time, so be patient. We cannot force the harvest before its time. As we allow more of Christ to be assimilated in us, we will start to reflect the completeness of Christ through the fruit that we are producing in our lives. This harvest is listed for us in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

We are complete in Him for God has been provided everything that we need, it is up to us to acknowledge and accept it. 2 Peter 1:3 – By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

Let me ask you this question again today, “Do you understand and realize that you are complete in Christ?” If so, is your life reflecting the harvest of fruit that is mentioned in Galatians 5? On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we explored the second part of the Trail of Complete in Him. A crucial element for us to understand the concept of being complete in Him is to spend time in communion with the Word, which is Christ.

Tomorrow we will begin a new hike on the Trail of Appropriation. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 284 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Complete in Him #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 08:03:29 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 284 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Complete in Him #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 284 of our trek. Yesterday we finished hiking our 5^th trail of this trek, which is the Trail of Preparation. Today and tomorrow we head out on our new trail called the Trail of Complete in Him. There is a total of 18 trails on the trek we call the Principles of Spiritual Growth, which is adapted from a short book written by Miles J. Stanford. This book contains a series of practical lessons and was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy.

I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen and read the daily journal.

The Trail of Complete in Him

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has been a beautiful early spring week here in Charlotte, and although I love the work we do, when the weather is nice, it sure makes this farm boy want to get outdoors and enjoy it.

On a different topic, another podcast in which I was interviewed on “Being a Better Man” was released this week. The podcast is hosted by Alf Hergistad and focuses on helping men to live an impactful life, especially on the lives of younger men. It is important that we take the time to help impact the lives of others, and I was privileged to have another opportunity to share our focus on legacy. We want to live complete and full lives.

The question for today is, “Are you living a complete life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?” All areas are important, but for our hike today, we want to focus on the spiritual aspect as we hike the Trail of Complete in Him. Our spiritual core needs Christ to complete us. This is the 6^th of 18 trails, which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Complete in Him #1

On today’s trail, we continue to deal with foundational facts of our spiritual growth since our life can be no better than our root, our source. Growth should include a maturing process. Youth and immaturity tend to act first and think later, if at all. If we mature properly, we learn to take the time to assess the facts. God, our patient father, is willing for us to take time and learn the eternal facts without which we cannot be brought to maturity.

When Jesus was on earth, he so often used natural facts to teach the deepest spiritual truths. He first teaches us about our natural life that we have in Adam before we can understand and appreciate our new spiritual Christ-life. Genesis 5:3 tells us that all humans took on Adam’s image or attributes, “When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him—in his very image. He named his son Seth.” This involves the source principle of inherited traits, or in the country we would say that you are the spitting image of Adam. Every believer first learns that he is complete in Adam. Romans 5:19a – Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. Or as Romans 7:18a states, “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.” This sinful nature could also be thought of as the inherited image we have from the first Adam.

God, through our failures and struggles, has taught us about the natural. This prepares us to take on the image of the 2^nd Adam, which is Christ. Romans 5:19b – But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Think about the image we take on from what we inherited in Christ as found in Colossians 2:9-10, “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”

There are two main aspects to this 2^nd source principle:

First, the Lord Jesus is the source of our Christian life. We were born into Him; God has made us complete in Him. This first truth we are to hold by faith; it is true of each of us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
Second, as we hold to this fact by faith, we are brought into the practical reality of this principle day by day in our experience. Little by little we receive that which is already ours. The important thing to know and be sure of is the full inheritance is ours; we are complete in Him. This fact enables us to remain at peace while God patiently works into our character the rich and satisfying life which is hidden with Christ in God.

Since we are complete in our Lord Jesus, we do not need to add to that finished work. It is now a matter of walking by faith on our daily trek and receiving what is already guaranteed to us from the ever-abundant source within.

Think of it in this manner…Christ’s resurrection was our resurrection to a life of holiness. In the same manner, Adam’s fall was our fall into spiritual death. We did not create our new holy nature; Christ did. We did not create our original corruption. That was based on Adam’s choice. Both are formed ready for us to share in them.

When we choose to sin, we become in union with Adam in death. In the same manner, when we choose to follow Christ and to be in union with Him, we partake of that spiritual life. Christ took possession of us at His resurrection, and thereby we are enabled to bring forth a great harvest of good deeds. This is clearly stated in Romans 7:4, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.”

Our part is not the production of good deeds within ourselves but the reception of our life in Christ. This entails the Bible-based truth of explicit faith in God and His purpose for us in Christ. It also requires patient trust while God takes us through the necessary processing involved. We do not fall into spiritual maturity, even though we are complete in Christ. Spiritual growth necessitates heart-hunger for Christ, determination, assurance, meditation, and prayer to take hold of that which is already ours in Him. We will never come into the knowledge of our spiritual possessions through a superficial understanding of the Word. How can we ever expect to have intimate fellowship with one we know little of?

Let me ask you this question today, “Do you understand and realize that you are complete in Christ?” Through the trek of spiritual growth, which does take patience and time, we can realize the rich and satisfying life that is already ours for the taking.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we explored the first part of Trail of Complete in Him. On our daily trek, let us grasp the concept of the inheritance that is ours. Tomorrow we will continue with some additional mile markers of learning as we finish to hike the Trail of Complete in Him.

Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 283 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Preparation #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 08:03:38 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 283 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Preparation #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 283 of our trek. Yesterday and today we are hiking our 5^th trail which is the Trail of Preparation. This entire 18 trail trek which we are currently navigating is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford.

This book contains a series of practical lessons and was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of where you happen to be on your faith trek. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen and read the daily journal.

Hiking the Trail of Preparation

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our youngest son Fred was able to come over on Tuesday night for dinner, and we worked together on preparing his income tax return. Since we have been involved in tax preparation for companies and individuals for many years, we count it a privilege to assist him, at least until he feels comfortable enough to handle it on his own.

Paula finished up another quilt this week for a great niece who was born last month. We have three more nieces expecting so Paula’s quilt-making calendar is full. Her quilts are all beautiful, and she makes each one unique. I do help her in the preparation stage by going with her to select the fabrics, which provides us an enjoyable break from our otherwise busy workload.

Preparation in any aspect of life is important, and to have solid spiritual growth, God needs to prepare our hearts and minds. Let us continue today on the 2^nd part of the Trail of Preparation. This is the 5^th of 18 trails, which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Preparation #2

On the first part of the Trail of Preparation, we learned that solid growth takes time and may be filled with struggles. As we fulfill God’s purpose in our lives by becoming more like His image, we are also instructed that we can find rest from the struggles in Christ.

None of us like struggles and failures in our lives, but that is what life is made of. We need to acknowledge this fact, and accept life as it is, not as we wish it were. Much of God’s preparation in our lives consists of setting up this struggle, which allows us to see self for what it is, and the struggle to get free from its evil power and influence.

Life is made up of struggles and failures – Keep pushing anyways

Paul described this in his letter to the Church found in Romans 7:18, “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.” There is no hope of consistent abiding in the Lord Jesus as long as we are under the dominion of the self-life. So is there any hope? Yes, there is, as we explored on our trail yesterday in Galatians 2:20, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Once we are willing to allow God to unlock and remove the shackles of our old nature, we can then be set free. Oh yes, the struggle will continue. We have become accustomed to, and in a strange way, enjoy the shackles of life, but once removed, we do not have to allow them to restrict us. Our personal, heartbreaking failure in every phase of our Christian life is our Father’s preparation for His success on our behalf. This negative processing of His finally brings us into His positive promise of Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” His “good work” in us is begun through our failure and will continue on into His success by His performance and not ours. Philippians 2:13 – For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. There is no question that we all began our faith trek by sheer grace, and we must continue and arrive on the very same basis. The shackles have been unlocked and removed, we should not be putting them back on ourselves as Galatians 5:1 tells us, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

We have been set free through no effort of our own. John 8:36 tells us, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” We need to grasp an important concept here. The effortless life is not the will-less life. We use our will to believe, to receive, but not to exert effort in trying to accomplish what only God can do. Our hope for victory over sin is not “Christ plus our efforts,” but “Christ plus our receiving.” To receive victory from Him is to believe His Word that solely by His grace He is, this moment, freeing us from the shackles of sin. And to believe on Him in this way is to recognize that He is doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We learned this principle at the time of our spiritual birth, and it seems that most of us have to learn it all over again for our spiritual growth and service.

As part of our preparation to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives, which is to make us into his image through Christ, we can expect difficulties on our trek of life. Why do we doubt His love for us when our trail is scattered with rocks and obstacles? During those difficult days, we would do well to remember Romans 8:35-39, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Let me ask you this question today, “Are you ready for the overwhelming victory that is yours through Christ?” If so, then you must also be ready to go through the preparation necessary for that victory.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we explored the second part of Trail of Preparation. Let’s keep the shackles off of us so that we become more like Christ and enjoy the victory that is ours. During the next two days, we will hike the Trail of Complete in Him, where we will discover that we have everything that we need for the trek of life, which God has prepared for us in the future. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 282 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Preparation #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 08:03:10 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 282 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Preparation #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 282 of our trek. Yesterday we finished hiking on our 4^th trail on our current trek, which is the Trail of Purpose. Today and tomorrow we will hike our 5^th trail which is the Trail of Preparation.

This entire 18 trail trek that we are currently navigating is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford. This book contains a series of practical lessons and was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We have a variety of activities scheduled for this week. I am being interviewed on The Positivity Effect Podcast, we have one more company tax return and several personal tax returns to work on, we have time set aside for work on Your Life Plan Blueprint, and we have our usual client work to accomplish. It should be a busy but productive week. We have prepared well and will forge ahead taking one day at a time.

Speaking of preparing, before we set out on our daily activities for our trek of life, we need to make sure that we do prepare for whatever we may encounter. It is now time to break camp for today and head out on our new hike for the first part of the Trail of Preparation. This is the 5^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Preparation #1

We have already hiked the trails of faith, time, acceptance, and purpose. Once we know God’s eternal plan and purpose for us, we need to understand His method and process of preparation. In doing so, we will be able to reach the place of rest and confidence. Anytime we desire to grow, we must first understand our need. In the same manner, God’s basic ingredient for growth is need. Without the understanding of our personal needs, we will not grow in our Christian life. The reason our Father creates and allows needs in our lives is to shift our focus from all the religious trappings that are outside of Christ, centering us in Him alone. As part of this preparation process, we need to integrate the concept of Galatians 2:20 into our lives, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

For both our growth and our service, it is all essential that we see and understand this principle. When we understand our need for Christ to live in us, it causes us to reach out and appropriate by faith, from our Lord Jesus, the strength which we require. The simple fact in everyone’s life is that the true value of anything is known only when it is desired. If we do not desire something, we will never know our need for it. God makes Himself known to us through our needs. Those needs could be material needs, but it is likely that we will determine that we can work to fill our material needs. Spiritual needs are something quite different. We can never fill our spiritual needs apart from God’s Spirit living in us.

In this light, our needs are invaluable! We must face up to the fact that without spiritual hunger, we cannot feed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 5:6 should mean much to every one of us, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”

All too often believers are encouraged and even pressured to grow before there is an acute awareness of their need, before there is true spiritual hunger. True and lasting growth of any kind comes through the proper planting, watering, nourishment, and environmental conditions. Spiritual growth is no different.

In many instances when there is real heart hunger for spiritual growth, there is very little spiritual nourishment offered. Spiritual nourishment can come from wise and Godly counselors, but it also requires that we individually take the time and effort to acquire this nourishment through meditation on God’s Word and through prayer. The timing and conditions must be right, and we must be prepared for growth. Jesus understood this as he was preparing for his crucifixion and told his disciples in 16:12-14, “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”

We must be prepared ourselves before our lives will generate a hunger for Christ in others. This is part and parcel to us living a legacy each day so that we can leave a legacy for eternity.

Watchman Nee puts first things first in saying, “God does not set us here first of all to preach or to do any work for Him. The first thing for which He sets us here is to create in others a hunger for Himself… No true work will ever begin in a life without first of all a sense of need being created…We cannot inject spiritual appetite by force into others; we cannot compel people to be hungry. Hunger has to be created, and it can be created in others only by those who carry with them the impressions of God.” One of the main reasons why so much evangelistic effort and personal witnessing comes to little or nothing is that truths are forced on the “victims” to be saved before they are aware that they are lost.

There will be many seasons of preparation within our lives where our trek appears difficult. That is part of shaping us and conforming us to fulfill our primary life purpose, which is to be in God’s image. These times of preparation are needed if our life is to be Christ-centered, our walk controlled by the Holy Spirit, and our service glorifying to God. Sooner or later, the Holy Spirit begins to make us aware of our basic problem as believers—the infinite difference between self and Christ.

During these times of preparation and growth, we will grow tired, we will become discouraged, and we will be tempted to lose hope. Remember if we want to stand strong like the oak tree, it will take many years before we are able to produce a bountiful harvest. We are not in this season of preparation by ourselves. Jesus gives us a place to rest during the difficult uphill climbs on our trek of life. Matthew 11:28-30, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we explored the first part of the Trail of Preparation. Preparation is usually not easy, or considered enjoyable, but it is necessary to grow and flourish. Tomorrow we will continue on this trail and learn more valuable lessons about preparation. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 281 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Purpose #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 08:03:52 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 281 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Purpose #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 281 of our trek. Yesterday and today we are hiking on our 4^th trail on our current trek which is the Trail of Purpose.

This entire 18 trail trek is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford. This practical information was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We made good progress with the tax returns and other financial work that we needed to accomplished this weekend, which gives us a great sense of accomplishment. We were also able to attend our local church here in Charlotte. With us traveling back and forth to Ohio, we are only able to attend the services once or twice a month. It is always good to worship with our local Christ followers as we have the opportunity.

As we start this new work week, it is now time to break camp for today and head out on the 2^nd part of the Trail of Purpose. This is the 4^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Purpose #2

Yesterday on the first part of the Trail of Purpose, we came to understand that regardless of our status or situation on our trek of life, our purpose in life is to reflect and then become more like God’s image. This is possible as 2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

It is one thing to know what God’s purpose is for our lives, and it is quite another to know how we integrate that purpose into the very fabric of our lives. One of God’s most effective means is through the process of failure. Most people, including believers, are simply frantic over the fact of failure in their lives. We will go to all lengths in trying to hide it, ignore it, or rationalize about it. All the time we may very well be resisting the main instrument in the Father’s hand for conforming us to the image of His Son!

Failure, where self is concerned in our Christian life, is allowed and often engineered by God. His purpose is to turn us completely from ourselves to His source for our life—Christ Jesus, who never fails. Instead of dreading failure, we are to rejoice in our need and hunger of the heart. Jesus told us in Matthew 5:6, “God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.”

We integrate more and more of God’s image as we recognize the fact that our old nature has been crucified with Christ which is told to us in Galatians 2:20, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

By our very nature, we will conform to those things in life that we focus our attention, interest, admiration, love, and time. In his book The Great Stone Face, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote this sentence, “Then, too, think of Germany some years ago, full of little Hitlers all because of fanatical devotion to a second-rate paper hanger!” Are we so different in our culture today? We have radio, TV, movies, and the internet that contribute to a rising generation of people young and old who try to emulate their entertainment or sports heroes.

The Great Stone Face

What about the believer? If we are attracted to this present evil world, we become increasingly worldly. If we pamper and live for self, we become more and more self-centered. On the other hand, when we look to Jesus Christ, we become more and more like Him. Think about this…If we are to be like Christ, then God in His grace must be the change agent. The sooner we come to recognize this the sooner we will be delivered from the shackles that keep us imprisoned within our self-centered world. In everything, we take on the attributes and habits of what we focus on. We cannot and will not fulfill our purpose of becoming like God’s image through our own efforts. Throw down every endeavor and say, you cannot do it on your own, the more you try, the farther you get from His likeness. God is the only one who holds the keys that will unlock our shackles. What should you do? In Matthew 11:28, Jesus gives us the answer, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'”

I will give you rest.

Don’t try to be like Him, just come to Him and look to Him. Just be occupied with Him. Forget about trying to be like Him. Instead of letting that fill your mind and heart, let Him fill it. Just behold Him, look upon Him through the Word. Come to the Word for one purpose and that is to meet the Lord. Not to get your mind crammed full of things about the sacred Word, but come to it to meet the Lord. Don’t necessarily strive for Biblical scholarship, but in fellowship with Christ. Observe the Lord. Learn to meditate on God’s Word, which is Christ. As David wrote in Psalms 145:5, “I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor, and your wonderful miracles.”

As we allow God’s Word to permeate the very fabric of our lives, it will help us to understand Philippians 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” And what is His “working in you?” He is working everything together for this one purpose: 2 Corinthians 4:11 says, “Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies.” Also so that we can live for Him. Philippians [1:21] –For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we explored the second part of Trail of Purpose. On these two days, we discovered that God’s purpose for our lives is to take on His image through His son, our savior Jesus Christ. As we become more like Christ, it will then become clear what particular trails that we will need to complete on our trek of life to fulfill that purpose. For most of us, it may not be anything out of the ordinary, it will just require that we remain faithful in our everyday tasks of life. We will have the most positive impact on our world if we continue on steadfastly with consistency and persistence doing our best each day. Keep in mind that we are to live our legacy today, so that we will leave a legacy for generations to come.

During the next two days, we will hike the Trail of Preparation where we will explore how to prepare for the trek of life that God has for us in the future. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 280 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Purpose #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 08:03:52 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 280 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Purpose #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 280 of our trek. For the past two days, we hiked the Trail of Acceptance. Today we are heading out on the first part of the 4^th trail which is the Trail of Purpose.

This entire 18 trail trek is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford. This practical information was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we will hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We had the privilege of voting early in the primary elections on Friday. Regardless of your political persuasion, I encourage everyone to invest the time to exercise your right to vote. It is one of the many reasons the U.S. is a great nation.

This weekend we are focused on completing company tax returns for our two companies and a couple of client companies. Once we are done with those, we can then move onto the several personal tax returns that we must do for ourselves and family members. All of our work with clients and family certainly adds to our purpose on this trek of life.

It is now time to break camp for today and head out on a new hike on the Trail of Purpose. This is the 4^th of 18 trails which makes up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Purpose #1

Do you ever wonder what your purpose in life is? I think we all have those thoughts at times. How wonderful and encouraging it is to know that our Heavenly Father has made it crystal clear in His Word exactly what His purpose is for each one of us. During these two days, we will explore His overriding purpose for your personal life.

Let’s start at the beginning, when man and woman were created. In Genesis 1:26 it tells us that “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us…'” The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, were made in God’s image in the realm of personality, intellect, emotions, will, and choice. This was so that there could be communion, fellowship, and cooperation between them; with God sovereign and man subject—subject to His will, which is perfect freedom. But, we know that Adam and Eve chose their own way in preference to God’s way, relying on themselves only, loving just themselves. As a result, they immediately became self-centered instead of God-centered. They were dead to God, who is the source of all life, dead in trespasses and sins. In this self-centered condition, Genesis 4 and 5 describe how Adam and Eve had children of their own, in their image, including their disobedient character traits. These inherited traits were passed down to all humans from that point forward as mentioned in Ephesians 2:1, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.”

Adam and Eve’s wrong choices, and by extension our own choices, are not the end of God’s story. In ourselves, we have failed to maintain the character of God, so he provided an alternate solution. This is found in Hebrews 1:1-3, “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.”

Jesus is the image of God back on earth. 1 Corinthians 15:45 – The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.” But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.

Our natural birth made us members of the fallen, sinful first-Adam race. Our transition from the old sinful race to the new godly race is known as the “new birth.” Romans 5:19 explains this transition, “Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.”

Our Heavenly Father is still carrying out His purpose of making man in His image. Although His original purpose is the same, He is not using the original man to bring it about. All is now centered in the Last Adam, our Lord Jesus. As 2 Peter 1:4 puts it, “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

Although God sees us “in Christ” and in right standing before Him, we still have those inherited traits of the first man, but not forever as 1 Corinthians 15:49 explains, “Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.”

The familiar verse that is often quoted when we hit a rough patch in life and know that God is working through it is Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

What is God’s good purpose for us mentioned in verse 28? It is explained in verse 29: God’s original purpose of making us in His image, which is now centered and expressed in His Son, Christ, who is our life. Paul compares our spiritual growth to labor pains in Galatians 4:19, “Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.”

The open secret of healthy spiritual growth is to know and settle upon this fact as outlined in Romans 8:28-29. When we see that all things are working together to make us more and more like the Lord Jesus, we will not be frustrated and upset when life’s trek is hard, difficult to understand, and often contains an element of death – at least to our old nature. We will be able to rest in our Lord Jesus, have a constant attitude of faith, and say to our Father the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:10, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, today we explored the first part of Trail of Purpose as we learned that our primary purpose is to be made into God’s image. On tomorrow’s hike, we will take what we explored today and learn how to put it into practice in our daily trek. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

The journal for today’s trek can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 279 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Acceptance #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 08:03:42 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 279 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Acceptance #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 279 of our trek. Yesterday and today we are hiking the Trail of Acceptance. The entire 18 trail trek is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford.

This practical information was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will also find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we will hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. On a personal note, Paula is finally finishing up one of the last major details of her quest of braces, which started nearly six years ago. She had the rare situation where she still had five baby teeth that never fell out. She had to have those pulled before getting her braces, so the orthodontist shifted her teeth to leave a place for a molar to be implanted. The permanent implant was put in today, and now she has a mouth full of straight teeth. We are so pleased. One minor adjustment to her retainer next week, and this project will be complete. How our teeth look does impact our self-image and our perceived acceptance by others.

As we continue on our hike of the Trail of Acceptance today, we once again consider what it means to be accepted by others, but most importantly, how we perceive that God accepts us. The thought of acceptance is part of our hike on our 3rd of 18 trails, which make up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Acceptance #2

As we continue from yesterday, we have come to realize that God’s acceptance of us is unconditional and based solely on His acceptance of us in Christ. Christ bought our full pardon so that we are no longer under any condemnation.

The Holy Spirit always reasons down from what God is, and this produces a total change in your soul. It is not that you necessarily dislike it when you live contrary to God’s precepts. In fact, you may quite well be enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin, as is mentioned in Hebrews [11:25]. Let’s look at how the Holy Spirit reasons. He shows us what we are in ourselves without God. That is one reason why the Spirit often seems to be very difficult and does not give peace to the soul because we are not comforted until we experientially, from our hearts, acknowledge what we are.

Until our soul comes to that point where we accept the Spirit’s leading and in agreement of our need for God, He does not give it peace. He could not. Anything less would be like placing a tiny Band-Aid on a gaping wound. The soul has to go on until it finds there is nothing to rest on but the goodness of God, and then we can acknowledge what Roman 8:31 says, “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”

Sadly today, most believers actually reason just the opposite—from themselves to God. When all is going well and God seems to be blessing, then it is that we feel He loves and accepts us. But, when we are stumbling and everything seems dry and hard, then we feel that He does not love and accept us. How can this be? There is nothing about us to commend us to God, our acceptance is solely in Christ. We don’t like to acknowledge this, but the fact is that most of our true spiritual development comes through the dry and hard times. Thank God, He has accepted us in His Son, and upon this fact, we must rest our faith. Our acceptance is by grace alone.

There is nothing within us as to why God’s grace should be shown to us. There is no action that we can perform that would merit His grace…We have been accepted in Christ, who is our standing! We are not “on probation.” As far as our past life is concerned, it does not exist before God. We died at the cross, and Christ is our Life. Grace, once given, cannot be withdrawn, for God knew all the human demands beforehand. God’s actions are independent of ours, not dependent upon them.

· The Proper Attitude of the Man or Woman Under Grace

To believe, and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the great secret.
To refuse to make “resolutions” and “vows,” for that is to trust in the flesh.
To expect to be blessed, though realizing more and more lack of worth…
To rely on God’s chastening [child training] hand as a mark of His kindness…

· Things Which Gracious Souls Discover

To “hope to be better” [that is acceptable] is to fail to see yourself in Christ only.
To be disappointed with yourself is to have believed in yourself.
To be discouraged is unbelief, as to God’s purpose and plan of blessing for you.
To be proud, is to be blind, for we have no standing before God, in ourselves.
The lack of Divine blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, and not from a failure of devotion…

To preach devotion first, and blessing second, is to reverse God’s order, and preach law, not grace. The law made man’s blessing depend on devotion. Grace confers undeserved, unconditional blessing. Our devotion may follow, but does not always do so in proper measure.

Let me ask you a couple of questions:

Have you been afraid to really believe God?
Has your fear been a hindrance to allow others to really believe Him?

We must never forget what Isaiah 55:8 says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” To some people, constant drama in their lives is the only spur to action, and many religions and psychologies are dependent on fear to keep their followers in line. Fear is not always bad, but God has higher and more effective motivations than fear. And one of these is love. Fear after a while produces only numbness, but love flourishes on love.

To promise a person the certainty of their eternal destiny may seem, on the human level, like playing with fire, but this leaves God out of the picture. Those who have the deepest appreciation of grace do not continue in sin. Moreover, fear produces the obedience of slaves; love engenders the obedience of sons.

Until the Christian is absolutely and scripturally convinced of his standing, he is not going to do much standing but will still crawl around like an infant. We are commanded to stand firm but in love in 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.”

We are accepted fully and forever by God, and we can have great confidence, comfort, and strength in the promises of 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope,comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, over the past two days, we have completed the Trail of Acceptance. We have learned, without a doubt, that we are fully and unconditionally accepted by God because our acceptance is solely based in Christ, and not in ourselves. I trust that you understand and accept God’s acceptance of you.

During the next two days, we will hike the Trail of Purpose as we explore what God’s purpose is for your life. This may provide you with the foundation for Your Life Plan Blueprint. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 278 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Acceptance #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 08:03:47 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 278 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Acceptance #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 278 of our trek, and yesterday we finished our hike on the Trail of Time. Today and tomorrow we will hike the Trail of Acceptance.

The entire 18 trail trek is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford. This information was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we will hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We made significant progress on projects today on multiple fronts, so although it was busy, there was a sense of accomplishment. This is partially because the remote technical support for one client was a bit less intense today. Paula and our friend Bev were also able to make some reviews and edits to Your Life Plan Blueprint today, so hopefully we will be able to get back on track soon with that important project.

As we hike the trails of life, we all desire to be part of the group, to be accepted. As we are leaving our campsite for today and heading out on a new trail, we all want to feel as if we are contributing to the progress that we make. This concept is part of our very nature. As humans, our acceptance of others is usually conditional.

What we will learn on the Trail of Acceptance is whether God accepts us, and if He does, on what basis. These thoughts lead us to our hike on our 3rd of 18 trails, which will make up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Acceptance #1

There are two questions that every believer must settle as soon as possible in order to be able to live the rich and satisfying life that Jesus promised us.

Does God fully accept me?
If so, upon what basis does He do so?

This is crucial. What devastation often permeates the life of one, young or old, rich or poor, saved or unsaved, who is not sure of being accepted, even on the human level.

Yet so many believers, whether “strugglers” or “sleepwalkers,” move through life without this precious fact to rest and build on from Ephesians 1:5-6, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.”

Every believer is accepted and made right by the Father, in Christ. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” The peace is God’s toward us, through His beloved Son—on this, our peace is to be based. God is able to be at peace with us through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:19-20 – For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

And we must never forget that His peace is founded solely on the work of the cross, totally apart from anything whatsoever in or from us. Romans 5:8 – But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Our faith becomes a fixed attitude, as solid as stone once it begins to rest in this wonderful fact. We not only become living stones in God’s house, but we also become a holy priest. 1 Peter 2:4-5 – You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

This is the solid evidence that most believers are in need of today. God never alters nor departs from the acceptance in which He has received us because His acceptance is based exclusively on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We may feel that we wander from God’s acceptance of us when we sin, but He does not even remember our sins because he sees us in Christ. Once we have accepted God’s sacrifice, we are completely accepted for eternity. 1 Peter 3:18 – Christ suffered for our sins once for all time.

The truth is that God has not changed. His eye rests on the work accomplished by Christ for the believer. When you are not walking in the Spirit, you are in the flesh. You have turned to the old man who was crucified on the cross. We should no longer be slaves to sin. Romans 6:6 – We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

When you do sin, which you will, as soon as you realize it, you have to be restored to fellowship, and when you are, you find your acceptance with God unchanged and unchangeable. When sins are introduced, there is a fear that God has changed. He has not changed, but you have. You are not walking in the Spirit but in the flesh. God will not condemn you for your sins. He did that in Christ. Romans 8:1 – So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Acceptance is not altered, regardless, but for your fellowship needs to be restored with God. You have to turn from those acts that are not aligned with God’s Word.

God’s grace to us must be our basis for acceptance. There is no other. Ephesians 1:6 – So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

God, our Father, is fully satisfied with His beloved Son on our behalf, and there is no reason for us not to be. Our peace and satisfaction can only spring from and rest in His satisfaction. It is from God to us, not from us to God. When the Holy Spirit deals with a person’s heart, He does not reason from what man is for God, but from what God is to man. Humans reason from what they are in themselves as to whether God can accept them. God does not accept us in this manner. The only way that you obtain everlasting peace in our lives is by accepting that God has accepted us through what Christ did, not through what we have done or may do.

Humans reason from what they are in themselves as to whether God can accept them. God does not accept us in this manner. The only way that you obtain everlasting peace in our lives is by accepting that God has accepted us through what Christ did, not through what we have done, or may do.

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth today, we find ourselves on the first part of the Trail of Acceptance. We have clearly seen that God accepts us completely and unconditionally because our acceptance is through Christ. Tomorrow we will finish the trail by exploring the evidence based on facts of this acceptance. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 277 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Time #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 08:03:31 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 277 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Time #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 277 of our trek, and on Tuesday of this week, we are started on an extended trek that contains 18 different trails that we will hike. Our first trail was the Trail of Faith. Yesterday and today we are hiking on the Trail of Time.

The entire trek is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford. This information was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we will hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since we are hiking on the Trail of Time for a couple of days, I am reminded just how brief our time is here on our trek of life.

Last week an online friend’s, who is a leader within one of the Facebook communities that I belong to, husband died un-expectantly. They also have two young children that have lost their father. While each day seems to rush by, and we may not accomplish all that we desire to, let us make sure that we take time for the most important people in our lives. We do not know when God may call us home, let’s make sure that we are living a legacy each day and leaving an impactful legacy for generations to come. Let’s not try to rush what is important.

These thoughts lead us to our hike for today on the 2^nd part of our Trail of Time. This will complete our 2^nd of 18 trails which will make up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Time #2

As I mentioned yesterday, it seems that most Christ followers, including myself, have difficulty realizing and facing up to the unchangeable fact that God does not hurry in His development of our lives and the impact that we should have on our world. He is working from and for eternity! So many times we don’t feel that we are making enough progress unless we are swiftly and constantly forging ahead. Yesterday, we used the analogy of the oak tree and the squash. One takes decades to grow to maturity, and the other just a few months. It is only the oak tree that will be left standing for generations to come. It is the same with our Spiritual growth and renewal.

Spiritual renewal is a gradual process. All growth is progressive, and the stronger the organism, the longer the process. It is from measure to measure as Matthew 13:23 tells us, “The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” It is from stage to stage as Mark 4:28 says, “The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.” It is from day to day because God is not in a hurry as 2 Peter 3:8 describes, “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.”

How varied are these analogies! There are great days, days of decisive battles, days of crises in spiritual history, days of triumph in Christian service, days of the right hand of God upon us. But there are also idle days, days apparently useless, when even prayer and holy service seem a burden. Are we, in any sense, renewed in these days? Yes, for any experience which makes us more aware of our need of God must contribute to spiritual progress unless we deny the Lord, who bought us.

Regardless of what your purpose and calling in life are, we are all here on earth to give hope and to live a legacy. Our primary purpose is to point others to and bring glory to God. We must understand that it takes many years to learn and grow from an apprentice to a master in our crafts. And, so it is in our growth in our knowledge and understanding of God and His Word. There is no way to rush the process.

This is not to discourage us in any way but to help us settle down with our sights on eternity, by faith in God’s timeline, not ours. Even the Apostle Paul understood this concept, which he describes in Philippians 3:12-14, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Certainly this is not to discount a Spirit-fostered experience, blessing, or even a crisis; but it is to be remembered that these simply contribute to the overall, and all-important, process. It takes time to get to know ourselves; it takes time and eternity to get to know our infinite Lord Jesus Christ. It is up to us to continue on with our daily trek with endurance. The type that is described in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

So often in the daily battles of life we go to the Lord, and pray and plead and appeal for victory, for power, for mastery over the forces of evil and death. Our thought is that in some way, the Lord is going to come in with a mighty exercise of power and put us into a place of victory and spiritual dominance as in an act. We must have this mentality corrected. What the Lord does is to enlarge us to possess this power. If we desire to gain endurance or muscle strength, we must be willing to exercise. In the same way, God puts us through some exercise, through some experience, that allows us to expand and strengthen spiritually. This growth takes both time and nutrients as told to us in Colossians 2:7, “Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, we have now hiked the Trails of Faith and Time. As part of this, we need to have the faith and knowledge that God’s timing in our lives is best. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says it well, “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”

During the next two days, we will hike the Trail of Acceptance and explore why God wants us to understand what it really means to be accepted in Him. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 276 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Time #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 02 Mar 2016 08:03:59 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 276 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Time #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 276 of our trek, and yesterday we are started on an extended trek that contains 18 different trails that we will hike. In order to keep them short, we may split some of the trails over two days. Our first trail was the Trail of Faith.

Today and tomorrow we will hike the Trail of Time. This trek is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford. The truths contained in this book were instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we will hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This week is continuing the brisk pace that seems to be the norm for us in our workload. One company where I provide technical support has had an extra heavy caseload for the past month, so that has limited some of the time we had allocated for Wisdom-Trek journals and Your Life Plan Blueprint, but they still remain a very high priority for us.

I know that life gets in the way for all of us, but I try to make sure that I always fulfill previous commitments before moving onto new projects. We are thankful for the work we have to do and the ability to complete it effectively. Time is really the only finite commodity we have in our lives. How we effectively invest that time is very important.

That leads us to our hike for today on the Trail of Time. Let us start on our 2^nd of 18 trails which will make up the trek we call…

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Time

It seems that most Christ followers, including myself, have difficulty in realizing and facing up to the unchangeable fact that God does not hurry in His development of our Christian life. He is working from and for eternity! So many feel they are not making progress in any area of life unless they are swiftly and constantly forging ahead. Now it is true that the new Christ follower often begins and continues for some time at a fast rate. But this will not continue if there is to be healthy growth and ultimate maturity. God Himself will modify the pace. This is important to see, since in most instances when it seems like a decline in growth begins to set in, it is not, as so many think, a matter of backsliding.

To paraphrase theologian John Darby, “It is God’s way to set people aside after their first start so self-confidence may die down. With Moses, he was forty years tending sheep after being part of Pharaoh’s household. On his first start, he had to run away, but God was using this time to prepare Moses to lead His people. The Apostle Paul was in isolation for three years also, after his first testimony. Not that God did not approve the first earnest testimony. We must get to know ourselves and that we have no strength in ourselves. Therefore, we must learn, and then leaning on the Lord we can with more maturity, and more experience, be prepared in a greater way to do God’s work.”

Moses 40 Years in Midian

The Christian life matures and becomes fruitful by the principle of growth as is expressed in 2 Peter 3:18, “Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

In addition to the struggles we may face and the experience we gain, much time is involved. Unless we see and concede to this, there is bound to be constant frustration, to say nothing of resistance to our Father’s development processes in us.

This story best illustrates the point. “A student asked the President of his college whether he could not take a shorter course than the one prescribed. ‘Oh yes,’ replied the President, ‘but then it depends on what you want to be. When God wants to make an oak, He takes a hundred years, but when He wants to make a squash, He takes six months.’” Another bit of wisdom that we should grasp is that “Growth is not a uniform thing in the tree or in the Christian. For most trees, in some single months, there is more growth than in all the remaining months. During the rest of the year, however, there is solidification, without which the green timber would be useless. The period of rapid growth, when the woody fiber is actually deposited between the bark and the trunk, occupies but four to six weeks in May, June, and July.”

The Mighty Oaks at The Big House

Let’s settle it once and for all—there are no shortcuts to reality! A meteor is on a shortcut as it proceeds to burn out, but not a star, with its steady light so often depended on by navigators. Unless the time factor is acknowledged from the heart, there is always the danger of turning to the false enticement of a shortcut via the means of “experiences” and “blessings,” where one becomes pathetically entangled in the whirlwind of ever-changing feelings, drifting from the moorings of scriptural facts.

Regarding this subject, George Goodman writes, “Some have been betrayed into professing perfection or full deliverance, because at the time they speak, they are happy and confident in the Lord. They forget that it is not a present experience that ensures fruit unto maturity, but a patient continuance in well doing. To taste of the grace of God is one thing; to be established in it and manifest it in character, habit, and regular life, is another. Experiences and blessings, though real gracious visitations from the Lord, are not sufficient to rest upon, nor should they lead us to glory in ourselves, as if we had a store of grace for time to come, or were yet at the end of the conflict. No. Fruit ripens slowly; days of sunshine and days of storm each adds their share. Blessing will succeed blessing, and storm follows storm before the fruit is full grown or comes to maturity.”

Keeping with the analogy of the fruit, God’s method for true spiritual growth involves pain as well as joy, suffering as well as happiness, failure as well as success, inactivity as well as service, death as well as life. The temptation to shortcut is especially strong unless we see the value of, and submit to, the necessity of the time element. In simple trust, we must rest in His hands.

As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Philippi 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” And it will take that long! But since God is working for eternity, why should we be concerned about the time involved? As Hebrews 10:36 tells us, “Patient endurance is what you need now so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

Today on our trek of the Principles for Spiritual Growth, we have hiked on our second trail called Time. Ironically, there was not enough time to cover all that we need to learn. Tomorrow we will continue to hike the Trail of Time and explore more valuable concepts. In our fast paced instant-everything culture we need to wait patiently for God’s timing. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 275 – Principles of Spiritual Growth – Faith

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 08:03:38 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 275 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Faith

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 275 of our trek, and for the past three days we have been exploring what it means to be Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith. Today we are starting a longer trek that contains 18 different trails that we will hike.

This trek is adapted from a short book called Principles of Spiritual Growth written by Miles J. Stanford. This information was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. I trust that you will find this trek valuable in your own life, regardless of your spiritual background or perspective. Each of the trails that we will hike builds on the previous one, so if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to our usual workload, we hope to finish up the company tax returns that we need to prepare for our companies and a couple of our clients. We also hope to make further progress on the Your Life Plan Blueprint course that we creating.

As we consider this new trek that we are embarking on, you will find each daily hike contains the basic principles pertaining to the Christian’s spiritual life. These principles are stated in such practical form that you will find it rewarding to listen to the daily trek or read the journal multiple times, and of course, to put these principles into practice in your daily trek. Some aspects of the Christian life and walk which may have been puzzling to you will become clear as the Spirit of God is able to make them a reality in your daily life.

While certain daily hikes may be of such interest as to entice you to jump to certain days first, it would be best to walk each daily hike in the order they appear. They are in a logical sequence, and principle is laid upon principle. Today we will build a bridge from the past three days where we were Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith and begin our first trail called the Trail of Faith on our trek of the…

The Trail of Faith

Principles of Spiritual Growth – Faith

The aim of this trek is to carefully bring out some of the most important principles of spiritual growth to help build on a sound biblical foundation in Christ. He can honor no other.

The Holy Spirit has Paul write to each of us in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine,” and the recommendation is certainly not out of order at the very inception of this series of studies. First of all, we must remind ourselves that Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “…it is impossible to please God without faith.” Moreover, and this is all important, true faith must be based solely on scriptural facts, found in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Unless our faith is established on facts, it is no more than conjecture, superstition, speculation, or presumption.

Hebrews 11:1 leaves no question about this, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Faith standing on the facts of the Word of God substantiates and gives evidence of things not seen. And everyone knows that evidence must be founded on facts. All of us started on this principle when we were born again—our belief stood directly on the eternal fact of the redeeming death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as recorded in I Corinthians 15:1-4. This is the faith by which we began, and it is the same faith by which we are to “stand” (16:13), “walk” (II Cor. 5:7) and “live” (Gal. 2:20). Colossians 2:6 puts it plainly, “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.”

Since true faith is anchored on scriptural facts, we are certainly not to be influenced by impressions or feelings. George Mueller said, “Impressions have neither one thing nor the other to do with faith. Faith has to do with the Word of God. It is not impressions, strong or weak, which will make the difference. We have to do with the Written Word and not ourselves or our impressions.”

Then, too, probabilities are the big temptation when it comes to exercising faith. The attitude of some people would be expressed in these statements, “It doesn’t seem probable that he will ever be saved.” Or “The way things are going, I wonder if the Lord really loves me.” But Mueller wrote, “Many people are willing to believe regarding those things that seem probable to them. Faith has nothing to do with probabilities. The province of faith begins where probabilities cease and sight and sense fail. Appearances are not to be taken into account. The question is—whether God has spoken it in His Word.”

Alexander R. Hay adds to this by saying, “Faith must be based upon certainty. There must be definite knowledge of God’s purpose and will. Without that, there can be no true faith. For faith is not a force that we exercise or a striving to believe that something shall be, thinking that if we believe hard enough it will come to pass.” That attitude may be positive thinking but certainly not biblical faith.

Evan Hopkins writes, “Faith needs facts to rest upon. Presumption can take fancy instead of fact. God in His Word reveals to us the facts with which faith has to deal.” It is on this basis that J.B. Stoney can say, “Real faith is always increased by opposition, while false confidence is damaged and discouraged by it.” There can be no steadfastness apart from immovable facts. Peter wrote his thoughts on this matter in 1 Peter 1:7, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

Once we begin to understand these facts, our Father begins to build us up in the faith. From his profoundly simple trust in God, Mueller was able to say that “God delights to increase the faith of His children. We ought, instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for patience, to be willing to take them from God’s hand as a means. I say—and say it deliberately—trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith.”

On this same subject, James McConkey wrote, “Faith is a dependence upon God. And this God-dependence only begins when self-dependence ends. And self-dependence only comes to its end, with some of us, when sorrow, suffering, affliction, broken plans and hopes bring us to that place of self-helplessness and defeat. And only then do we find that we have learned the lesson of faith; to find our tiny craft of life rushing onward to a blessed victory of life and power and service undreamt of in the days of fleshly strength and self-reliance.”

J.B. Stoney agrees by saying, “It is a great thing to learn faith: that is, simple dependence upon God. It will comfort you much to be assured that the Lord is teaching you dependence upon Himself, and it is very remarkable that faith is necessary in everything. The just shall live by faith, not only in your circumstances, but in everything. I believe the Lord allows many things to happen on purpose to make us feel our need of Him. The more you find Him in your sorrows or wants, the more you will be attached to Him and drawn away from this place where the sorrows are, to Him in the place where He is.” Colossians 3:2 puts it this way, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”

Actually, we cannot trust anyone further than we know them. So we must not only learn the facts involved but ever more intimately come to know the One who presents and upholds them! John 17:3 says, “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”

Peter gives us the facts that we need to grow in faith in 2 Peter 1:2-4, “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

On our trek Principles for Spiritual Growth, we have hiked the first trail called Faith. It is foundational to all the other trails that we will hike. Tomorrow we will hike the trail of Time and explore why our concept of time within our personal growth is often looked at incorrectly. Every trail that we hike will help us to create and live our legacy each day. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 274 – Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 08:00:49 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 274 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 274 of our trek, and for the past two days as well as today we are exploring what it means to be Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith. If you miss any of the days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I made good progress varnishing the library woodwork during the day Saturday. Saturday evening was invested with the grandkids as I was once again the monster and chased them throughout the house. I am glad I am limber and young at heart to be able to enjoy the time I can invest with them. Our daughter Elizabeth stayed, and we had homemade split pea and ham soup. It was a great way to invest the evening. Sunday we headed south once again to Charlotte. We dropped Kip off at his home and invested a little time with Buddy and Chelimo. We will be in Charlotte for a little less than three weeks and then head back to Marietta. We do enjoy being able to wander back and forth between the two homes.

Speaking of wandering, on today’s trek, we continue to study of what it means to be…

Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith

· The Faith That Saves

To have faith in our lives is of utmost importance. Faith’s importance to salvation is emphasized in Ephesians 2:8, where Paul writes, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” Faith plays a role in the entire process until we enter the Kingdom of God. It is the sum of what God is doing in our lives and is written in John 6:29, “Jesus told them, ‘This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.’”

The faith that saves has its beginning when God, on His own initiative, calls us and leads us to repentance. He does this by His Spirit guiding us into all truth. Stirring up our minds to knowledge, His Spirit enables us to perceive from a perspective we never before seriously considered. This, combined with the confrontation that occurs with the carnal mind when we are forced to choose what to do with this precious truth, gives birth to a living faith, a faith that works, a faith that walks in godliness.

As miraculous and powerful as God’s liberation of Israel from bondage in Egypt was, even more so and of greater importance is the breaking of our bondage to Satan, this world, and human nature. This is why Ephesians 2:8 says the faith that saves is “the gift of God.” Israel’s release from Egypt was God’s gift too. Regardless of how much they cried out to Him, the Israelites would never have left Egypt without Him. If God had not been merciful and faithful, if He had not been trustworthy, they would never have been freed.

What did God lead us to that sparked this saving faith in us? He led us to His Word. We can glean a measure of faith from observing God’s creation, but this faith cannot save because it does not reveal His purpose. The seeds of faith in us are planted through the proclamation of his Word as Romans 10:17 states, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” As Christ followers, our lives should reflect the Good News in both deed and word.

Of course, this does not mean that all who hear the message will understand and accept it. Without the message, however, there would be nothing to believe in, nothing that one could trust to lead him to salvation. The evidence that our lives are properly reflecting the Good News is found in the fruit that our lives produce which is located in Galatians 5:20-22, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Is your faith reflected by the Fruit of the Spirit?

· We Must Choose to Live by Faith

We must learn the valuable lessons regarding faith shown in the wandering of the Israelites in the wilderness because they have direct application to us. Romans 15:4 states, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” Also in 1 Corinthians 10:11, we read, “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”

The nation of Israel knew the history of their ancestors with whom God had worked, yet they chose to forget His graciousness to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. God demonstrated His presence to them, but the Israelites chose to disregard Him. They had the Good News proclaimed to them, and they chose not to believe it. They had among them the godly witness of men of faith, men in whom the Spirit of God dwelled, and the rebellious children of Israel chose not to follow them.

God has given us even more that the Nation of Israel had. We have the entirety of God-written revelation to us. We would not even be in a position to read His Word had God not personally acted to stir our minds to understand things of His Spirit. He has given us His Spirit that we might know the things of God. Faith comes from hearing the Good News.

When we have faith, we trust God that what He has said and promised is true. Though we may at times feel all alone in the midst of a trial, we can take comfort that so did all those others who went before us. We have the full revelation of God through His Son (The Word). The faithful of the Old Testament choose to believe, even though they were waiting for the promises to be fulfilled in the future as is told to us in Hebrews 11:13, “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.”

Now the weight of responsibility for making choices grounded on trust in God’s Word has fallen upon us. It is awesome to think of ourselves as baptized into the history of the same spiritual company of those greats of the past, men and women of faith whose names are emblazoned in our memories. We must not forget either their standing with God because of their faith or Israel’s failure in the wilderness because they did not trust Him.

Remember the warning and advice God gave to Israel in the days before they entered the Promised Land, which is written in Deuteronomy [30:19]-20,

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

As we finished our third and final segment of the Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith trail, we learned that we must choose to accept and live by faith. Tomorrow we will begin a month-long trek which will cover several trails that are the Principles of Spiritual Growth. This information was instrumental in my spiritual growth as a young man seeking to create and live my legacy. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 273 – Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 08:03:22 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 273 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 273 of our trek, and yesterday and for the next couple of days, we are exploring what it means to be Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith. If you miss any of the days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Most of Saturday, I focused on varnishing the woodwork in the library and made significant progress. It is always such a great feeling of accomplishment to see the finished product. I find it a relaxing and good diversion from having to be so mentally focused throughout the week with client work. We also were able to have five of our six grandkids over Saturday evening for another night of fun. Paula and I desire to live intentional in all that we do and not find ourselves wandering through life without a sense of direction.

On today’s trek, we will focus on living by faith, so that we do invest our time with purpose. This is day two of…

Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith

· Living By Faith

How important is faith? In Hebrews 10:37-38 we learn that “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

“My righteous ones will live by faith” is both a statement of fact about the basis of a Christian’s life and a command. It is so important that this same phrase is repeated once in the Old Testament and three times in the New (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans [1:17]; Galatians [3:11]). In each case, the context is somewhat different, but its importance to a Christian’s salvation is not lost.

The concept is not difficult to understand. Paul further clarifies it in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we live by believing and not by seeing.” A simple definition of “faith” in Webster’s New World Dictionary is “complete trust, confidence, or reliance.” At the end of the definitions, “belief” is listed as a synonym. “Belief” means “faith, esp. Religious faith; trust or confidence.” The dictionary definitions show that the two words are virtually synonymous. However, in the Bible and in practical application a very wide difference separates merely believing and living by faith.

The practical application of faith is more than simply acknowledging the reality of God. Living by faith involves qualities that are better expressed by the word “trust.” This kind of faith produces loyalty or faithfulness expressed in the Christian’s life by works of obedience.

Do you think for a moment that the Israelites in the wilderness disbelieved that God existed? A few may have argued that the miracles they had experienced from the arrival of Moses in Egypt until they died in the wilderness were nothing more than natural phenomena. There are always some doubters and scoffers of that sort as is mentioned in 2 Peter 3:3, “Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.”

The vast majority of Israelites could not deny to themselves God’s mighty acts on their behalf. They had heard the voice of God at Mount Sinai, had seen the wind from God part the Red Sea, and had escaped death on Passover while the Egyptian firstborn had died. But when God required a higher level of obedience, to follow His cloud across the wilderness, and depend on Him to supply their every need, the record shows they did not trust Him. Their loyalty dissolved, and they rebelled! They did not have it within them to live by faith.

Living by faith is an outward manifestation of an inward belief that everyone will see. Romans 13:13 – Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Ephesians 4:1 – Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Corinthians 10:3^–For we live by believing and not by seeing.

The Israelites of the Exodus definitely lived according to the flesh, fulfilling the desires of their bodies and minds. Somewhere along the way, they lost the vision of entering the promised homeland. They forgot about settling on their own property and living free under the government and laws of God. Yes, that older generation literally lived in following the pillar of fire and cloud as it moved toward the Promised Land, but their manner of life under the bright fire and cloud corresponded to living in darkness. So, they never made it to Canaan.

· The Right Kind of Faith

We can tell whether we have the right kind of faith. Hebrews 11:1 provides a definition, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” This confidence and assurance are the very bedrock of the Christian faith.

Paul is saying that, for Christians, faith underlies what is seen externally in the conduct of their lives. Underneath a building is its foundation, and in most buildings, the foundation is rarely seen. If it is seen at all, usually only a small portion is visible, but it is there. If no foundation exists, the building soon becomes crooked and warped. In most cases, it will collapse and be completely unusable. We understand that underlying the conduct of a Christian’s life is not merely believing that God is, but a constant and abiding trust in Him.

How much of what you do is really motivated by an implicit trust in God’s Word? This is how we can tell whether we are living by faith. We must be honest in our evaluation, though. We find it very easy to shade the truth through self-deception. We justify disobedience by rationalizing around God’s clear commands or examples, saying that our circumstance is special because . . . (fill in the blank). Remember when we rationalize we are telling ourselves rational lies of which we choose to believe as truth.

The great examples of faith that are listed in Hebrews 11 were not perfect people by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, many of them had significant flaws in their lives. But in their cases, faith undergirded how they lived even when the going really got rough.

We like to think of ourselves as rising to the occasion when a time of great crisis arises. We all hope to emulate what the examples of faith did. But as great as they were, Jesus specifies what living real faith is in John 15:13-14, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.You are my friends if you do what I command.” Our obedience to God through loving Him and others is one sign of living by faith. Matthew 22:37-40 also sums up a life lived by faith, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Jesus made it very clear that if we are His friends, we will show it in our obedience to His commands. But before we can obey, we must trust Him. If we trust in Christ, he is more than a friend, we are a close family. Matthew 12:50 says, “Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”

Many in the nation of Israel did not trust God by faith and obey Him because they still considered themselves slaves, and not family.

As we finished part two and further explored wandering in the wilderness by faith, we have come to understand that we must live by the right kind of faith, which will result in obedience to God. Tomorrow on our trek, we will explore the faith that saves by choosing to live by faith. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 272 – Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 08:03:10 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 272 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 272 of our trek, and yesterday I asked you, “How Heavy is Your Backpack?” I must follow up today with, “Have you taken steps to lighten your load?” This concept will be important during the next three or four days as we explore Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Wandering in the Wilderness

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It has been a joy to have our grandson Kip with us this week. He has done so well working on Granny’s Surface Pro tablet during the day in our office with Granny and Gramps on either side of him. He worked on Thomas the Train and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood games for long stretches at a time. Both of these programs have great moral teaching principles built into them.

We were on-site with one of our clients in Marietta on Friday and took Kip along with us there also. It has taken many years to build a lifestyle business where we can work as we do. We still work hard, which usually includes many hours each week, but being location independent has become a reality. It allows us to wander from various locations and still be able to complete our work.

As we consider the concept of wandering, we want to ponder what it means to be…

Wandering in the Wilderness by Faith

When I hear the phrase wandering in the wilderness, it brings to mind how the nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years on their way to the Promised Land. This was due to their lack of faith that God would help them to occupy the Promised Land. They could have possessed the land in less than a year from leaving Egypt, but because of their disbelief, the trip stretched out 40 times longer.

We see that the older generation of the Israelites whom God had freed from slavery in Egypt die in the wilderness. The story of their journey through the wilderness shows that they never overcame their slave mentality, the mindset they brought with them from Egypt. They were set free, but in their minds, they were still as shackled as if they had never left. Their thinking—and thus their attitudes and conduct—constantly reverted to the way it had been molded in Egypt.

The nation of Israel witnessed the terrible plagues which were God’s punishment on the Egyptians. They also witnessed awesome miracles that demonstrated God’s mercy upon them. The Red Sea opened up for them. They lived under a cool cloud during the day and a warm pillar of fire at night. They had their daily needs supplied directly by God, and yet the Israelites found the wilderness to be nothing more than a huge cemetery in which they wandered for forty years.

It is not unusual for all humanity, and even Christ followers, to be slaves to past practices, teachings, and mindsets. We need to be free from our mentality of slavery. Galatians 5:1 tells us, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

What the nation of Israel experienced in their period of wander in the wilderness serves as an example for us as is mentioned in I Corinthians 10:11, “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”

In this spiritual journey, Canaan, the Promised Land, represents the Kingdom of God to us. But those older Israelites never made it there! They fell short of the goal because a lack of faith that was controlled by their mindset of slavery.

In graphic language, the apostle Paul writes in Hebrew 3:17,“And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness?” To use a modern phrase, they were dropping like flies.

According to some commentaries, the last phrase indicates a scattering of dismembered bodies as if they had been left unburied. These “corpses” were the same people who came out of Egypt with great joy, exulting in their new-found liberty. They yearned for a settled and free life in a land that was their own. But, instead of knowing the joy and plenty of the Promised Land, they chose to sentence themselves to live a life of homeless wandering in a barren land and to die and perhaps be buried in an unmarked grave. They were chosen to be the beneficiaries of God’s great blessings in a rich land, they instead lived poor and hungry in the wilderness, discontented and often at war because of their sins. Their example ought to be a sobering warning.

As Christ followers we are promised by Jesus in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Are you living that rich and satisfying life, or are you still wandering in the wilderness?

Paul puts his finger on the source of their problem of why their heart could not be changed, why they consistently and persistently sinned and rebelled in Hebrews 3:19, “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.”

Paul later turns this thought into an admonition for us in Hebrews 4:1-2, “God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.”

Not only did Israel have the witness of numerous demonstrations of God’s presence and power among them to provide a foundation for faith, but they were also given the Word of God by His servants Moses and Aaron. In addition, they had living examples of faith in Moses, Aaron (most of the time), Joshua, Caleb, and others. God supplied these men with gifts by His Spirit as a testimony that should have provided more incentive for the Israelites to believe Him. But Hebrews [3:17] says He was angry with them forty years! If ever a people almost drove God to the point of exasperation, it was Israel in the wilderness.

We must not allow such a powerful lesson to pass by unheeded. Paul tells us in Romans 15:4, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”

The lesson is clear. Those who believe God reveal their faith by obeying Him. Those who do not believe, disobey. Hebrews 3:12 warns, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.”

As we finished part one today, we explored wandering in the wilderness by faith where the young nation of Israel struggled in their faith and obedience, even though God showed them many miracles. Let’s put it in perspective. Are we that different today? We have the entire revelation of God’s Word, in the Bible, yet many times we struggle with faith and obedience as well. Tomorrow on our trek, we will explore what living by faith means through the right kind of faith. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Just as you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 271 – How Heavy is Your Backpack?

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 08:03:38 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 271 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

How Heavy Is Your Backpack?

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 271 of our trek, and the past three days on our hike, we used a simile of how Life Is Like a Seed. Today we want to focus on the load that we carry on our trek of life each day. So I want to ask you, “How Heavy Is Your Backpack?” If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On our daily trek called life, the hills that we climb, the twists and turns on the path that we face, and the steep slopes that we find ourselves on can be challenging and very interesting. On the home front, we have come across one of those situations. Paula’s Mom asked Tuesday why the furnace was only blowing cold air. Since our office is upstairs and the temperatures have been mild, I had not noticed it.

Upon investigating it, I discovered the flame was not lighting in the furnace although the blower continued to run. We called the company we purchased it from, and unfortunately, the heat exchanger has a crack in it causing it to overheat and shut off the flame. A more serious situation is that it can also leak carbon monoxide.

Since the furnace is over 20 years old, we will have to replace the entire unit. This is a major expense that we had not anticipated, so it is time to be extra frugal to cover the cost. Although this is something extra in our backpack of life that will be a burden for a while, we have learned over the years that it is best to take life as it is, not how we wished it were. So, the positive aspect of this is we will have a more efficient furnace that will work better.

If we are not careful as we trek through life, we will allow our backpack to become full with cares and concerns that weigh us down and cause us issues. So, today as we start up the trail let me ask you…

How Heavy Is Your Backpack?

Imagine carrying a backpack filled with rocks everywhere you go. Now that would be exhausting! It gives new meaning to the phrase “doing the heavy lifting.”

If the weight of that backpack seems like too much to bear, just imagine the impact of the emotional baggage that we carry every day! Think about it…We fear getting fired, we complain about the service we receive, we express disgust over the politics of the nation, we envy the person “next door,” we worry about meeting deadlines, and we discredit our colleague for “stealing” the promotion. Emotional baggage? You bet.

Now ask yourself, “What do we gain by gossiping about a colleague, badmouthing politicians, or ranting about our frustrations on Facebook?” Answer: We get upset, with little to show for our efforts. It’s as though we believe that if we gossip, rant, and rave loud enough and often enough, people will accept our way of thinking. The truth is, besides being a colossal waste of time, nothing really changes — except that we’re not much fun to be around. Who needs that?

Even when we don’t overtly express our negative feelings of worry, prejudice, fear, criticism, guilt, anger, and envy, we play out these “dramas” in our heads like a chess master plotting his next few moves. These negative thoughts race through our minds like a whirlwind, making us more and more anxious each time we revisit them. In fact, some people get so overwhelmed and depressed that they worry themselves into a frenzy, making it tough to concentrate during the day and causing sleep issues at night. Taken to the extreme, emotional baggage can be absolutely debilitating if not controlled.

In days gone by in a labor-intensive society, hard work resulted in tired bones and sore muscles. In the Information Age, our bodies tell us that enough is enough by reacting with stress-related ailments ranging from headaches to backaches to anxiety attacks. And over time, these stresses add up.

The bottom line is that these “emotional tirades” are unproductive, unhealthy, and exhausting. They cause us to lose focus, snap at people we care about, and waste precious time because we’re stuck playing these ridiculous mind games. No wonder we’re exhausted.

· Take a Load Off Your Mind

Here are some simple suggestions to reduce your emotional baggage masquerading as worry, prejudice, fear, criticism, guilt, anger, and envy.

Food for thought.

One of the first steps that people take when trying to lose weight is writing down the food they eat each day. It’s surprising to see it in writing and represents an important motivator toward changing eating habits. By listing the negative thoughts that cross our minds each day, we can use the same technique to reduce our emotional baggage.

Keep it positive.

Cautious thinking isn’t always bad. In fact, having some fear and worry keeps you on your toes, forces you to prepare early, and encourages you to anticipate future events by asking yourself, “What if?” That’s positive. On the other hand, when emotional baggage makes you angry, increases your anxiety, or overwhelms you, it’s a negative to avoid.

Is that a fact?

It’s very helpful to determine if the assumptions behind your fears, worries, prejudices, etc., are factual and realistic. When you’re tired, emotional, or under stress, negative thoughts can spiral out of control and ruin your day, even if the premise behind your anxiety is far-fetched. That’s a fact.

The sky is falling!

How often do your fears and worries actually come true? If they rarely come to fruition, why are you getting all worked up? The odds are that you’d have a better chance of getting hit by lightning.

Make it happen.

Many situations involve matters beyond our control. If you can’t affect the outcome, you may as well enjoy your day – because even a Herculean effort won’t make a difference. Therefore, if there’s a problem that’s waking you up at 3 a.m., and you can do something to make it better, even at that hour, DO IT. If not, it’s better to forget about it and get some sleep. Deal with it in the morning. And if it’s truly beyond your control, then all your worry and sleeplessness won’t change the situation. It’s time to put the worry behind you and move on.

Will it even matter?

Some situations appear larger than life, yet in hindsight seem inconsequential. The key is to gauge the issue beforehand. As a simple test, ask yourself whether you’ll remember the problem in a year or two. If not, it may be a trivial issue unworthy of your concern.

· Break Free from Your Backpack

It’s unfair to assume that it’s easy to unpack the emotional baggage that we’ve accumulated over a lifetime.

Romans 6:8 tells us, “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” With this in mind, it’s vital to take control of our lives. But let’s be realistic.

The anxiety that we create in our minds is often worse than reality. We worry about impressing our friends when the truth is that real friends remain good friends in good times and bad. We worry about being late for a meeting. If we are, it won’t change mankind. We also get angry waiting home all day for a delivery person. And that too shall pass.

The truth is, in most cases, life goes on. You have the power to make yourself happy or miserable during your life journey. There are very few times in life when we hit a wall so hard that we don’t recover from it. So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on. The difference is if you take a pledge to be positive, and start lightening your backpack, you’re going to lead a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life. When you change your thoughts, you change your world.

As we consider these concepts today, let me ask you, “How can you lighten your backpack today?” We need to learn to travel lite and to leave all the unneeded emotional baggage behind. Tomorrow on our trek, we will explore wandering in the wilderness of faith. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 270 – Life is Like a Seed #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 08:03:58 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 270 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Life is Like a Seed #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 270 of our trek, and the past two days on our hike, we used a simile of how Life is Like a Seed. Today we will finish this comparison with part three. There are many parallels from both a physical and spiritual perspective. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I am making some progress on varnishing the woodwork in the library. There is a lot of wood to cover, plus the floor. I could easily spend full time working on The Big House, but at this point in our lives, it is still required that we earn income to work, live, and meet our financial obligations. As always, our client workload remains busy, so it does require a lot of focus to complete all the work. This is how life is, one step in front of the other as we trek on each day.

On the past two days, we learned about seeds and the conditions needed for germination. Let’s continue on our trail today as we seek out more information about planting seeds and what is required for growth.

This is the final day on how our…

Life is Like a Seed

· The Work—Planting Seeds That Grow

Ultimately, the seed’s sole purpose is to reproduce its own kind, but there are various levels of harvest. In front of a large crowd, Jesus told the Parable of the Famer Scattering Seed. This story is found in Luke chapter 8. In verse 5 it says, “A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field…” We see there were different growing environments within this field, yielding varying rates of failure and success. Christ explained to his disciples privately the types of soil that were in the field in verses 11-15 where Jesus said, “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”

We see that the purpose of doing God’s work is to scatter the seeds on whatever soil is around us. We are not responsible for the size of the harvest. God will take care of that.

Throughout the ages in the past, the way the seeds were scattered was through the technology that was available at that time. Today we have the capability of scattering God’s Word to practically the entire world from wherever God has placed us. The Internet has become a powerful tool in spreading the “seed” of God’s Word, and this is only the beginning! We must not pass up this opportunity.

We can compare this growth to either a fruit or nut-bearing tree. At first, the tree is a sapling with just one stem. But it soon grows more branches—at first two, then four the following year, and even more every year after. Eventually, the tree will become mature enough to bear fruit or nuts but only as much as the branches are able to bear. For instance, the oak tree will usually not produce a significant amount of acorns until approximately its 20th year. But every 20 years afterward, it will more than triple its production of acorns.

Yes, God does start things small, even in the plant kingdom—setting an example for us to learn. Consider how tiny the Church was in the early years of the Apostles. Through the years as technology has improved and population has increased we have many more ways to “scatter seeds” to reach the entire world.

· Growth by Trial

Just as some seeds need to be exposed to fire, we may endure trials—sometimes even fiery ones—throughout our lives. We can be confident that we will not be destroyed by these trials. We can endure them as I Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Also in 1 Peter 4:17 we are told, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

When a seed is exposed to fire, extreme heat, or a period of freezing temperatures, a chemical change occurs, which triggers the seed to grow.

In the same way, trials trigger us to grow. God uses problems, troubles, and afflictions to strengthen His children—to cause us to learn, change, grow, endure, and overcome.

As stated earlier, some seeds must be exposed to complete darkness for germination to occur. Likewise, we sometimes go through periods of darkness—when life seems bleak and all hope has faded. This has occurred to some of God’s greatest servants, including Job, Joseph, and David.

Once a seed has germinated and developed into a mature plant, it still faces many obstacles. The strongest trees are the ones that face heavy winds when they are young. Any time we face adversity, we need to consider it an opportunity for great joy because it will strengthen us as James tells us in James 1:2-4, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

As we consider how Life is Like a Seed, we need to realize the purpose of every seed is to reproduce its own kind. Each seed has the potential to grow into a new, fully mature plant. In the same way, God is reproducing His “own kind” through us as is written in Romans 8:29-30, “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.”

So the next time you do a little planting in your garden or see a farmer planting his field, remember the example God has given us in the little seed! Tomorrow on our trek I will ask you “How Heavy is Your Backpack?” So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 269 – Life is Like a Seed #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 08:03:57 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 269 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Life is Like a Seed #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 269 of our trek, and yesterday and for the next couple of days on our hike, we want to understand how Life is Like a Seed. There are many parallels from both a physical and spiritual perspective. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Although it is still February, we know that spring will be here soon. Our pair of hawks have returned over the past month and are preparing their nest for laying their eggs in March. It is very interesting watching them each day from our office windows as they diligently and deliberately reconstruct and enlarge their nest.

Let’s continue on our trail today as we seek out more information on how our…

Life is Like a Seed

· Five Basic Conditions

In general, there are five basic physical conditions that all seeds need to germinate:

Light
Water
Soil
Time
Temperature

Similarly, Christians need these five spiritual conditions to grow. Let’s look at how and why a seed needs each of these conditions and how they spiritually apply to a Christian’s life.

1. Light

Sunlight, which changes in length and intensity throughout the year, is a plant’s signal to start germinating at the right time. It also helps show the plant which way is up and where to send its leaves to receive light so that it can produce its own food.

Notice what Psalm 119:105 states, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” God, in His Word, shows us through daily Bible study which way to go.

Alone, man does not know how to plan his own course as mentioned in Jeremiah. 10:23, “I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.”

As a result, he gropes in the darkness of this world, ignorant of the only way that produces true and lasting peace, happiness, and prosperity. The light of God’s Word reveals the path that leads to the kingdom of God and eternal life.

2. Water

Water is also a vital key for the life of every plant. As mentioned on yesterday’s hike, some seeds need to be immersed in water to germinate. All seeds need to absorb and fill up with water, which is the first step in germination. This happens by either a chemical trigger or a change in the seed coat.

When we accept Christ as our substitution or sacrifice for our sins so that we become holy in God’s sight, we are washed clean. A comparison to how husbands are to love their wives is how Christ loved the church which is described in Ephesians 5:25-27, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.”

A parallel can also be considered with baptism and the story of the Samaritan woman at the well when Christ told her in John 4:13-14, “Jesus replied, ‘Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.'”

3. Soil

Soil will determine the health and strength of a plant. The better the soil, the healthier and stronger the plant. The soil should not be too sandy or too hard, and it must supply the right nutrients for the plant to grow strong.

Soil nutrients provide the proper building blocks for a plant to build its cells. For example, it must have a good source of calcium to have strong stems and branches. Soil also needs magnesium to make its leaves green, which enables it to harness the power of the sun.

Jesus told the parable of building a good foundation in Luke 6:48-49, “It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

Although this passage referring to building on a solid foundation, our “soil”—our spiritual foundation—must contain the right “nutrients.” Christians must build their Spirit-led lives upon the doctrines and traditions of God’s true apostles and prophets, whom He has used to instruct and lead His people. Ephesians 2:19-20 explains it in this manner, “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.” Also in John 13:34-35 Jesus tells us, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

4. Time

Time is crucial in the germination process. As in life and business, it is usually better to get things done sooner rather than later—yet, some things cannot be hurried because they need to be done right.

In our Christian lives, we need to remember that it takes time to grow, change, and overcome. This means that we should strive to be patient with our spiritual development. James 5:7 uses this analogy, “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.”

5. Temperature

In addition, temperature is important in the germination process. If a seed is in an environment lacking the right temperature, its chance of success is severely limited, even if all the other elements are present.

Many Christians today have a “temperature” problem. In Revelation 3:15-16, Christ warns His people, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” None of us can afford to let our zeal for brotherly love and doctrinal truth wane. Therefore, we must be diligent to have and maintain the right temperature to survive this lukewarm age!

In this second of three lessons on how Life is Like a Seed, we considered the five basic condition for seeds to germinate and grow which are light, water, soil, time, and temperature. Tomorrow we will finish this series as we learn about planting in good soil and growing even in adverse conditions. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 268 – Life is Like a Seed #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 08:03:52 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 268 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Life is Like a Seed #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 268 of our trek, and yesterday we discovered 9 lessons learned from hiking the mountains. Today and for the next couple of days on our hike, we want to understand how Life is Like a Seed. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Sunday evening was filled with laughter and squeals as we had five of our six grandchildren over for the evening. We had pizza and watermelon for dinner and then Gramps was changed into a monster, as I chased the kids all over the house in an attempt to catch them. By the end of the evening, my throat and body were a bit sore from all the monster growling and being piled on by the kids as they tried to free the captured ones. It was a great evening together.

Anytime we have the opportunity to impact our grandchildren positively we certainly want to plant those seeds within them. Fortunately, they all have very strong and loving homes, and we can reinforce good principles in their lives. This is an important part of living our legacy each day.

As we consider planting those good seeds within our grandchildren’s lives, on our hike today we want to begin a short series that will allow us to consider how…

Life is Like a Seed

· God instructs us to learn spiritual principles from Creation. Have you considered the example of the seed?

Let time travel forward a couple of months and imagine that it is now springtime! Farmers are busy planting their fields. Gardeners are cleaning up their yards and preparing their gardens. They are taking little seeds and placing them in the ground so that they will grow into beautiful flowers and fruitful plants. There is nothing quite like a bouquet of fresh flowers or the taste of fresh vegetables from your own garden!

Growing up on the farm, our primary crop was apples from the 40 acres of apple trees in our orchard. We also had a very large vegetable and flower garden that we all worked in. Regardless if the plant was an apple tree, corn stalk, or hollyhock flower, each one starts with a seed of the same kind of plant.

Seeds come in different shapes and sizes, with each type having different requirements for germination (the process in which seeds sprout and begin to grow). Small seeds must be placed as delicately as possible in the soil so that they do not get buried too deep. They are usually planted together in groups, ensuring that some will grow into thriving plants. Larger seeds, on the other hand, are buried deeper and generally with fewer in a group. Some seeds prefer warm, dry environments while others require environments that are cold and moist. There are seeds that will germinate in less than five days while others will take five months—or even longer!

Because there is a wide range of seed types, man has learned a seemingly endless variety of methods to cause seeds to sprout and grow. One common treatment is exposing the seed to a cold, almost freezing, temperature for a specific length of time, mimicking winter. Certain seeds, such as some carnivorous plants from Australia or some pine cones germinate when they are exposed to fire. Some germinate when immersed in water. Others, such as Cyclamen, germinate when they are kept in the dark for a certain period. Hard-shell seeds must be scarred or cracked. Some seeds can sit dormant for several years before something triggers them to germinate.

As you will come to see, the seed has many spiritual parallels to God’s work and our Christian lives. Following the teaching of Jesus when he shared the message of the end times in Mark 13:28-29, “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door.” Let’s “learn a lesson” and learn the example of the seed.

· What Is a Seed?

A seed is basically a copy of the plant it came from. Genetically, it has all the information needed to grow into a complete plant. A seed consists of an embryo and a food store, surrounded and protected by an outer seed coat. The food store is large enough to allow the plant to grow its first leaves so that it can start producing its own food through the plant and roots. The outer coat varies in size and thickness, depending on the plant. Under the right conditions, this perfect little “package” will grow and develop into a wonderful new plant, providing food, shelter, or beauty.

As mentioned earlier, a seed with a thicker shell may need to be scarred or cracked to ensure germination. In addition, some seed embryos are not fully developed for germination. In such cases, the seed needs to go through a waiting or curing period before it is ready.

One universal truth of every plant that grows from a seed is that the original seed will die or be destroyed in the process of the birth and growth of the new plant. In the same manner, for God’s salvation to grow through his disciples, the original seed, which is Christ, had to die. This is taught by Jesus in John 12:23-26, “Jesus replied, ‘Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.’”

On our first of three lessons on how Life is Like a Seed, we considered the example of the seed, what the seed is made of, and that to produce fruit the seed must die to itself. Tomorrow we will explore the five basic conditions that every seed needs to grow. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Just as you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, please subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so that it will be downloaded to you each day and share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person, so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 267 – 9 Lessons from the Mountains

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 08:03:33 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 267 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

9 Lessons from the Mountains

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 267 of our trek, and yesterday we explored 7 activities which we should all incorporate into our lives. Today we are going to discover 9 lessons learned from hiking the mountains. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Sunday, we went to church and dinner afterward with Dad in Cambridge, Ohio. It is always great to spend time with him worshipping God and visiting. It was extra special for Dad this time since we had Kip with us. It is a blessing for all of us that the great-grandchildren are able to know and spend time with Dad.

On Sunday afternoon, we did have some work to complete and additional planning for some of our clients, which are negatively impacted by low energy prices.

I was also able to do some final cleaning of the woodwork in the library in preparation of coating it with polyurethane. It will certainly look great when we are finished.

Each day of life is an opportunity to learn if we are receptive to its lessons. As we head out on the trail for today on our trek up the mountain of life we will learn…

9 Lessons from the Mountains

Let’s imagine in our minds that we have just arrived in Seattle, Washington, in preparation for an expedition of mountain climbing. Set behind the Seattle skyline, standing elegantly at 14,411 feet is Mount Rainer, which can humble even the most experienced climbers. Our guide for our expedition has promised us an unforgettable adventure on Mount Rainer. We first hike to Camp Muir, the main base camp at 10,080 feet. From there we start the difficult part of the hike to the summit of Mount Rainer.

The lessons from this experience are extremely relevant to our everyday life. Here are several key takeaways.

Preparation can mean life or death.

If you were to actually take this trek, your journey would start long before your boots hit the dirt with careful consideration of every foreseeable scenario. As with your life plan, you want to have a plan for the various scenarios that you may encounter. Don’t just plan for the best case scenario. Plan for everything that could go wrong too. The moment you’re forced into survival situations, whether that is financial, health, relational, or otherwise, is not the right time to start developing a plan to get through it.
Pace yourself.

With all of the adrenaline and excitement of hitting a trailhead, it’s common for hikers to push too hard at the beginning and burn out during the climb. As you go through life, you need to keep your emotions in check, pace yourself, and maintain a steady pace. This will allow you to conserve emotional, financial, and spiritual resources that will be needed to tackle the difficult terrains of life as you encounter them.
Just keep moving.

There will be times in mountain climbing and in life when it doesn’t seem worth it. No one said it’d be easy. Remember that momentum is important. When you stop on a mountain above snow level, it doesn’t take long for the cold to set in. In the same manner, stopping for too long when life’s difficulties set in can make it very difficult to start again. When you’re tired, just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.
Take care of yourself.

You will not be able to reach your end goal if you do not take care of yourself. There’s a rule on the mountain that if you become thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Treat dehydration in life by not letting it happen in the first place. Take care of yourself and take the time to be replenished through times of rest and relaxation along the way of your life trek.
Everything looks closer than it is.

I am told that you get a real sense of just how big Mount Rainier is as you’re approaching Camp Muir. As you reach the final snowfield and the base camp comes into sight, it looks like you’re just minutes away from relief, but anyone who’s made this climb can attest that it’s an illusion. From first sight, the base camp is still about an hour away. In the same manner, don’t underestimate the magnitude of your life goals and how long it will take to get there. Everything takes longer (and costs more) than you’d expect. Be prepared spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and financially.
Don’t underestimate the little things.

Surprisingly, of the 400+ fatalities reported on Mount Rainier, only about a quarter of those deaths occurred near the summit. Most fatalities and injuries occur in the seemingly safe terrain well below the base camp. Pay attention to the little things in life and business as they may be more dangerous than you realize. Stay alert and be prepared for unforeseen challenges. They will arise, that is what life is made of. The least you can do is avoid being surprised when they occur.
Let others help you.

While climbing may not seem like a team sport, it is. It is the same with any pursuit in life. It’s not in my nature to let other people take care of me, but when you are at the end of your strength spiritually, emotionally, and financially, you do need help from others on this trek of life. Most of us tend to be self-sufficient, but there will be times when you will need help. And you should ask for it and be willing to accept it.
Create milestones and re-evaluate your path.

Setting milestones and checkpoints allow you to reassess your situation and revise your plan through different seasons of life. Your destination will probably not change, but your trail can be modified based on your current situation and what you have learned and experienced on the previous segment of your journey.
Trust yourself with cautious optimism.

Life’s journey and the path are not always clear. Many times we can only see a few feet in front of us. Don’t overanalyze every situation. Overthinking will usually cause more harm than good. You need to have faith that there is a solid path forward. Have enough confidence in God and yourself to know that you can handle any terrain in front of you, and be cautious enough that you can quickly turn or stop should an obstacle arise.

When you push hard to reach certain plateaus in life, you may find yourself exhausted – spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. You may even wonder at times why you put yourself through these rough terrains of life. As you reflect on the results and the rewards, it won’t be long before you are making more plans for your future.

You really have to know the why of your purpose in life and live for the legacy that you wish to leave each day. It is then that the trek becomes worthwhile, regardless of how rough the terrain of life becomes. Not everyone will pursue their purpose in life with such determination. Some have no interest, and others lack the discipline.

The best views in life are the hardest to get to, and I truly believe that is by design. Most people will never experience them. It’s up to you to decide whether you view, your purpose, and the impact that you can make on others is worth making the climb.

As it tells us in Galatians 6:9, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

On our trek for today, we discovered the 9 life lessons we can learn from the mountains. Tomorrow we will continue to learn valuable lessons for our Trek of Life. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person, so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 266 – 7 Activities to Integrate Into Your Life

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 08:03:53 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 266 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Activities to Integrate Into Your Life

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 266 of our trek, and yesterday we discovered the 7 insights to develop your personal philosophy of life. Today we will explore 7 activities which we should all incorporate into our lives. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The trip north on Friday evening was uneventful, and we enjoyed the additional conversations with our grandson Kip, who came along with us this time. Saturday was spent cleaning up drywall dust and preparing to refinish the woodwork in the library and parlor. We also invested some additional time making edits to Your Life Plan Blueprint. It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures around 70°, so we spent some time enjoying the day as Kip ran around and played on the swing set.

It is so good to take these moments to relax and reflect because life for most of us seems to be overly busy to the point where we see diminishing returns with each new activity that we try to cram into our already busy schedules. As we head out on our trail for today, let us ponder the fact that maybe the type of activities that we are involved in are not leading us to fulfill our life purpose. Let us look for the mile markers along our trek that will point out the…

7 Activities to Integrate into Your Life

As you consider the various activities that make up each day, if you are like me, you feel that there is just no way to add anything else to an already overflowing schedule. My question to you is, Are the activities you are involved in for this season of life congruent with your life purpose and objectives? Are these activities moving you closer to or farther away from your destination in life? These are hard choices that you will have to make, and you will need to learn how to say no to the good activities so we can say yes to the best activities.

There are some universal activities or habits though that all of us should integrate into our lives to ensure that we are moving toward a life that is both rich and satisfying.

Consider replacing some of your less productive activities/habits with ones that have better benefits. This will allow you to create and live your legacy each day. Here are the activities/habits that I recommend.

1. Exercise

Working out is good for the body, mind, and soul. According to various studies, people who exercise 30 minutes a day, five times a week, enjoy better overall brain health, including uplifted mood, reduced stress, increased creativity, and clearer thinking. Exercise is one of the best activities you can be involved in to stay alert and alive. For me the best time to exercise is early morning. I set aside about 70 minutes each morning for this activity. I do include listening to devotional materials, podcasts, and audio books into exercising to maximize the use of my time.

2. Hobbies

Have you ever noticed that some of the most productive and successful people also lead rather interesting lifestyles in addition to their careers? That comes largely from the personal pastimes they choose to enjoy. Hobbies are a good outlet for stress and an excellent source of creativity. Although I really do love work, I also enjoy renovating The Big House and taking care of the grounds. These are times of relaxing and thinking for me.

3. Learning

Success in all areas of life means fostering a love of learning. If you want to inspire a love of learning inside yourself, learn something new. With access to virtually unlimited resources through the internet, you are able to learn anything that you choose. Most people learn something that will be useful to them in their careers, but don’t limit yourself, a universe of learning is available at your fingertips. One study shows that a strong atmosphere of learning new things can help increase personal and business productivity by 37 percent. With online tutorials, web-based informational courses, and apps that offer assistance with just a few taps, you don’t have an excuse not to learn something new.

4. Meditation

Even if you do not consider yourself a person of faith, there are many ways to practice meditation. For me, I meditate through prayer and the reading of Scripture, but for you, it may be something else. These practices can be incorporated into yoga, martial arts, and other ways. Meditation can help you relax, improve productivity, facilitate creativity, and maintain your general overall well-being. It could simply mean sitting in stillness for 20 minutes twice a day, or leaning back in your chair, staring up at the ceiling, and forgetting the world for 10 minutes.

5. Service

If you’re losing sight of perspective and what matters to you most, take an opportunity to serve others, especially the less fortunate. Giving back to your community helps you to think about things besides a pursuit of success. This will enable you to evaluate life from a different perspective. It is one of the best ways to put your life into perspective and reduce the stress that comes from constantly focusing on your own problems. It is even proven to be one of the most effective ways to overcome depression.

6. Reading

This is somewhat tied to point three on learning, but it can also be a way of relaxing and meditating. The best way to stay up to date with activities and information is to read. Whether you’re keeping up on the latest news, studying a business-oriented self-help book, or reading the biography of a successful person you admire, reading can help boost your creativity, improve your thought processes at work or home, and enable you to de-stress after a long day.

7. Family

Take a break every now and then to devote your entire attention to those you love most. For just a few hours a week, stop thinking about the things that happen at work or other activities and enjoy what’s going on at home and with your family. Healthy, happy, and successful people understand that taking a break with their loved ones keeps them sane as they hike up the mountain of life toward their life purposes and objectives. Your family should be the most important aspect of life’s trek because they are the ones that you will ultimately have the most impact on.

Many of us, including myself, don’t take enough time to enjoy what God has so richly blessed us with. I am reminded of this in these verses:

2 Timothy 2:6 – And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 – And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

On our trek today, we have located the 7-mile markers or activities that we all should incorporate into our lives. Tomorrow we will hike the trail that will teach us the 9 life lessons we can learn from the mountains. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Just as you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person, so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 265 – 7 Insights for Developing Your Personal Philosophy

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:03:07 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 265 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Insights for Developing Your Personal Philosophy

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 265 of our trek, and yesterday we discovered the 18 signposts for strong personal leadership. Today we will extend our trail and look for 7 more signposts to develop our personal philosophy of life. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. On the day this episode is released we will be back in Ohio at The Big House. There is an extensive amount of renovation work that needs to be accomplished in the weeks that we spend in Marietta as we prepare for our Chamberlain reunion scheduled for July 4^th weekend. We won’t be nearly finished in the entire house by then, but we have made significant progress in the past 5 years. We are anticipating between 75-100 people in attendance during that weekend.

As you can tell our personal philosophy about family is that it is very important to us. We desire to preserve the heritage that has been entrusted to us. We realize that few individuals in today’s fragmented and fast-paced society have this privilege. Just as we are aware of this, on the trails that we will hike today, we will look for additional signposts to discover…

7 Insights for Developing Your Personal Philosophy

Your philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out. This is how to build a meaningful one.

While there are many puzzle pieces for success, without developing a sound philosophy, the other pieces are of little value. So as you go forward on this journey toward success, remember to:

1. Set your sail.

The winds of circumstance blow upon all of us. We all have experienced the winds of disappointment, despair, and heartbreak, but why do people arrive at such different places at the end of the journey? Have we not all sailed upon the same sea?

The major difference isn’t circumstance. It’s the set of your sail (or the way you think). It’s what you do after you have set your sails and the wind decides to change direction. When the winds change, you must change. You have to struggle to your feet and reset the sail in a manner that will steer you in the direction of your own deliberate choice. The set of your sail, or how you think and how you respond, has a far greater capacity to destroy your life than any challenges you face. How quickly you respond to adversity is far more important than adversity itself.

The great challenge of life is to control the process of your own thinking.

2. Learn from success and failure.

The best way to establish a new and powerful personal philosophy is to objectively review the conclusions you’ve drawn about life. Any conclusion you’ve drawn that isn’t working for you could be working against you. The best way to counteract misinformation and wrong data is to input new and accurate information. Gather information from personal experience. If you’re doing something wrong, evaluate what you did wrong and change things.

Seek an objective, outside voice about how you are and what you’re doing. An objective opinion from someone you respect can lead you to early and accurate information about your decision-making process. Listen to the freshness of an outside voice—someone who can see the forest and isn’t lost in the trees.

Observe the successes and failures of other people. If people who failed were to give seminars, it would be helpful. You could see how people mess up and you wouldn’t do what they did. Past failures and errors prompt you to amend current conduct so you don’t replicate the past.

Study from people who do well. You should be in a constant search for people you admire and respect and whose behavior you can model. It’s far better to deliberately choose the people you will permit to influence you than to allow bad influences to affect you without your conscious choice.

3. Read all you can.

People from all walks of life who’ve had some of the most incredible experiences have taken the time to write of these experiences so you can be instructed and amend your philosophies.

The contributions of other people enable you to reset your sails based upon their experiences. Books offer treasures of information that can change your life, fortune, relationships, health, and career for the better.

For myself, one book that has shaped my philosophy is the Book of Proverbs in the Bible. King Solomon, the wisest person to ever live, wrote most of the Proverbs. The book contains words that are rich, practical, and applicable to your everyday life and philosophy.

4. Keep a journal.

A journal is a gathering place for all of your observations and discoveries about life. It’s your own transcript that captures your experiences, ideas, desires, and conclusions about the people and the events that have touched your life. The past, when properly documented, is one of the best guides for making good decisions for the future.

The very act of writing about your life helps you to think more objectively about your actions. Writing tends to slow down the flow of information and gives you time to analyze and ponder the experience. The intense scrutiny of journal writing can enable you to make refinements in your philosophy that are truly life-changing.

5. Observe and listen.

Pay attention during your day and watch what’s going on. Surround yourself with people you respect and admire. Find people whose personalities and achievements stimulate, fascinate, and inspire you, and then strive to assimilate their best qualities into your life. This is called the skill of selecting. Don’t waste your time on the silly and the shallow.

One of the major reasons people don’t do well is because they keep trying to get through the day while a more worthy cause is to get from the day. We must become sensitive enough to observe and ponder what is happening around us. Be alert. Be awake. Often the most extraordinary opportunities are hidden among seemingly insignificant events.

Be a good listener. Find a voice of value and stay for a while. With so many voices vying for your attention, you need to develop the skill of selective listening and only focus on the information that appeals to you. If a voice is not leading to the achievement of your goals, exercise caution in how long you listen.

6. Be disciplined.

Every day is filled with dozens of personal crossroads, moments when you are called upon to make a decision regarding minor as well as major questions. These decisions chart a path to a future destination. With careful mental preparation, you can make wise choices.

The development of a sound philosophy prepares you for making sound decisions. When you eat healthy foods, you experience positive results in a short time. When you start exercising, you feel a new vitality almost immediately. When you begin reading, you experience a growing awareness and a new level of self-confidence.

New disciplines practiced daily will produce exciting results. The magic of new disciplines causes you to amend your thinking.

7. Don’t neglect.

Neglect is the major reason people don’t have what they want. If you don’t take care of things in your life, neglect becomes a disease. If you neglect to do good things with your money, you probably neglect to do good things with your time. If you don’t know what’s going on with your health or your bank account, you could be at risk.

Set up new disciplines to change your life. Don’t neglect. Everything is within your reach if you will read books, use journals, practice the disciplines and wage a new and vigorous battle against neglect.

Be wise as you build your philosophy. Study Proverbs and others that have shown to be wise. Commit yourself to a new journey and say, I’m going to change my life. Once you do, you’ll never look back.

As it is written in Colossians 2:8, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

Tomorrow on our trek, we will explore 7 activities that we should all incorporate into our lives. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 264 – 18 Signs of Strong Personal Leadership

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 08:03:02 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 264 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

18 Signs of Strong Personal Leadership

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 264 of our trek, and yesterday we discovered the 7 principles that make eagles amazing creatures. Today we will look for the 18 signposts for strong personal leadership. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are making progress on both our personal and company workload, but there is always much to do. After our appointments on Friday, we will swing by our son Buddy’s home and pick up our grandson Kip before heading north to Ohio. Kip is a bright and very inquisitive 4-year-old, so it should be an enjoyable and enlightening 10 days. There is a lot of renovation work waiting for us, so we are looking forward to a busy time while at The Big House.

Speaking of traveling, it is time to head up the trail and look for the new signposts located on today’s trek. These signposts will instruct us on how to obtain and grow strong personal leadership. What is personal leadership? It is simply leading yourself. You being the boss of you – strong in character and integrity every minute of every day.

Let’s explore the…

18 Signs of Strong Personal Leadership

Why do some leaders start strong and finish weak like Ken Lay, former CEO of Enron, and Linda Carne, former CEO of the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia? Others start weak and end up finishing strong like Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States.

What’s the difference between the leaders that finish strong and those that don’t? Personal leadership.

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.

Steven Covey put it this way, “Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them.”

You keep your commitments. You remain steady. You’re not tossed about like a ship on the sea. You’re resolved and resolute in your commitments whether it’s to another or to yourself.
You control your impulses. You don’t give in to knee-jerk reactions or flirt with temptation. You decide ahead of time how you will respond when tempted to be impulsive so that when the moment comes, you respond with integrity.
You are disciplined. You do what needs to be done, even when you don’t feel like it. You stop doing what’s not working and start doing what’s required.
You’re predictable. You consistently do the right thing, even when it’s hard.
You know yourself. Self-awareness is the first step to strong personal leadership. You know where you are strong and where you are weak. You don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you’re anything other than what you are.
Personal development is a high priority. You continue to learn, develop, and grow. You know that personal development is the key to growth and adding value wherever you are. It keeps you relevant.
You’re strong – body, mind, and spirit. You examine every area of your life. You know that you’re only as strong as the weakest area of your life. So you’re intentional to keep every area strong.
You sign up to do hard things. You take on challenges because they make you better, sharper, stronger, and more focused. And, you think that’s fun.
You can look back in the last year and see how you’ve grown. You’re never the same person that you were even yesterday. You’re always getting better.
You have no secrets…because there is nothing to hide. All that is hidden will one day be brought to light. It’s only a matter of time.
You have a good attitude, even in bad times. A good attitude doesn’t mean you’re not realistic, it means you still have hope for the future. It means you know there is purpose in everything, even if you don’t see it at the moment.
You look for solutions, not problems. You’re constantly working with the cards you’ve been dealt making them the best hand possible.
You take personal responsibility. You don’t spend any energy making excuses. You spend your energy on admitting your culpability and moving on. You know that the only thing you can control is yourself and by doing so, you can influence change.
Your self-talk is positive yet accurate. You believe in yourself and that you can accomplish your dreams, yet you’re realistic enough to know that you need to work it, not just think it.
You shine the spotlight on others. This shows a special kind of humility and self-confidence that demonstrates strength of character.
You take the time to self-reflect. You take the time to sit still and reflect. You see patterns, connect dots, and discover deeper dimensions of yourself.
You have patience. You know that the path to success isn’t a straight line. You have the patience to stay the course and keep doing the right thing. You know that it will pay off in the end if you don’t give up the fight.
You look for wisdom and seek for understanding. You learn from others. You seek advice and ask for feedback.

Understanding and showing personal leadership is built on integrity and will lead to the rich and satisfying life that we should desire to obtain.

King David wrote in Psalms 119:1, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.”

King Solomon tells us in Proverbs 2:7, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”

Make sure you’re a strong personal leader and only then will you be in a position to be a strong leader of others. Start strong. Stay strong. Finish strong. If you have any questions or would like assistance in your personal leadership trek, please email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

On our trek today, we discovered the 18 signs for personal leadership. How do they compare with your life, and in what areas do you need to improve? Take time today to consider this. Tomorrow on our trek, we will explore the 7 Insights for Developing Your Personal Philosophy. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 263 – 7 Amazing Principles of Eagles

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 08:03:22 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 263 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Amazing Principles of Eagles

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 263 of our trek, and yesterday, on our path of learning, we focused on what we can learn from children. Today we will look at the sky as we discover the 7 principles that make eagles such amazing creatures. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This week’s workload has been over-the-top busy with a lot of extra technical support work, financial work, preparing taxes, and editing of the Wisdom-Trek Journals and Your Life Plan Blueprint. It is an exciting time.

On Tuesday evening, we were able to take a bit of a break as my sister Rebecca who lives in Charlotte came over to share dinner with us. Afterward, we continued our time of looking through old family pictures together. It is always good for a few laughs and shared memories. We always look forward to the times we can spend sharing together.

It is now time to head back out on our trail for today, as we will be looking for eagles and share what makes them such an exceptional creature. For all of my adult life, I have been a collector of eagle pictures and mountings. I especially love the Bald Eagle. They are so majestic. This also ties to one of my favorite Bible passages which is Isaiah [40:28]-31,

²⁸Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
²⁹He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
³⁰Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
³¹But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

With this passage in our minds, let’s look at the…

7 Amazing Principles Of Eagles

The eagle is the national bird in the United States and the symbol of almost all conquerors, be it Caesar or Hitler. The reason is the inspiration of the 7 amazing principles of an eagle.

1. Eagles fly alone at a high altitude.

They are not with sparrows or other smaller birds like geese. Birds of a feather flock together. No other bird goes to the height of the eagle. Even with eagles, other than their lifetime mate, it is rare to see them in a flock of other eagles.

Eagles fly with eagles.

Eagles can focus up to 3 miles from the air. When an eagle sites prey, even a rodent from this distance, he narrows his focus on it and sets out to get it. No matter the obstacle, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

2. Eagles have powerful vision.

Eagles can focus up to 3 miles from the air. When an eagle sites prey- even a rodent from this distance, he narrows his focus on it and sets out to get it. No matter the obstacle, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

If you have a vision and remain focused, no matter what the obstacle, you will succeed.

3. Eagles do not eat dead things.

Eagles always feeds on fresh prey. They do not indulge in that which is rotten or spoiled. Vultures eat dead animals but not eagles.

Steer clear of outdated and old information. Study well and always remain fresh in your knowledge.

Don’t let rotten attitudes, mindsets, or people pollute your life.

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4. The eagle is the only bird that loves the storm.

When clouds gather, eagles get excited. The eagle uses the winds of the storm to rise and is pushed up higher. Once it finds the winds of the storm, the eagle stops flapping and uses the pressure of the raging storm to soar above the clouds to glide. This gives the eagle an opportunity to rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees. We can use the storms of our lives (obstacles, trouble, etc.) to rise to greater heights.

Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

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5. The eagle tests before it trusts.

Eagles mate for life, so when a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursuing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male still pursuing her. Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases until he reaches it and has to catch it before it falls to the ground, then bring it back to the female eagle. The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a much higher altitude pursued by the male until she perceives it high enough, and then she drops the twig for the male to chase. This may go on for hours with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of picking the twig, which shows commitment. Then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her!

Whether in private life or in business, one should test the commitment of people intended for partnership.

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6. Eagles prepare for training.

When about to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff or tree where no predators can reach. The male flies to earth and at first picks thorns and lays them as the foundation for the nest on the crevice of the cliff. Then he flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. Then he picks thorns and lays them on top of the twigs. On top of that, he lays soft grass covering the thorns. Finally, the male will find strips of cloth to put on the grass. When this first layering is complete, the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, grass, and cloth and lays them on top of the thorns, then he uses soft feathers to complete the nest.

The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. When the baby eaglets become old enough and it is time to leave the nest, the soft layers are removed so that it will become uncomfortable for them to remain long-term.

The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions, they have good intentions for us.

7. Eagles mate for life and return to the same nest.

Once a suitable mate is chosen, eagles will generally mate for life. If one of the eagles dies, the surviving mate will choose another one that is suitable. Generally, the pair will return to the same nest each year, repairing, enlarging, and improving its design.

Once we have chosen a suitable mate and companion, we should remain faithful for life. Our families and homes should be a solid base that we can return to.

On our trek today, we have learned some amazing principles from eagles that we can apply and follow each day. Whenever you see an eagle in the future, remember these principles. Tomorrow on our trek, we will explore how to create strong personal leadership. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 262 – 4 Things You Can Learn From a Child

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 08:03:35 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 262 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

4 Things You Can Learn From a Child

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 262 of our trek, and yesterday we discovered the 5 Refreshing Benefits of Rest. I am striving to implement these benefits into my life also. Today we want to continue on our path of learning as we focus on what we can learn from children. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We had a great working visit in Mesa, Arizona, with our friends and partners Charles and Alison Mecom, reviewing our Arizona construction project this past weekend. The flights and travel were uneventful, which is very good. The project is coming along well, and execution is starting to flow.

We are back in Charlotte for this week before heading to The Big House in Marietta on Friday evening. We have a special treat of taking our grandson, Kip, with us on this trip. It should be an interesting and fun time, as we are in the midst of renovating. Hopefully, he will want to assist. He usually has ideas, and you never know what we might learn from him.

This brings us to our hike for today as we hit the trail to learn:

4 Things You Can Learn from Your Child

Being an adult can be difficult. You need to be genuinely disciplined, which requires that you develop the ability to take action. You don’t need to be too hasty or frantic, but you also don’t want to waste much time. Don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed by things or events that may never take place. You should look at life simplistically without being simple-minded. You can only control yourself and a few situations, so there is no sense fretting over the rest. As we consider our trail today, let’s keep in mind the innocence of children and the words of Jesus in Mark 10:13-16, “One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’ Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.”

This is a major consideration for adults. Be like children and remember there are four ways to be more like a child no matter how old you get…

1. Curiosity

Be curious; embrace childish curiosity. What will kids do if they want to know something bad enough? You’re right. They will bug you. Kids can ask a million questions. You think they’re through, and then they’ve got another million. They will keep plaguing you. They can drive you right to the brink.

Kids use their curiosity to learn. Have you ever noticed that while adults are stepping on ants, children are studying them? A child’s curiosity is what helps them to reach, learn, and grow.

2. Excitement

Learn to get excited like a child. There is nothing that has more magic than childish excitement – so excited that you hate to go to bed at night, that you can’t wait to get up in the morning, that you’re about to explode…How can anyone resist that kind of childish magic?

Now, once in a while, I meet someone who says, “Well, I’m a little too mature for all that childish excitement.” Isn’t that pitiful? You’ve got to weep for these kinds of people. All I’ve got to say is, “If you’re too old to get excited, you’re too old.” Don’t let yourself get that old.

3. Faith

Faith is childish. How else would you describe it? Some people say, “Let’s be adult about it.” Oh, no, no. Adults too often have a tendency to be overly skeptical. Some adults even have a tendency to be cynical.

Adults say, “I am too logical to believe there is a God, who created everything – there is too much scientific proof to the contrary.” See, that’s what an adult would say, but kids aren’t that way. They look at the world and everything around them and say, “How could there not be a God, who created all things, from the tiniest bug to the tallest mountains. From the smallest snowflake to the stars that span the sky, how could you consider these without knowing that there is a great God that created all things, including me!”

Adults have the tendency to fall into the category of Romans 1:18 where the Apostle Paul writes, “But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” Children will believe Romans 1:19-20, “They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

4. Trust

Trust is a childish virtue, but it has great merit. Have you heard the expression “sleep like a baby”? That’s it. Childish trust. We need to have that same trust in God. When we do, we have no need to fear anything in life. As Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Curiosity, excitement, faith, and trust. That is a powerful combination to bring (back) into our lives.

Let me ask you the question, “Can you become like a child again?” If you implant curiosity, excitement, faith, and trust into your life, you will see the world through new eyes. If you do these regardless of your physical age, you will be forever young. Tomorrow on our trek, we will explore the 7 principles of eagles. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 261 – 5 Refreshing Benefits of Rest

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 08:03:03 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 261 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

5 Refreshing Benefits of Rest

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 261 of our trek, and yesterday we investigated 3 Ways to Accept Criticism with Grace. When taking difficult trails, the need for rest is important, so today we will consider 5 Refreshing Benefits of Rest. I know I need to be better at applying these truths. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As mentioned previously, we will be in Arizona for 4 days, so I am recording some additional podcasts ahead of time for while we are away. These days may be somewhat shorter as we will take quick daily treks on some short trails.

Let’s head out on the trail for today and learn…

5 Refreshing Benefits of Rest

I have to admit that this is one area where I still have difficulties. I am driven and disciplined, and I realize that I push too far and hard at times. Slowing down can be scary when you’re used to running on the world’s treadmill. At times, I have avoided rest because subconsciously I am fearful of what I will discover. The fear of missing out is also a very real factor. There is always so much to do, and it feels like there is so little time to accomplish the tasks at hand. I do realize that it is all a choice, though.

There is no need to be afraid. God loves us and wants His best for us. 1 John 4:18 tells us, “Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

Rest is something we are designed to do. God has both a purpose and a plan for it, so maybe it would be helpful to consider some of the benefits of rest.

1. Rest re-orients our thinking patterns.

When we are weary and fatigued, it’s the perfect time for the enemy to sow his lies and weave a blanket of discouragement we want to curl up under.

Rest brings our thinking into focus and allows us to clearly see what God says about what we are facing, in His word and through His past faithfulness.

Rest brings the reality of God’s strength and provision into view. We need to remind ourselves that He is the victor. We need truth so we can wield it against the enemy’s taunts. Rest enables us to see the devil as he really is: a liar, cheat, accuser, and more.

2. Rest refreshes us.

Like a sip of cold water to the thirsty, we’ll never know how much we need rest until we put our feet up.

Worry and striving will fade away when we allow God to be our source for all things. When we give our mind and heart some wiggle room, we discover peace and the strength to open our hands to release the burdens that weigh us down.

I know I need to take to heart the words of Christ in Matthew 11:28-29, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'”

3. Rest recharges our batteries.

We can simply be worn out. Stress, worry, busyness, over-commitment—all of this wears us down. We need to recharge, and only resting can accomplish that. There comes a time when we have to just say, “That’s it. I am taking the time to rest.”

Times of rest are never wasted. God is God. He is at work even when we sleep. Resting allows for us to admit we need His strength.

4. Rest helps us to refocus.

Fatigue skews our outlook until we are staring in the face of the Deadly-D’s:

Doubt
Discouragement
Defeat
Despair

Rest helps us to adjust our focus so we can see our situation more clearly. We gain perspective as we are quiet in God’s presence, immersed in His word and surrendered to His care.

5. Rest revives.

Once we succumb to the weariness, our response to things to do or places to go is apathy. We don’t have the energy—our margin is worn thin and we would rather hibernate.

Rest revives us with the energy that we lack so that we can flourish and get excited about life again. We discover that our creativity returns as well as the spring in our step.

God’s instructions can revive us as we are reminded in Psalms 19:7, “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul.”

How have you benefited by resting?

I’d love to hear about times when you simply decided enough is enough. Do you rest willingly or are you reluctant to surrender? Leave me a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com. It may just help me and others that struggle taking the rest that is needed.

Time out to rest accomplishes far more than we realize.

The benefits of rest are often explained away when we are running a hundred miles an hour and have the world chasing us. But, when we rest, we allow God to capture us in His embrace and give us just what we need to run the rest of the race with the strength He provides.

Let me ask you the question, “Do you need to rest?” What changes will you make in your life to make sure that you take the time to rest? Email me at guthrie@venturecg.com, and let me know how you are doing. Tomorrow we will be back on the trails as we search for more nuggets of wisdom. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 260 – 3 Ways to Accept Criticism With Grace

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 08:03:47 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 260 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

3 Ways to Accept Criticism With Grace

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 260 of our trek, and yesterday we explored the trail of what it really means to be rich and happy. The majority of the story was from a blog post written by Jeff Haden. Today we will consider a story adapted from an article by Kristine Brown called 3 Ways to Accept Criticism with Grace. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Let’s head out on the trail for today and learn…

3 Ways to Accept Criticism with Grace

Heat filled my cheeks as he spoke. His words pressed harder and harder until my heart felt trapped beneath them. What had I done to deserve such criticism? I sat in silent astonishment without a clue how to respond. I just wanted the conversation to be over.

We have all experienced times when a friend, co-worker, or relative offered harsh judgments. But there are also times when the words spoken, though hurtful at first, are exactly what we need to hear. So how do you discern between the two? How do you know if this person is giving constructive feedback or condemning your actions?

Let’s look at a reference from Paul’s letter to the Church in Galatia found in Galatians [2:11]-12,

But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision.

In Paul’s instruction to the Galatian church, he tells about a time he corrected Peter. Paul noticed Peter acting one way around Jews and another way when he was only with the Gentiles. I can imagine how difficult it was for Paul to address this matter with Peter. After all, Peter was one of the twelve disciples. He was a bold proclaimer of the gospel before Paul became a believer. Yet Paul followed God’s instruction and tackled this difficult topic with Peter.

So how do we handle these situations when they come up? Paul’s story gives us valuable insight into these often uncomfortable moments. The following three tips will help us determine a course of action when someone we know offers opinions we don’t want to hear.

1. Listen up, and listen well.

I was stunned that day by the unexpected turn in the conversation with my friend. For that reason, I missed part of what was said. Certain phrases stood out louder than the rest. You hold on to control… let other people help…more communication. I focused on the negative and blocked out most everything else.

So often we miss the message in its entirety because we don’t hear everything. As the discussion begins, let’s determine to focus our attention. Ask questions. Create open dialogue and keep the exchange going. Above all, we must resist getting defensive. Like Peter, God uses people of like faith to teach us valuable lessons. But we could miss the opportunity if we don’t listen.

2. Consider the source.

After the exchange, let’s ask ourselves these questions: Is he/she coming to me with her concerns for the right reasons? Is he/she someone I trust to give wise counsel? If the answer to these two questions is yes, then we should allow our hearts to be open to their words.

Paul demonstrated his leadership ability and his devotion to God’s call on his life through years of commitment to ministry. No doubt he was someone Peter could trust. Peter knew Paul, and he knew the Holy Spirit guided Paul’s heart and actions. For this reason, Peter could accept Paul’s concern with confidence.

3. Be receptive and appreciative.

As family members, work associates or ministry co-laborers we need to understand that we are working towards a common purpose. Especially if they are fellow Christ followers, we must remain united with other believers. Whatever action steps you decide to take or not to take, reassure the person that confronted you. Renew your commitment to the common goal. Let him/her know you appreciate them. Gratitude eases tension and builds relationships. We should not let our pride control our thoughts and actions.

There have been times in our marriage where Paula has had to confront me on issues, and let’s face it, confrontation creates discomfort! Although internally I would feel resistance rising, I knew if it were a concern to her, then it would be best for me to listen and check my heart. Usually, it was something I was oblivious to and by making minor changes, as needed, would defuse the situation. Even if I did not think it was justified, I became a better husband through it. Paula risked hurting my feelings to bring about change that would ultimately improve our relationship. She has become a trusted voice and gentle admonisher. After taking these matters to God in prayer, I resolve to work toward bettering myself as a husband and a listener.

We can find wisdom in Paul’s exchange with Peter today. Criticism can hurt if we allow ourselves to be offended, but we can grow in Christ by making the most of it. Paul and Peter worked through many obstacles in ministry, and we can too. Sometimes submitting to God’s plan means daring to listen.

Let us endeavor to accept criticism with grace. Tomorrow we will be back on the trails as we explore another short story. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 259 – Why Doesn’t Anyone Ever Feel Rich or Happy?

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 08:03:24 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 259 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Why Doesn’t Anyone Ever Feel Rich or Happy?

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 259 of our trek, and yesterday we hiked the trail of The Wisdom of Being Teachable. Today we will explore why it seems that no one really feels rich or happy. I discovered this short story on Jeff Haden’s blog, and I feel it is worth sharing. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Let’s head out on the trail for today and learn…

Why Doesn’t Anyone Ever Feel Rich Or Happy?

One day I’d like to meet someone who is actually rich. Sometimes I think I’ve found one, but it always turns out I’m wrong. No matter how rich I assumed the person to be, within a few minutes I find out just how “poor” that person really is.

Take the guy who sold his company for more than $40 million. (Well, actually $100 million in total; $40 million is his share.) I was sure he was rich. Then he told me how for tax and estate planning purposes he had structured the disbursement of funds over 10 years. So sure, on paper he may be “worth” $40 million, but he only gets around $4 million each year. And despite all that nifty financial planning the taxes are still so high he doesn’t see nearly that much. It’s a bummer.

Another example is the guy who just splashed a cool $450 grand on a Lexus LFA with the Nürburgring package. His everyday car is a Porsche 911 Turbo S. I was sure he was rich. Then he told me what he wants most in life is a Bugatti Veyron only they cost about $2 million. Sure, he has money he said, but he doesn’t have that kind of money. He thinks about it all the time. It’s a bummer.

Then there is the guy with the 110-foot yacht. Strictly speaking, it’s a ship not a boat since it’s big enough to carry several small boats and a couple of jet skis on a platform at the stern. And, it has a pool. I was sure he was rich. Then he told me how expensive the yacht is just to own: fixed costs like cleaning, upkeep, dock fees, and crew run over six figures a year. And what about the expense of actually taking it for a cruise? He told me firing it up is so expensive he sometimes has to think twice about whether to take it out of the harbor. It’s a bummer.

How about the story of the guy who – I know it’s a cliché, but it’s still true – started a company in his garage, financing it with credit cards and a loan from his father-in-law. A couple decades later his company owns its building (and a few more), employs 500 people, and generates tens of millions in annual revenue. He put his three kids through Ivy League schools and then gave them significant seed money to start their own businesses. I was sure he was rich. Then he explained how he still has to work 60- to 70-hour weeks and can maybe take one week of vacation a year. Sure, he would like to have more free time, but running a company that size requires constant and total attention. Why it could all go away in an instant, he said. And then what would happen to his family? The very thought makes him shudder. It’s a bummer.

So I decided to set my sights on a different target. By definition there can’t be that many rich people; maybe statistical probability was the problem? So I decided to look for someone who is happy. After all, not everyone can be rich, but anyone can be happy.

I thought I found one when I met an entrepreneur who had just landed her first big customer. And, it was not just a big customer, a truly enabling customer – one who made it possible for her to hire much-needed employees, make long-delayed equipment purchases, and finally get creditors off her back. I figured that surely made her feel happy.

Then she told me how much she hates to recruit and interview…and actually having to supervise those employees on a daily basis? Ugh. She told me how adding equipment, maintaining a larger inventory, and managing the huge increase in production was such a pain. “Don’t get her wrong,” she told me as she looked around to make sure no one overheard, “but she often longs for the good old days when life was a lot simpler.” It’s kind of a bummer.

Another example is the guy who, after years of putting out feelers and constant hints, was finally invited to serve on the board of a startup. The company has potential, he said, but it’s not Twitter or Facebook or even Fancy. Now serving on one of those boards would be cool. This? He thought it would be fun, but it’s kind of a bummer.

Then there is the gal who just bought a bigger house? Bummed because it takes so much work to clean. The guy who just doubled his income? Bummed because now his taxes are higher. The gal who just landed her dream job? Bummed because now her daily commute is half an hour longer.

Seems no one I meet, no matter how much money or success they’ve achieved, is actually rich, not really. And although I’m stretching the premise to make a point, it seems no one I meet, no matter how fulfilling and gratifying their life might be, is actually happy, not really.

But that’s okay. I’ll keep looking. Someday I might find someone. And hopefully, that someone is you.

The moral of this story is anytime we place our financial confidence and personal happiness on earthly resources, we will never have enough and never be happy. If you are not content and happy where you are today with what you currently have, you will never be content or happy with more.

The 1^st letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to understudy Timothy gave us the solution if you don’t consider yourself wealthy it is found in 1 Timothy 6:6-8, “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”

If God has allowed you to obtain wealth in this world, the key to a life that is happy and full of joy is in 1 Timothy 6:17-18, “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.”

Let me ask you another question. When will you be content with what you have? What will make you happy? Tomorrow we will be back on the trails as we explore another short story. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 258 – The Wisdom of Being Teachable

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 08:03:29 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 258 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

The Wisdom of Being Teachable

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 258 of our trek, and yesterday we discovered a new definition of success. Today we want to hike the trail of The Wisdom of Being Teachable. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As mentioned previously, we will be in Arizona for 4 days, so I am recording some additional podcast ahead of time for while we are away. These days may be somewhat shorter as we will take quick daily treks on some short trails.

Let’s head out for today and learn…

The Wisdom of Being Teachable

If you examine many of the most highly regarded members in any field, one of the most consistent similarities in their personalities is their ability to constantly learn and their desire to improve both themselves and their work. The ability to learn — and the confidence that you can learn — is the most powerful weapon you have at your disposal during all stages of your life. There is an astonishing amount of research, both quantitative and anecdotal, showing that being teachable and able to adapt to whatever situation you find yourself in will be what ultimately makes or breaks you. Developing the humility required to be this way will be the most solid foundation you can lay to build a life worthy of God’s name.

Here are a few suggestions to help out.

1. Be aware and perceptive. Watch and listen attentively.

Epictetus, a Greek philosopher, once remarked, “We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.” There’s no point in arguing with a famous philosopher, or more importantly, God’s design. Using your eyes and ears more than your mouth in all situations can pay unforeseen dividends. Speaking up is not a crime, but speaking without understanding or forethought usually makes us appear hasty and arrogant — two qualities that will not serve you well. Proverbs 10:19 puts it this way, “Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut.” Use the information that comes to you through listening and watching to learn and better yourself, mixing it with your own thoughts and ideas. In time, some small piece of information you might have missed had you not been paying attention may sway your life with unimagined power.

2. Embrace failure as a learning opportunity.

Be glad when things go wrong! It usually means you are pushing yourself, which is exactly what you should be doing. If nothing ever goes awry, how do you know that you are really doing anything? How do you know that the knowledge you are accumulating or the skill you are learning is truly sinking in? You will need to be able to distinguish the good from the bad. The best way to learn how to do this is to make mistakes yourself. There is no faster way to learn and no better opportunity that forces you to change what steered you wrong. Proverbs 12:1 tells us, “To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.”

3. Cultivate a love of knowledge for its own sake.

A lot of the time we learn things for a specific reason — to get through a class, to put on a resume, to make money…That mentality is troublesome to adopt and will not allow us to really understand and master the subject. Rather than viewing learning as an endless exploration of ourselves and the world we inhabit, we consider it a chore to be accomplished. By treating learning as a lifestyle, not as a means to an end, we increase our ability to progress and develop. Being teachable and understanding that learning will never end — yet will always bring us closer to our potential — is far more fulfilling than imagining it as an obstacle to be conquered.

4. Treat everyone and everything with respect.

You don’t have to be in a classroom to learn. By engaging with everything you come into contact with throughout your daily life, you find little nuggets of knowledge and wisdom in the nooks and crannies of every human and the many facets of nature. It’s tough to do all the time — our brains can generally only focus hard on one thing at a time, leaving little room for other information — but even an attempt at being mindful and remaining open can yield surprising results.

5. Read to help consolidate the thoughts in your head.

This one is a bit of a no-brainer. You would be surprised at what you can learn from a regular reading routine. One of the most beautiful benefits, however, is the way someone else’s words can solidify your own thoughts and lead to an otherwise missed revelation.

6. Write — even if just to get out of your head.

The therapeutic nature of writing is well researched, but if you really want to solidify some learning, try to write it down clearly and concisely. We spend a lot of time watching others do something or reading about how they do it, but unless we get it out of our brains and through the rest of our bodies, we will never learn it.

7. Be patient and remember every great thing takes time. But keep moving forward.

Don’t be hasty in your learning. If you are under the age of 100, you probably don’t know as much as you think you do, so stay humble. Life is like any trade — you’ve got to take your apprenticeship first. We are all keen to display our genius and make a splash, but if we rush things too much, we will skip out on building a good foundation to build our goals on and risk being blown over by the first puff of adversity that comes our way. Give the world a bit of credit. It’s tough to fool, and by forcing your way through you miss out on many subtleties that determine success or failure. Instead, try every day to do at least one thing, no matter how small, to keep your head in a teachable mode and work towards a goal. It may take an entire lifetime, but nothing else will be as fulfilling. And hey, what else are you going to do with all that time? Proverbs 18:5 explains it best, “Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.”

Let me ask you another question. Are you teachable? It is wise to remain teachable your entire life. There is so much to experience and enjoy. Tomorrow we will be back on the trails as we explore another short story. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 257 – A New Definition of Success

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 08:03:37 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 257 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

A New Definition of Success

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 257 of our trek, and yesterday we finished our time at camp after exploring the “nuggets of wisdom” in Proverbs Chapter 7-9. These three chapters are considered the three great poems of King Solomon. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As mentioned previously, we will be in Arizona for 4 days, so I am recording some additional podcast ahead of time for while we are away. These days may be somewhat shorter as we will take quick daily treks on short trails.

Let’s head out for today on our first hike in several days as we look at what it really means to be successful. When we think of success, most of us gravitate towards being successful financially. This is just one area of true success. The primary reason that we may choose to pursue financial success is to have the resources to have a greater impact on the lives of others.

Success must cover all 7 areas of your Wheel of Life, which are Spiritual, Family, Physical, Mind, Personal, Financial, and Career. Success should also be balanced as much as possible over these 7 areas.

As we head up the trail, let me ask you this question, “What does it mean to you to be successful?”

Let’s start looking for the answer by reading 2 Kings 18:5-7, “Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. He remained faithful to the Lord in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses. So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.”

Success usually brings to mind financial achievement or being number one. Others would define success by the bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Some like to think that success is being busy—on the go, racing from one appointment to another and having too much to do with too little time to do it.

The problem with these definitions of success is they exact a high cost. The Executive Digest has noted, “The trouble with success is that the formula is the same as the one for a nervous breakdown.” That’s sobering, uncomfortable, and too often true.

Maybe the definition of success that you are familiar with is not the correct one. I would encourage you to reassess your definition of success before it is too late. May I propose a new look at the word S.U.C.C.E.S.S.?

Service – There is no such thing as success without service. The secret of success lies in meeting the needs of others. And when we are meeting people’s needs, we will discover fulfillment.

Understanding contentment – Let’s not measure success by how much we own or how much money we have but by a sense of inner contentment. Real success is always internal, never external. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.”

Character – Character is of greater value than how much money or status we have. A man’s best test of character is revealed in how he treats people around him. So measure your success, not by your possessions and achievements, but by the quality of your character and conduct.

Compassion – What really matters is not money, power, and ego but issues of the heart—such as compassion, kindness, bravery, generosity, and love. Do you love people more than things? Luke 6:36 says, “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

Excellence – Excellence is not being the best but being your best.

Significance – The popular notion of success has not cut it. A growing number of people yearn for significance more than success. Significance comes by giving ourselves to something that is greater than us and that will outlast us. – Leave a living legacy each day.

Sacrifice – A problem in our society is that we are spending our entire lives looking for something worth living for. It would be better if we found something worth dying for. Once again Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans 12:1, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

Success under these guidelines will bring you into harmony with God’s guidance.

Let me ask you another question. How do YOU spell success? Let us make sure that we are successful in all 7 areas on our Wheel of Life. Tomorrow we will be back on the trails as we explore another short story. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 256 – Proverbs 9:13-18 Folly Calls for a Hearing

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 08:03:10 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 256 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [9:13]-18 – Folly Calls for a Hearing

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 256 of our trek, and this will be our last day in camp for a while as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in Proverbs 9:13-18. Yesterday we explored Proverbs 9:7-12 where King Solomon presented the closing arguments for the woman Wisdom in her court hearing before the city gates. Since each day’s trek builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our travels on Thursday of this week will take us to Atlanta where we will drop Paula’s mom off at her sister’s place, and then we will fly on to Phoenix to spend four days working with our construction project in Mesa. It is in very capable hands with our friends and partners Charles and Alison Mecom, but it is good to get close to the project every few months. We will be back in Charlotte for part of the next week before heading back to The Big House in Marietta on the 19^th. It is an exciting season of life but challenging and tiring at times. I don’t think we will suffer from boredom anytime soon.

For today, we will spend one final day at camp around the campfire making some s’mores and listening to the final portion of the third of three great poems written by King Solomon. We will need to be transported back in time for one more day as we complete our exploration of Proverbs 9. Let us imagine ourselves once again outside the city gates of Jerusalem. Today we have the opposing council who is calling for a hearing. It is the lawyer Folly. She will present a short testimony called…

Folly Calls for a Hearing

We find out that Folly has a house in the city walls, and she is shouting her testimony from there attempting to capture the simple and foolish people coming into the city. I will read Proverbs [9:13]-18,

¹³ The woman named Folly is brash.
She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.
¹⁴ She sits in her doorway
on the heights overlooking the city.
¹⁵ She calls out to men going by
who are minding their own business.
¹⁶ “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
To those who lack good judgment, she says,
¹⁷ “Stolen water is refreshing;
food eaten in secret tastes the best!”
¹⁸ But little do they know that the dead are there.
Her guests are in the depths of the grave.

In verse 13, we see the opposing counsel is a lawyer called Folly. She is a crude brash person, unlike Wisdom, who was well mannered and peaceful. As with many arrogant people, she was also ignorant but was oblivious to this fact.

As we move onto verse 14, we remember that the woman called Wisdom prepared a fine meal for her guests. Wisdom even built a splendid house for them with the 7 columns that represented wisdom’s attributes.

But the lawyer Folly is lazy. Folly did none of these things. She does not even stand to invite her guests. We find her sitting in her doorway which was built high on the wall of the city. Calling from the high places was common, but sitting while making the proclamation showed disrespect.

The messages of the two lawyers both come from the highest place in the city, so everyone will hear both messages. Nobody will miss them. Everyone will receive both invitations. We cannot accept both invitations. We must choose. Either we follow Wisdom or Folly.

In verse 15 she is tempting those who are going about the business of life. Just like the Wisdom-Trek podcast, Solomon compares life to a trek that we take as part of everyday life. We need to understand that our service to God is doing what we do every day and doing it well. No matter how mundane or insignificant, it may seem, living our life for God is never mundane. We must not be tempted away from doing what God has given us. Folly wants to destroy our lives.

In verse 16, the lawyer Folly also calls “simple” people and those who lack good judgment. Foolish people have already joined Folly. The simple people have not yet decided. The woman Folly tries to persuade them. She wants to tempt them from the path of living faithfully each day.

In verse 17, Folly also offers a meal to her guests. However, her meal does not belong to her. She stole the water. Her food must be eaten in secret. What Folly is actually referring to here is having a meal of unfaithfulness. This could be unfaithfulness in marriage, in a workplace, to a friend, or in business. Any unfaithfulness in life is also unfaithfulness to God.

The woman tempts the simple man with evil ideas. Solomon is thinking about all evil things, not just unfaithfulness. If we are foolish, then we will choose to do evil things. If we refuse to be wise, then we also refuse to follow God.

Evil actions might feel “good.” Evil actions might feel “wonderful.” These are only feelings; they are not reality. The reality is that evil behavior is always wrong. The reality is that evil behavior will destroy us. The reality is that God hates all evil things.

The final verse is 18. Those who feast at the banquet that the lawyer Folly has prepared will never leave the banquet, but not by their own choice. The lawyer Wisdom held a banquet that will bring a rich and satisfying life for all eternity. Her food gives life. The lawyer Folly has prepared a banquet that will bring death. Her food is poisonous. Her guests are in the depths of the grave.

We all have a choice. We can believe the testimony of the lawyer Wisdom and have life eternal, or we can believe the testimony of the lawyer Folly and have death eternal. God wants us all to learn to be wise. What is your choice? This has been a great time of learning around the campfire for the past 11 days. Tomorrow we will be back on the trails as we start a new trek. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 255 – Proverbs 9:7-12 Closing Arguments #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 08:03:31 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 255 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs 9:7-12 – Closing Arguments #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 255 of our trek, and for the next two days, we will remain in camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs Chapter 9. Yesterday we explored Proverbs 9:1-6 where King Solomon is presenting the closing arguments for the woman Wisdom in her court hearing before the city gates. Wisdom’s integrity has been validated by her hard work and hospitality. Since each day’s trek builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am sure that I am not alone in the feeling of being overwhelmed at times with the amount of responsibilities and obligations that we have in our lives. This week is one of those times. There is a considerable amount of client work that needs to be completed before leaving for Mesa, Arizona on Thursday. I will have to take some of my own medicine and “eat the elephant one bite at a time.” I did make good progress on my review of Your Life Plan Blueprint on our way to and from the Biltmore Mansion on Sunday. We will continue steadfastly on that project as time permits. Hopefully our travels this week will allow for some editing on that project.

We will need to travel back in time for a couple more days as we complete our investigation of Proverbs Chapter 9. Let us visualize ourselves once again outside the city gates of Jerusalem. King Solomon is about to start day two of closing arguments for the hearing that was called by the lawyer Wisdom.

This will be the last part of the section called…

Wisdom Calls for a Hearing

Solomon will compare and contrast those who reject and those who accept Wisdom’s case as we read Chapter 9:7-9

⁷Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
⁸So don’t bother correcting mockers;
they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
and they will love you.
⁹Instruct the wise,
and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
and they will learn even more.

In verse 7 Solomon calls the foolish person, a mocker. They mock others, and they also mock God. They will never listen to you. They refuse to follow advice. They refuse all correction. They have rejected Wisdom’s pleadings and have chosen the path of foolishness.

The first part of verse 8 takes it one step further telling us that a mocker will hate those who attempt to correct them. This is contrasted with a wise person, or someone seeking wisdom. A wise person learns from the person who gently shows them their errors. If you love a person who is willing to correct you out of their love for you, then you are really wise.

Verse 9 tells us that you will know if someone is wise and living right because they will take the correction and instruction of others and become wiser and more knowledgeable.

Solomon now concludes his closing arguments in verses 10-12 by stating where wisdom truly comes from and the final benefits of obtaining that wisdom.

¹⁰Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

¹¹Wisdom will multiply your days
and add years to your life.
¹²If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.

Verse 10 shows us clearly that any strong building or a strong life will have a strong foundation. Respect for God and His Holiness is the very foundation of all wisdom. We cannot have true wisdom in our lives without knowing and respecting God. The acknowledgment of this shows that we have good judgment.

God must be first in our lives. God is more important than our businesses. God is more important than our friends. God is even more important than our families. Christ answered this question from a religious leader of his day, which makes our priorities clear in Matthew 22:36-38, “‘Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?’ Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

We move onto verses 11-12 in Solomon’s final statements of the closing arguments for Wisdom’s hearing, and he shares the additional benefits.

Like a tender mother, Wisdom will protect us like her child. She will keep us from harm, and she will correct and disciple us when we need it. Because of the care that she has for us, we will be less likely to make stupid decisions in life. This will multiply our days and add years to our life. If we choose to follow Wisdom, we will be the ones to benefit. If we choose not to follow Wisdom, we will be the one to suffer. The choice is ours.

Solomon has concluded his closing arguments, and this is the final speech presented by Wisdom in the book of Proverbs. The third great poem of Solomon is also approaching its end.

Have you been convinced by the hearing and testimony of the lawyer Wisdom? Are you ready to accept her arguments and choose wisdom?

Just when we thought the hearing would be over, Wisdom’s adversary Folly shouts out from her home built high on the city wall to those sitting at the city gates. She does not want to miss the opportunity to present her case to the judges and elders gathered there. This second woman is also shouting out. She also has an invitation. She too offers a meal. If you are simple, then you might confuse this other woman with Wisdom. If you are simple, then you might make a terrible mistake. We will finish Proverbs Chapter 9 tomorrow as Folly Calls for a Hearing. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 254 – Proverbs 9:1-6 Closing Arguments #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 08:03:41 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 254 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs 9:1-6 – Closing Arguments #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 254 of our trek, and today we will remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs Chapter 9. Yesterday we explored Proverbs 8:32-36 where the woman Wisdom has finished the presentation of her case in a legal proceeding before the city gates. She has presented a strong case which we can learn from. Since each day’s trek builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Sunday, we were able to attend our local church, and then we traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, to take the upstairs/downstairs tour at the Biltmore Mansion. It was very interesting to see several rooms that are not available on the regular tour. Paula and I always enjoy visiting Biltmore, as it was built at about the same time period as The Big House in Marietta and has some similar architectural features. Of course, Biltmore is a lot larger and grander, but it does provide some renovation ideas.

As we begin Chapter 9, which is the third of three great poems written by King Solomon, he presents the closing arguments in Wisdom’s hearing. Once again let’s transport ourselves back to ancient Jerusalem during the reign of King Solomon. We take our place among those that are seated just outside of the gates of the city.

The discourse and closing arguments that we will begin today will be presented by King Solomon himself and is still part of the section called…

Wisdom Calls for a Hearing

Solomon starts with describing some of the work that the lawyer Wisdom is completing in Chapter 9:1-6,

¹Wisdom has built her house;
she has carved its seven columns.
²She has prepared a great banquet,
mixed the wines, and set the table.
³She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.
She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.
⁴“Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
To those who lack good judgment, she says,
⁵“Come, eat my food,
and drink the wine I have mixed.
⁶Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;
learn to use good judgment.”

In verse 1, Solomon supports Wisdom’s integrity as he positively describes the lawyer, called Wisdom, as a very hard worker. To adequately provide for those people who will follow her wise ways, she has built a great house with seven columns that are hand carved. Many times in the Bible, numbers have significant meanings. A basis for the 7 columns is that 7 is the number of completion or perfection, so the 7 columns of Wisdom’s house shows complete wisdom. As I studied this, I had to ask myself, what are the 7 columns that make up complete wisdom?

I searched for insight on this, both from other philosophers, students of the Bible, and my own study. Some scholars point back to Proverbs 8 and list prudence, knowledge, fear of the Lord, counsel, sound wisdom, understanding, and strength. While these are good traits to have, I have settled on the fact that these seven columns are described in a letter written by Christ’s half-brother James. I came to that conclusion with the realization that if ultimately all good wisdom comes from God, then the 7 columns must be listed in God’s Word.

In chapter 3 of the letter written by James, there is a listing of what wisdom is not and then he describes what wisdom is starting in the 17^th and 18^th verses the passage reads, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.”

So if we are to follow the instructions from the lawyer Wisdom in her hearing and if we want to be wise, we will also be pure, peace-loving, gentle, always serving, full of mercy, show no favoritism, and sincere. Do you lack in any of these areas?

In Proverbs 9:2, we see that Wisdom has prepared a grand banquet for all who desire wisdom. The table is set, and the wines are mixed and ready. Her guests will not remain hungry. Wisdom has prepared everything that they need. All that is left is for the guests to arrive.

Just as Wisdom has prepared everything for her guests, God provides the things that we need. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:19, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”

In verse 3, we see that Wisdom certainly does not show any favoritism. She sends her servants to invite everyone to her banquet. All we need to do is to desire wisdom. The announcement is made from the highest points on the city wall so that everyone would know. It was their Public Announcement system of the day. Everyone can hear her message each person then has to make the choice on whether to accept her invitation to gain wisdom.

We see in verses 4-6 that she invites the simple and those who lack good judgment. Her table has plenty for everyone who chooses to come and follow wisdom. All they have to do is to leave their simple ways behind and then they can begin to live the rich and satisfying life that is available to them. In doing so, they will learn good judgment.

I find it interesting that the foolish are not included in these verses. While they would be welcomed, as we learned previously, a fool is someone who has chosen to reject God and the offer for wisdom. The simple person is someone that can be taught.

With the additional testimony of King Solomon during the beginning of his closing arguments, we see that the lawyer Wisdom presented a good case during her hearing. We also see that her integrity and concern for others proved that she was authentic and her testimony could be believed. Tomorrow King Solomon will present more closing arguments in the case, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 253 – Proverbs 8:32-36 Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #4

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 08:03:54 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 253 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [8:32]-36 – Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #4

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 253 of our trek, and today we continue to remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we explored Proverbs 8:17-31 where the woman Wisdom is presenting her case in a legal proceeding before the city gates. We have come to understand the great value of learning from and loving Wisdom. She has an eternity of experience as she was the architect at God’s side during creation. Since each day’s trek builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are looking forward to a busy but exciting week. On Thursday, we will travel to Mesa, Arizona, to work with our friends and partners Charles and Alison Mecom on the construction project underway there. We are making good progress on the project, but there are always challenges with projects of this size. We are thankful for the Mecom’s experience and commitment to the project as we all wish to honor and bring glory to God in all that we do.

This past Saturday we celebrated the 4^th birthday of our grandson Kiprono at Discovery Place in Uptown Charlotte. Paula and I had never been there and it was very interesting. Of course, the best part was spending the time with our children Fred, Janet, Buddy, Chelimo, and of course Kip in celebration of his life. We do enjoy these times with family.

As we remain in camp on our trek again today, let’s be transported in our minds back to ancient Jerusalem during the reign of King Solomon. We take our place among those that are seated just outside of the gates of the city. The lawyer called Wisdom continues to build her case before those that are in attendance. This second of three great poems written by Solomon found in Proverbs 8 is titled…

Wisdom Calls for a Hearing

Let’s listen as Wisdom finishes her testimony starting with verse 32,

³²“And so, my children, listen to me,
for all who follow my ways are joyful.
³³Listen to my instruction and be wise.
Don’t ignore it.
³⁴Joyful are those who listen to me,
watching for me daily at my gates,
waiting for me outside my home!
³⁵For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the Lord.
³⁶But those who miss me injure themselves.
All who hate me love death.”

In verses 32 and 33 the lawyer, Wisdom uses a term of endearment as she refers to us as children. It is clear that she loves us and desires for us to love her. She asks us to listen to her. She will bless us and teach us to be wise. We should not ignore what she is teaching us.

In verses 34 and 35, she tells us if we listen to her testimony and follow her instructions, it will bring joy to our lives. We should desire to learn more from her every day. We need to pursue wisdom every day and watch for opportunities to obtain wisdom. We should seek for wisdom as if she were a literal treasure because figuratively she is much more valuable. What we discover when we find wisdom is a rich and satisfying life, and we receive God’s favor in our lives.

As we end Chapter 8 with verse 36, we find that if you refuse wisdom, then you will suffer. God does not choose to punish us and will always give us the opportunity to turn to Him. If we refuse God and refuse to follow the words of Wisdom, then the punishment is severe. God is holy, and we all fall short of God’s standard so we must seek to be holy through making the ultimate wise choice. That choice is accepting God’s provision for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, as is stated in 1 Peter 3:18, “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.” A person who hates Wisdom and refuses God’s provisions will die both spiritually and many times prematurely in the physical realm.

The lawyer Wisdom has finished her testimony and all that is left is the closing arguments in the hearing that she has brought to the city gates. These closing arguments will be presented by King Solomon in defense of Wisdom. He will show proof of why we should follow and love wisdom.

We now make the transition to the last of Solomon’s three great poems as recorded in Proverbs 7-9. Today we will look at the introduction to Chapter 9.

Solomon’s last great lesson to his children is almost complete. Perhaps Solomon paused here. Maybe he thought about whether he had taught enough. His young children needed the full facts. The children needed to decide between wise behavior and evil behavior. Their decision would guide their entire life. In the future, perhaps one or more of his sons would be king, like their father, Solomon. Then, the son would become powerful. Solomon wanted the children to choose wisdom.

Solomon decided to add a final great poem. This poem would explain wisdom to his children, but it would also explain the opposite of wisdom. Then, at last, his children would know enough. Then, his children could make their own decisions. The children must choose for themselves whether they wanted to be wise. If not, the children would be fools, and the whole nation would suffer.

The lawyer Wisdom has finished presenting her entire case. What is the impact of her testimony on you? Is her case compelling? Are you willing to accept the facts that she presented? She swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth with God’s support, do you believe her? Tomorrow the King will present the closing arguments in the case, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 252 – Proverbs 8:17-31 Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 07 Feb 2016 08:03:08 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 252 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [8:17]-31 – Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 252 of our trek, and today we continue to remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we explored Proverbs 8:6-16 where the woman Wisdom is presenting her case in a legal proceeding before the city gates. In Old Testament times the city gates were similar to our courtrooms today, where all legal matters and major business transactions were presented and decided. Since each day’s trek builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This past week has been a very busy one, and the days just flew by. There will be plenty of projects and tasks for next week.

This weekend we do have two special events planned, in addition to watching the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl. On Saturday, we are celebrating the 4^th birthday of our grandson Harold Guthrie Chamberlain, V, who goes by his Kenyan name Kiprono. We will start at Discovery Place and then return to his home afterward. It is a blessing they live in the Charlotte area also.

On Sunday after church, Paula and I will be going to the Biltmore Mansion again to take the “behind the scenes” Upstairs/Downstairs Tour. They have a special promotion during February – two for the price of one. We have wanted to take the tour, and saving money is a great incentive to go now. I will let you know about it in a couple of days.

For today, let’s move onto our trek as we are transported once again back to ancient Jerusalem during the reign of King Solomon. We are seated just outside of the gates of the city as the lawyer called Wisdom continues to present her case before those that are in attendance. She has a very strong case, and today we find out the benefits of searching for and choosing to love wisdom. If you pay attention to her words and integrate them into the very fabric of your heart, mind, and soul, you will live that rich and satisfying life, which Christ spoke of in John [10:10].

This second of three great poems written by Solomon found in Proverbs Chapter 8 is titled…

Wisdom Calls for a Hearing

Let’s listen as Wisdom continues with verse 17,

¹⁷“I love all who love me.
Those who search will surely find me.
¹⁸I have riches and honor,
as well as enduring wealth and justice.
¹⁹My gifts are better than gold, even the purest gold,
my wages better than sterling silver!
²⁰I walk in righteousness,
in paths of justice.
²¹Those who love me inherit wealth.
I will fill their treasuries.

In verse 17, we are instructed to love wisdom and told if we seek for her, we will find her. This is a great invitation, and the benefits are outstanding. Wisdom sweetens the deal in verses 18 and 19 by offering both gifts and wages for the work we will complete. Wisdom possesses riches, honor, enduring wealth, and justice. The gifts she gives are better than 24 karat gold. The wages she pays are better than sterling silver. We do need to travel with Wisdom though with right living on the paths for justice…But, the rewards for taking this trek are wealth that will fill our lives with untold riches.

In verse 21 we can clearly see that the lawyer called Wisdom is generous. She gives true wealth. You can love many things. You may love wine or food. But too much wine or food will kill you. You may love money, but you can lose everything in a single day. If you love wisdom, then you should love God. He cares about you. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-38,“Jesus replied ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Let us continue to listen to Wisdom’s thesis in verses 22-31,

²²“The Lord formed me from the beginning,
before he created anything else.
²³I was appointed in ages past,
at the very first, before the earth began.
²⁴I was born before the oceans were created
before the springs bubbled forth their waters.
²⁵Before the mountains were formed,
before the hills, I was born—
²⁶before he had made the earth and fields
and the first handfuls of soil.
²⁷I was there when he established the heavens
when he drew the horizon on the oceans.
²⁸I was there when he set the clouds above
when he established springs deep in the earth.
²⁹I was there when he set the limits of the seas,
so they would not spread beyond their boundaries.
And when he marked off the earth’s foundations,
³⁰I was the architect at his side.
I was his constant delight,
rejoicing always in his presence.
³¹And how happy I was with the world he created;
how I rejoiced with the human family!

Since all wisdom ultimately comes from God, as Wisdom continues her speech, she explains how she was His first creation. Wisdom was with God at the beginning of the creation of the world. We all need wisdom for everyday life. Even God needed or used His wisdom to make the world.

Wisdom played a crucial role in creation, just as God’s Word did. God’s Word existed in the beginning. As John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

The “Word” in this verse is another name for Jesus. Jesus always existed with God in heaven. Jesus is the Son of God. There is only one God, but Jesus is God. This is difficult to understand. We cannot understand everything about God. We must trust God about the things that we do not understand.

In verses 24-29, Wisdom gives eyewitness testimony to the events of creation. Eyewitness testimony is always the strongest testimony in a court hearing. In her presentation, she gives great detail of how God created the world. God worked with perfection and finite detail and Wisdom observed it all. God loves his creation, especially humans, so he prepared a beautiful home for us on earth.

The lawyer Wisdom was there during the birth of creation. God’s wisdom was present from eternity past and will be into eternity future.

As we move onto verses 30 and 31, we see that Wisdom observed all aspects of creation. God delighted in Wisdom – she was the architect of all creation. They rejoiced together as each aspect of creation was revealed. The crescendo of this rejoicing resulted when God created the human family. God made us to be in his image. This means that we should behave like him. We should use wisdom. We see that Wisdom has created quite a compelling case of why we should love wisdom and seek for her as we would silver and gold.

Do you feel that Wisdom has presented a strong enough case before the elders and judges of the city? She has more to present tomorrow before her closing arguments. Are you willing to listen to Wisdom’s hearing before the gate? Tomorrow we will remain in camp and continue in Chapter 8 as Wisdom provides us with the additional information that we need. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person, so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 251 – Proverbs 8:6-16 Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 08:03:06 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 251 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs 8:6-16 – Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 251 of our trek, and today we continue to remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we explored Proverbs 8:1-5 as the woman Wisdom is calling everyone together for an important hearing to present her case in a legal proceeding before the city gates. We learned yesterday that the city gates were similar to our courtrooms today, where all legal matters were presented and decided. Since each day’s trek builds on the previous ones, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Within our heavy work schedule, we are carving some time out for our Wisdom-Trek projects. We will be releasing Your Life Plan Blueprint and Wisdom-Trek Journal Volume 1 soon. Although it is taking longer than hoped, I want to keep mentioning it to hold us accountable to complete this phase of the task as soon as is feasible.

Let’s move on to our trek and visualize today as we remain in camp sitting around the campfire watching the flames and listening to the crackling of the wood as it burns. Campfires are a great setting for telling and listening to stories. For our story today, let’s transport ourselves back to ancient Jerusalem during the reign of King Solomon. We are just outside of the gates of the city, and we hear the proclamation from the lawyer called Wisdom. Let’s pay attention as she presents her case taken from Proverbs Chapter 8, which is titled…

Wisdom Calls for a Hearing

This is the second of Solomon’s three great poems. We all will do well to listen to what she has to say as she sets up her case in Chapter 8:6-11,

⁶Listen to me! For I have important things to tell you.
Everything I say is right,
⁷for I speak the truth
and detest every kind of deception.
⁸My advice is wholesome.
There is nothing devious or crooked in it.
⁹My words are plain to anyone with understanding,
clear to those with knowledge.
¹⁰Choose my instruction rather than silver,
and knowledge rather than pure gold.
¹¹For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies.
Nothing you desire can compare with it.

Let’s take a seat at the city gates of Jerusalem as the lawyer Wisdom begins her testimony. As a judge would instruct the jury or courtroom, starting in verse 6, we are instructed to listen to the woman called Wisdom for she has important things to tell us.

She lays out her case by informing us that everything she has to tell us is right and that she speaks the truth. This is because she detests any kind of deception. Since her advice is wholesome, we can be sure that there is nothing deceitful or wrong with her testimony.

To make sure that we fully understand, she uses easy to understand language and not “legalese.” If we have a moral compass within us, her words will be clear.

God uses the Bible to teach us. The Bible is the Word of God. Psalm 19:7-8 tells us,

⁷The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
    reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
⁸The commandments of the Lord are right,
    bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
    giving insight for living.

The lawyer Wisdom instructs us that we need to believe her, but it is our choice. In verses 10 and 11, she pleads with us to choose her instructions rather than silver and her knowledge rather than the purest of gold. We should not be bribed or deluded into settling for something that will perish, but to seek for that which will last. Choosing to believe and accept wisdom is more valuable than the rarest jewels. Nothing that we can obtain here on earth can compare to the value of wisdom.

Wisdom has precedence to establish her case, which is Proverbs [3:14]-15 where we learned,

¹⁴ For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
¹⁵Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

The lawyer Wisdom has our attention, she supports her arguments of why we should listen to her and the value that she brings. To substantiate her character, the next part of her case she tells us more about herself. Let’s look at Proverbs [8:12]-16,

¹² “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment.
I know where to discover knowledge and discernment.
¹³All who fear the Lord will hate evil.
Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
    corruption and perverse speech.
¹⁴Common sense and success belong to me.
Insight and strength are mine.
¹⁵Because of me, kings reign,
    and rulers make just decrees.
¹⁶Rulers lead with my help,
    and nobles make righteous judgments.

In verse 12, she tells us that wisdom and good judgment is the same and because of this, they know where to discover knowledge and discernment. To apply this to our lives, if we are wise, then we will also have good judgment. Our wisdom will help us to make the right decisions.

As we move onto verse 13, our first lesson in gaining wisdom is that we must respect God. When we do this, we will learn to love what God loves and hate what God hates.

Wisdom is in agreement with God and tells us that we should hate these things and they should not be part of our lives:

Evil deeds. When we serve God, we should not commit evil actions. God will teach us to do the right things. If we do wrong things, then we must ask God to forgive us.
Pride. A proud person trusts in himself. He will not listen to God. He will not listen to other people.
Corruption. God wants us to live lives that are right, just, and fair.
Lie. God loves the truth. God wants us to be truthful and not pervert justice.

In verse 14, we see that wisdom controls common sense, success, insight, and strength of character. If we desire these in our lives, then we need to believe what wisdom is telling us.

Wisdom is a powerful lawyer because she represents God in these legal proceedings at the city gates as we consider verses 15 and 16.

It is only through wisdom that kings can have a long reign. Otherwise, they will be foolish and lose their power. It is through wisdom that kings can make decrees that are right, just, and fair. It is through the help of wisdom that the king’s nobles make decisions that are right, just, and fair.

Anyone who has responsibility for other people should think about this. Parents, employers, officials, judges, and leaders of any kind, both in and out of the church, need God’s wisdom.

So far the lawyer Wisdom is building a strong case. Are you willing to listen to Wisdom’s hearing before the gate? Once we are presented with the facts, then we are responsible for living in a manner that is right, just, and fair in everything that we do. Tomorrow we will remain in camp and continue in Chapter 8 as “Wisdom” continues to present her case to us. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 250 – Proverbs 8:1-5 Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 08:03:11 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 250 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs 8:1-5 – Wisdom Calls for a Hearing #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 250 of our trek, and today we continue to remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we finished exploring Proverbs 7:21-27, which was the story of the naïve young man who made several unwise life choices leading him toward the path of destruction. Since each day’s trek builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has been a rainy couple of days for us with some localized flooding. In addition to our usual client workload, we are working on the final formatting and proofing of Volume 1 of the Wisdom-Trek Journal. The first volume will provide us a guideline and template for the other volumes, so hopefully creating subsequent volumes will be much quicker. Our objective is to produce a volume for each month. So far we have completed 8 months of Wisdom-Trek.

As mentioned on previous days, Paula and I are also refining all of these daily concepts along with worksheets for Your Life Plan Blueprint, which we covered in January, into an easy-to-use workbook. I will let you know when these projects are complete so that you can download them.

Today we remain at camp sitting around the campfire, far away from lights and the noise of our everyday life, which provides an opportunity to relax and listen to the sounds of the woods. This is especially true during the night when an entirely new set of sounds emerge. We need to practice listening to what is important. As we are listening, it provides us with the opportunity to consider the words of the woman called Wisdom and Understanding in chapter 8 and 9. The title of this section is…

Wisdom Calls for a Hearing

This is the second of Solomon’s three great poems. Wisdom, represented as a woman, gives a speech to all the people. We all will do well to listen to what she has to say. Let’s begin with Proverbs 8:1-5.

¹Listen as Wisdom calls out!
    Hear as understanding raises her voice!
²On the hilltop along the road,
    she takes her stand at the crossroads.
³By the gates at the entrance to the town,
    on the road leading in, she cries aloud,
⁴“I call to you, to all of you!
    I raise my voice to all people.
⁵You, simple people, use good judgment.
    You, foolish people, show some understanding.

In verse 1, there are not two women. Wisdom is one woman, but she has two names. Her names are Wisdom and Understanding. This is because wisdom is the same thing as understanding. Right decisions and accurate knowledge are also an indication of wisdom.

Wisdom ultimately comes from God, but it does not come immediately. We need to learn to be wise. This is a slow process. Each day, we should learn new lessons. God teaches us in different ways. Sometimes he teaches us from the Bible. Sometimes he uses other people to teach us. Sometimes he uses life’s experiences, nature or other methods to teach us. This concept is the entire premise for Wisdom-Trek.

It takes many years of life experiences and God’s teaching for us to obtain wisdom. I still pray every day for wisdom, because you never can become “all wise” – that is reserved for God. The really neat aspect of gaining wisdom is that God promises to provide us with wisdom. All we have to do is ask. James 1:5-6 says, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.” So that is the solution. Need wisdom? Ask God.

Let’s take a journey back to the time when Solomon wrote this poem so we can understand the context or setting for the woman Wisdom. The title of this poem is Wisdom Calls for a Hearing. This is in reference to a court hearing or trial where the lawyer would present his case. The reference to the “city gate” in verse 3 is an important reference for the context or setting of this poem.

In the culture of the day when Proverbs was written and even in many cultures of today, the city gate was/is very important. Besides being part of a city’s protection against invaders, city gates were places of central activity in Biblical times. It was at the city gates that important business transactions were made, court was convened, and public announcements were heralded. Accordingly, it is natural that the Bible frequently speaks of “sitting in the gate” or of the activities that took place at the gate. In Proverbs 1:21, Wisdom is personified in a similar way, “She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate.” To spread her words to the maximum number of people, Wisdom took to the gates.

In addition to the actual trial being conducted at the city gates, there would be those individuals that would shout important announcements about upcoming events or trials – think about it as the town crier. They would position themselves on the hilltops, major crossroads, and the roads leading into the city to make sure that anyone who was interested would be able to find out about these important events. This was their form of “tweets, Facebook posts, Google+ shares, and emails” and any of the dozens of other means by which we spread the word via our modern day social media platforms.

Wisdom’s upcoming hearing presentation is so important that she wanted to use all means available to get the word out to everyone. In verse 4, the woman Wisdom calls out to everyone. She raises her voice to all people. This hearing is too important to miss. In verse 5, she encourages even the simple and foolish people, who would usually not desire wisdom, to use good judgment and show understanding.

I mentioned on previous days of our Wisdom-Trek, Solomon uses special meanings for the words “simple” and “foolish.”

The “fool” is proud and lazy. He does not want to serve God. He hates wisdom. He prefers to do evil things. If you try to teach a fool, he will hate you. He will only learn if God changes him.

The “simple” person does not know what is right or wrong. He has not learned to be wise. He chooses to do evil things, because “everybody does it.” But you can teach a simple person. A simple person can learn to be wise.

Wisdom’s hearing is so important that no one should be excluded. The rich and famous, the poor and outcast, the simple and the foolish, everyone is to gather at the city gates immediately to hear what Wisdom has to proclaim.

Are you ready and willing to listen to Wisdom’s hearing before the gate? Once you learn what is right, just, and fair, you will be without excuse. Tomorrow we will remain in camp and continue in Chapter 8 as Wisdom begins to present her case to us. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 249 – Proverbs 7:21-27 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #4

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 08:03:25 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 249 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [7:21]-27 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #4

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 249 of our trek, and today we continue to remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we explored Proverbs 7:10-20. Since each day’s discussion builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

As mentioned on previous days, Paula and I are refining all of these daily concepts along with worksheets for Your Life Plan Blueprint, which we covered in January, into an easy to use workbook. I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The hours each day just fly by, and before I realize how much time has passed, it is time for me to make dinner. Dinner preparation is a time for me to sort of wind down from the day. I really enjoy preparing dinner, and we do strive to eat healthy each day. It is part of our overall life plan to remain physically, mentally, and spiritually fit for a long time into the future. It does take consistent persistence as we pursue our life purpose to be difference makers in our world. We had our son Fred over for dinner Tuesday evening, and it was a good time to get caught up with his daily life and routines.

Let’s now return to camp for a time of sharing and telling stories around the campfire. The fire dancing off the logs is mesmerizing to me, and it is easy to get lost in my thoughts. As the flames reach for the sky and the smoke is blown back and forth in the light breeze, it reminds me of the story that we will continue with today from Proverbs Chapter 7.

The title of the story we began 3 days ago is…

Another Warning about Immoral Women

Yesterday we left off on our story about a simple, naïve young man who finds himself in the embrace of a beautiful woman who is very convincing. She is dressed seductively and tells this young man that she has prepared her bed specifically just for him. The young man finds himself in this situation because of the choices that he made earlier that evening. He may be thinking that this is where he really desires to be. We are told that he lacks common sense, and certainly he is thinking with his body and not his mind… But, he still has a choice. Does he stay, or does he flee? Let’s continue on to see how the story unfolds in Proverbs [7:21]–27. I will break this passage into two sections.

· Chapter 7

Unfortunately, he does not flee as we continue in verse 21-23:

²¹So she seduced him with her pretty speech
    and enticed him with her flattery.
²²He followed her at once,
    like an ox going to the slaughter.
He was like a stag caught in a trap,
²³    awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.
He was like a bird flying into a snare,
    little knowing it would cost him his life.

We see that the naïve young man chose to remain. The woman’s seductive, pretty speech was more than he felt he could resist. She enticed him with flattery making him think that he was really something special in her eyes. This reminds me of Proverbs 5:3, “For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil.” She appeared to be both sweet and smooth.

Any time we make unwise choices the outcome of those choices is never what we thought they would be. In this story, we see this simple man lead away for the slaughter, he was caught in her trap and does not realize that it could literally cost him his life. While all sin grieves God, physical or sexual sins seem to have a deeper impact on us. That is because it involves our body, mind, and soul. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 tells us to, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

Let’s move on to our story to the last four verses of Proverbs 7:

²⁴So listen to me, my sons,
    and pay attention to my words.
²⁵Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her.
    Don’t wander down her wayward path.
²⁶For she has been the ruin of many;
    many men have been her victims.
²⁷Her house is the road to the grave.
    Her bedroom is the den of death.

Solomon encourages his sons to pay attention and learn from the story that he shared with them. As we look at verse 25, remember that heart and mind are used interchangeably in the Bible. We see that he first tells them that they must control their minds because that is where sin is always planted first. If they do not control their minds, then their actions will follow…They will end up wandering down her wayward path.

It is very clear here that the naïve young man was not special to her because she has been the ruin of many, many men have been her victims. In fact, her house was the road to the grave, and her bedroom was stacked full of the bodies of men that she had brought down, which brings to mind Proverbs 30:20, “An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?”

Were these men innocent? Absolutely not! If it were not for men’s foolish decisions, there would be no prostitution. They are clearly without excuse. Do not ever blame anyone else for your unwise choices and the sin that results.

It all starts with the mind. Philippians 4:8 says, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Let this story of the simple, naïve young man, who lacked common sense, teach us the lessons that we need to learn for life. Remember both wise and unwise choices, sin and right living, all stem from what we plant into our mind. Plant good seed, and you will reap a harvest of right living. Tomorrow we will remain in camp and move onto Proverbs Chapter 8 as Wisdom Calls for a Hearing before the court. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 248 – Proverbs 7:10-20 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 08:03:07 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 248 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [7:10]-20 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 248 of our trek, and today we will remain at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we explored Chapter 7:6-9. Since each day’s discussion builds on the previous one, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

As mentioned on previous days, Paula and I are refining the daily concepts along with worksheets for Your Life Plan Blueprint, which we covered in January, into an easy to use workbook. I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As expected, this week is keeping us very busy with life activities including work of course. We do not necessarily separate our work from other life activities since we look at each of the 7 areas of our lives as an integrated holistic entity. Our aim is to maintain a balanced Wheel of Life because a balanced life will allow us to live a full life that is rich and satisfying.

For most of us, to sit around a campfire on a pleasant summer evening chatting about life, reminiscing about the past, and dreaming about the future is one of the most enjoyable times of relaxing and living a full life. As we think about the stories told, we also realize that there are some people who are living a story that will not end well. Such is the case in the story that we are continuing with today in Proverbs Chapter 7.

The title of the story we began 2 days ago is…

Another Warning about Immoral Women

Yesterday we left off on our story with a simple, naïve young man, who lacks common sense, heading down a path that was not good for him. He started off with a group of his equally naïve friends, but apparently when he crossed the street, he went alone. We find him continuing down this street at dusk attracted to the nightlife. As mentioned yesterday, he made two conscious choices that led him to his current situation. One, he went out as night was approaching seeking fun, and two, he crossed the street to an area of town that was not a good environment to be in. Let’s continue on to see how the story unfolds in Chapter [7:10]-20. We will break it into shorter segments to adequately cover the passage.

· Chapter 7

¹⁰The woman approached him,
    seductively dressed and sly of heart.
¹¹She was the brash, rebellious type,
    never content to stay at home.
¹²She is often in the streets and markets,
    soliciting at every corner.

The description in these three verses would indicate that this woman knew exactly how to dress and act to attract young naïve men. She was probably very attractive and would easily catch the wandering eye of anyone in the area. It is also evident this was not her first night on the streets. She was a professional at her craft. She had a rebellious heart, and a rebellious heart is the beginning of a wayward life. Let’s continue on.

¹³She threw her arms around him and kissed him,
    and with a brazen look she said,
¹⁴“I’ve just made my peace offerings
    and fulfilled my vows.
¹⁵You’re the one I was looking for!
    I came out to find you, and here you are!

This woman knows all of the ways both physically and with her words to make herself very attractive to any man but especially to young men seeking adventure and pleasure. This is compounded by the fact that this young man was simple, naïve, and lacking common sense. She flatly lies to him. She was not looking for this man, but anyone who was naïve enough to believe her lies. She attempts to make her lies more believable by tying religious acts into her preparation through peace offerings and vows. The man might have thought, “Wow, it must be ok she is religious, plus she was looking just for me.” How foolish men can be at times when they think with their bodies and not their minds. She continues to seduce him.

¹⁶My bed is spread with beautiful blankets,
    with colored sheets of Egyptian linen.
¹⁷I’ve perfumed my bed
    with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
¹⁸Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning.
    Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses,
¹⁹for my husband is not home.
    He’s away on a long trip.
²⁰He has taken a wallet full of money with him
    and won’t return until later this month.”

If there was any doubt in this young man’s mind up to this point, she is making it very clear what her intentions are. Her bed was ready, she was ready, and there was no chance of them getting caught. She indicated that she was married but that her husband would be gone for a long time. If she was paid for her services, she wanted the young man to know that she was available for many nights and that he did not have to worry about an angry and jealous husband finding out. What a dangerous trap is being set. If the young man were wise, he would flee as quickly as possible. This young man should have followed the advice of Paul in his 2^nd letter to Timothy in 2:22, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”

Tomorrow we will discover the decision that he made. Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time? Certainly he was, but it was clearly because of the choices he made before this. Yet, if he really desired to, he could escape even at this point.

Temptation to any type of sin can draw all of us in. As moths are drawn to our campfire, all of us are prone to be drawn to sin’s fire. We must prepare in advance and not wait to be caught in the flames of passion, alcohol, drugs, food, or laziness. Instead, let us pursue right living, faithfulness, love, and peace through the companionship of those who have the same desire. Every sin first begins in the mind, and if we allow it to grow it will break through our minds into action.

Tomorrow we will continue to see how the story of this naïve and simple young man plays out. Will he run, or will he stay? We will continue with Chapter 7 verse 21. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 247 – Proverbs 7:6-9 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 08:03:36 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 247 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs 7:6-9 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 247 of our trek, and for the next several days, we will be remaining at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we explored Chapter 7:1-5. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We traveled back to Charlotte on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, the weather had moderated, which allowed for a cool, but beautiful trip south. Our schedule for this week is full, as usual, with many life events. Even though we are now in February, we are continuing to fine tune aspects of our life plan for 2016. Life planning is an on-going process as we take each day and week and make minor course corrections to our overall plan.

We are gathered around the campfire today, and we see the logs burning and crackling before us. If you are like me, I enjoy poking at the burning logs and watching the sparks fly into the air and smelling the scent of the logs as they burn. If you are not careful, though, it is easy to get too close and get burned or get smoke into your eyes blinding you with a sudden shift of the wind. This is a perfect analogy to our story today in the 7^th Chapter of Proverbs. Let’s dig for the nuggets of wisdom contained in this chapter. We do not have to dig very deep to gain understanding.

The subject of today’s passage is:

Another Warning about Immoral Women

· Chapter 7

⁶While I was at the window of my house,
    looking through the curtain,
⁷ I saw some naive young men
    and one in particular who lacked common sense.
⁸He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman,
    strolling down the path by her house.
⁹It was at twilight, in the evening,
    as deep darkness fell.

The story begins here in verse 6. Solomon was watching the people. He was watching because he knew how easy it is for people to make unwise choices. He wanted to see the reason that other people made mistakes. He wanted to understand more. He wanted to become wiser so that he could better advise those who were being tempted.

In verse 7, Solomon saw a young man who was naïve or “simple.” (See Day 246 for insights on a simple person.) This young man had not learned to be wise. He was in danger because he was not wise. He lacked common sense, and it was easy to tempt him. He did not think about what was right.

As we consider verse 8, we want to shout to the young man, “Stop!” This simple young man made an unwise choice by crossing the street and then found himself on the wrong path. He may have rationalized to himself that he was just crossing the street to get a closer look, but it would not hurt him. Sort of like getting a bit too close to the campfire. Remember anytime we rationalize our actions we are telling ourselves rational lies. We may convince ourselves that it is ok, but that does not make it so. He chose to cross the street which was clearly a naïve choice. Down that path, there was danger. He approached the place where the woman would tempt him.

The young man was simple and lacked common sense. He did not think about wisdom. Perhaps his father never taught him. Perhaps the young man never listened to his lessons. Maybe he forgot about wisdom. Regardless of the reason, they are only excuses. The fact is that he made a conscious choice to cross the street and put himself clearly on the path of danger.

In verse 9, the young man was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Did this happen by accident? We will never just find ourselves in situations where we are confronted with irresistible temptations. In this story, we see the simple and naïve young man made two premeditated and conscious choices. First, the time of day that he chose to go for a walk was in the evening when prostitutes usually begin their trade. Second, he chose to cross over to the side of the street where he would place himself clearly in her path.

Even when we are strong, we might think wrong thoughts but will make the wise choices and prevent putting ourselves into situations where we are apt to fall into the temptation and sin. However, when we are weak, evil ideas can tempt us more easily. We will find it very difficult to resist when we are tempted.

If we want to avoid falling into sin, we must not allow ourselves to be placed in situations where we find it hard to resist. We need to fully understand and accept that there is no situation that is impossible to resist. The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Back to our story, we see that it was twilight, and this young man may have wanted to experience some night life. The young man was looking for fun. He did not trust in God that he could have fun and enjoy life in other ways. He was very weak. We need to be very careful and realize that the evil one, Satan, wants to destroy us as is written in 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” We must stand firm and trust in God.

One of the interesting aspects of God’s Word is that it tells it like it is – the good, the bad, and the ugly. In today’s passage, we see why it is so important to know and understand your values, so when you need to make choices, you make wise choices. Tomorrow we will continue to see how the story of this naïve and simple young man plays out based on the decisions that he made. We will continue with Chapter 7 verse 10. So, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 246 – Proverbs 7:1-5 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 01 Feb 2016 08:03:42 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 246 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs 7:1-5 – Another Warning About Immoral Women #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 246 of our trek, and yesterday we arrived back at base camp after a 25 day trek which covered our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan program called Your Life Plan Blueprint. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal. Paula and I are refining all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it.

For the next several days, we will be remaining at camp as we search for the nuggets of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. We will continue with Chapter 7 where we left off in our previous study of Proverbs.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This past Friday evening we took Mom Jarvis, who lives with us, to Applebee’s for her 83^rd birthday. We had a good meal, and mom had one of her favorites “Brownie Bites” for dessert. Afterward, we stopped by Elizabeth and Nat’s home and spent time with the grandkids and also had some birthday cake. It was a pleasant evening.

Mom Jarvis and Hazel enjoying some cake.

After returning home Friday, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Alf Herigstad for his newly released Being a Better Man podcast. I will let you know when it airs.

On Saturday, I made very good progress on the woodwork and floors in the library. When we return later in February, I will be ready to apply the polyurethane. On Sunday, we headed south back to our home in Indian Trail.

For today, let’s gather around the campfire and dig into the nuggets of wisdom which are found throughout the book of Proverbs. Sit back and relax as we share together. As you visualize the campsite today, take in the sights and sounds of the outdoors. Listen to the crackling of the fire as it whispers bits of wisdom. Let them permeate your heart, mind, and soul. Today we will continue with Chapter 7.

If you recall, the first 9 chapters of Proverbs are considered Solomon’s Wise Lessons in which he instructs his children and specifically his sons how to gain wisdom and warns of the perils that will come to them if they do not follow these lessons.

Proverbs Chapters 7 through 9 are considered the last and greatest of Solomon’s lessons. Since Chapter 1, we have read the words that Solomon taught to his children. Solomon’s Wise Lessons end in Chapter 9. From Chapter 10 on, the remainder of the Book of Proverbs lists short distinct and, many times, contrasting proverbs or wisdom nuggets.

In the Hebrew text of chapters 7-9, Solomon writes three great poems.

The first great poem is in chapter 7. This poem is about a woman who tempts a simple man. This man behaves like a fool because he trusts her. He does not realize what will happen to him.
The second great poem is in chapter 8 and the first part of chapter 9. This moves us as the readers into a court situation – in Old Testament times, legal matters were handled and settled at the city gates. This poem is a legal hearing, such as you would hear in front of a judges or elders of the town. The speaker who is a woman lawyer is called Wisdom. She argues the case that everyone should listen to her words and precepts.
The final great poem is in the last part of chapter 9. This poem contrasts the woman lawyer Wisdom, against another woman lawyer called “Folly.” Both lawyers plead their case and invite the simple people to an eternal feast. If you accept the right invitation, you will be set free to eat abundantly and have life eternal. If you accept the other invitation, then you are condemned to death. The choice is clear, and the choice is yours.

Let’s dig into Proverbs 7 which is titled:

Another Warning about Immoral Women

· Chapter 7

¹Follow my advice, my son;
    always treasure my commands.
²Obey my commands and live!
    Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.
³Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.
    Write them deep within your heart.

⁴Love wisdom like a sister;
make insight a beloved member of your family.

If we look back to Proverbs 2:2 Solomon told us to learn to be wise. – Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. In the first part of chapter 7, he tells us that wisdom should become part of the very fabric of our lives as if they were our eyes, mind, and heart. In Proverbs 2:1, Solomon told us, “My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.” Now he tells us to love Wisdom like a sister. He continues to compare wisdom to a woman, which in itself is wise advice.

Solomon’s lesson is a very personal lesson. Wisdom must be close to us. Wisdom must become part of us. Wisdom must be part of our lives. Wisdom must guide every decision we make.

⁵Let them protect you from an affair with an immoral woman,
from listening to the flattery of a promiscuous woman.

Wisdom will protect us when evil things attract us. As in earlier chapters, Solomon writes extensively about inappropriate sex when it is conducted outside of marriage. However, his exhortation applies to all types of evil behavior. His story warns us about people who tempt us with their evil ideas. In the story, a woman tempts a simple man to have sex. Solomon shows how one person can tempt another person. In the remainder of chapter 7, he also shows us the result if we do evil things.

It has been a few weeks since we stayed in camp to dig for these nuggets of wisdom in Proverbs. Let me remind you as we study Proverbs that there is a big difference between the simple person and the foolish person. A simple person has not learned to be wise but is capable of accepting wisdom and applying it to his life. In Proverbs when a person is referred to as a fool or foolish, it implies that this person knows about wisdom but has refused to apply it to his life. The person has rejected God’s wisdom and chosen to live by his own foolish precepts.

Since we spent most of January on an extensive 25 day trek on which we explored the Wisdom-Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint, we will reflect for several days on the abundance of wisdom contained in Proverbs. We will take our time to dig for nuggets of wisdom and apply them to our lives. Tomorrow we will continue starting with verse 6 of Chapter 7. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 245 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Final Recap #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 08:03:17 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 245 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Final Recap #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 245 of our Trek, and today we will arrive back at base camp as we finish the 25^th day of our Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Since our life planning series has covered many days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. When this episode is released, we will be heading back to our Charlotte home for about 20 days. In the middle of that time, we will be heading to Phoenix to invest four days with our business partners and friends Charles and Alison Mecom. We will be reviewing the progress on our construction project in Mesa and streamlining some more of the processes and procedures on the backend of the project.

As we finish our Life Plan trek today with a summary, this is day twenty-five of the hike which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

We will continue reviewing the major checkpoints of Your Life Plan Blueprint with the statement that was popularized by Steven Covey in his 7-Habits book:

Begin With the End in Mind

In yesterday’s recap we explored at the following five checkpoints:

1. Determine Your Life Purpose

2. Determine Your Life Objective (Your Legacy)

3. Understand Your Wheel of Life

4. Understand the WESPER Framework

5. Determine One Major 7-Year Objective for Each of the 7-Areas of Your Life

Our next point of review is:

6. Breakdown Your 7-Year Major Objectives into 1-Year Objective Goals

For each of your 7-year objectives, ask yourself, “What will I need to accomplish by the end of Year 1 to be on track to meet my 7-year objective? What is your specific checkpoint to compare against?” This 1-year goal will have tasks or activities associated with it, but specific details are best left for the next three steps. Write down your 1-year goal in each area of life. Repeat this step at the beginning of each year.

7. Breakdown Your 1-Year Objective Goals into 1-Month Activity Goals

For each of your 1-year goals, ask yourself, “What will I need to accomplish by the end of Month 1 to stay on track to meet my 1-year goal?” You will start listing a few more detailed tasks and activities, but granular tasks are left for the final two steps. Write down your 1-month goal in each area of life. Repeat this step at the beginning of each month.

8. Breakdown Your 1-Month Activity Goals into 1-Week Activity Tasks Goals

For each of your 1-month goals, ask yourself, “What will I need to accomplish by the end of Week 1 to stay on track to meet my 1-month goal?” This goal should be specific, measurable, and clearly understood. It is crucial that you reach this objective. Write down your 1-week goal in each area of life. Repeat this step at the beginning of each week.

9. Breakdown Your 1-Week Activity Tasks Goals into Daily Tasks Activities (To-Do)

For each of your 1-week goals, ask yourself, “What do I need to accomplish each day of this week to stay on track to meet my 1-week goal?” These are no longer goals but detailed specific and measurable tasks that need to be accomplished each day of the week to meet your 1-week goal. You should verify every day that this step is completed before the end of each day. At the end of each week, write down the daily goals for the next week.

As you can see this 5 step process begins with the end in mind and breaks down life planning into smaller and smaller digestible nuggets. While we keep the larger objectives in mind, our primary focus becomes what we need to focus on today and this week. If we accomplish our daily and weekly tasks, then the monthly, yearly, and 7-year objectives will take care of themselves.

10. Follow the 10 Goal Setting Principles

Every step or phase of the WESPER framework is vital and important. None of it should be skipped or marginalized. The one step that makes all of the other steps possible is setting the actual goals. Those goal setting principles are:

11. Execution is Paramount for Success

Execution is an extremely critical step because execution is all that anybody ever sees. You can spend all your life seeking wisdom, establishing goals, strategizing and planning, but if you never get down to the execution, nothing is going to happen. It is in this step that your dreams begin to become a reality. It is during this phase when you actually begin to build your life from Your Life Plan Blueprint.

12. The Importance of Review

While review is the last phase of the WESPER process, review is a continual process throughout Your Life Plan Blueprint. Review serves two important objectives:

Accountability: Review strengthens accountability to yourself. When you review, you make yourself answerable to your goals. You take ownership of and responsibility for your actions. If you don’t review, how will you know how you are reaching your goal? You can always operate under the assumption that you are on track to meet your goal, but you will never know for sure until you review. Within Your Life Plan Blueprint, your 7-year objectives are broken down into small daily and weekly tasks that are easy to track and hold yourself accountable.

Feedback: Review is where you get feedback on everything you have strategized, planned, and executed. Reviewing lets you understand what’s working, what’s not working, and how you can improve. Without review, you will have no clue on whether your actions are leading you toward or away from your goals. You will be stabbing in the dark, blindly repeating the same steps, wondering why you do not seem to be getting closer to your goal. Measuring your progress against your daily and weekly tasks will provide a continual feedback loop.

As you dedicate yourself to creating and executing Your Life Plan Blueprint, I pass on this blessing from Psalm 20:4, “May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.” I am convinced that if you do your part, then God will honor the plans that you make as they dovetail into His plans for you. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'”

We have now returned to base camp as we complete this extended trek reviewing and exploring the Wisdom-Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Paula and I are refining all of this valuable information into our initial release of the course and workbook that will provide you with the complete Your Life Plan Blueprint with the integrated WESPER framework. I will let you know as soon as it is available.

After such a long trek over this past month, starting tomorrow, we will remain in camp for several days as we return to our exploration for wisdom that is found in the book of Proverbs. We will continue with Chapter 7. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 244 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Final Recap #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 08:03:01 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 244 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Final Summary #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 244 of our Trek. Today and tomorrow we will finish up our 24^th and 25^th day of our Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Since our life planning series has covered many days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Final Summary

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are finishing the week strong by accomplishing a significant amount within all areas of life. Life at times is challenging but also enjoyable as long as we maintain a good mindset.

The contractors have also made good progress in the upstairs hall and front stairwell. Hopefully their part will be completed before we return in the middle of February. If all goes according to plan, I should be able to focus most of Saturday on the woodwork in the library. We will then head back to Charlotte on Sunday morning.

As we finish up our Life Plan trek today and tomorrow with a recap, this is day twenty-four of the hike which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

As I started planning for the recap of Your Life Plan Blueprint, I found it more challenging than I initially thought to encapsulate the blueprint concept into a short overview. There is just so much valuable content. So, let’s move on.

Begin With the End in Mind

Using a statement that was popularized by Steven Covey in his 7-Habits book, this is the context that we begin with Your Life Plan Blueprint. While the plan is simple and easy to implement, it is radically different than traditional goal setting programs. The concepts are not necessarily new, but the structure of Your Life Plan Blueprint changes the paradigm of most goal setting systems. The Wisdom-Trek system begins by looking at life holistically and from a long-term perspective. This foundational mindset will ensure that all objectives and goals set are working in harmony with each other and supporting your life’s purpose.

1. Determine Your Life Purpose

Determining your life purpose is the first step in creating a dynamic and effective life plan. Your purpose could also be called your mission in life, which is a word that is used in most goal setting systems. I prefer the word “purpose” because it reflects more of a mindset and the reason for being, which is much more holistic. A mission reflects a finite task that is to be accomplished. Your purpose for life continues until God transforms your body to be with Him.

2. Determine Your Life Objective (Your Legacy)

Once your life purpose has been established, next determine your overall objective for your life. Your life objective could also be called your vision for life, which again is a more commonly used term in most goal setting systems. I prefer the word “objective” because it creates a mindset of something that you will definitely complete in a practical and holistic manner. A vision reflects more of a dream or something that you hope for and, therefore, is not as tangible.

3. Understand Your Wheel of Life

While your life must be viewed holistically to effectively set objectives and goals, your life is separated into 7 distinct areas, which creates your Wheel of Life. Those 7 areas are:

Spiritual
Family
Physical/Health
Mind/Intellect
Personal/Social
Financial
Work/Career

While we segment life in these 7 logical areas, keep in mind that changes in one area will certainly affect all areas of your life. As part of Your Life Plan Blueprint, it is crucial that all areas of life remain in balance as much as possible. If your wheel of life currently has certain areas that are out of balance, a greater focus should be placed on those areas in your life plan to bring your life into balance.

4. Understand the WESPER Framework

The Wisdom-Trek core framework for Your Life Plan Blueprint is built on the six steps or phases which we refer to as your WESPER framework. I use the acronym of WESPER, which stands for:

Wisdom: Seek guidance from God and trusted mentors.
Establish: Set your purpose, objectives, and goals in place.
Strategy: Devise strategies to succeed in your objectives and goals
Planning: Identify plan elements based on the strategies.
Execution: Bring the plan and goals to life.
Review: Assess the outcome and next steps.

The WESPER framework is the engine that drives your life plan forward. Through this WESPER framework, goals you never thought achievable, which make up your overall life plan, will start becoming within your reach, and in a matter of time, achieved.

5. Determine One Major 7-Year Objective for Each of the 7-Areas of Your Life

As part of Your Life Plan Blueprint, I suggest that you set just one major 7-year objective in each area of life. When deciding what that objective is, you may want to put it in the form of a statement such as: Financially in 7 years, I will be debt-free except for my mortgage. Repeat this step for all 7 areas of your life. Make sure that each of your 7 objectives support your overall life objective (vision) and your overall life purpose (mission). Also, make sure that by the end of the 7 years that your Wheel of Life is in balance as best as possible. I use the 7-year time frame for your long-term objective because 7-years represents a season of life. There are many Biblical and scientific reasons for support of the 7-year season of life. When you are approaching the end of your first 7-year season, you will then be prepared to repeat the entire process for another 7 years.

The Wisdom-Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint is a logical approach to life planning, breaking down large objectives into very small digestible tasks that can easily be completed. Once the process is put into place with consistent persistence, it is easy to follow. Your Life Plan Blueprint is worth pursuing but will require your dedicated effort to gain the rich and satisfying life that you are capable of achieving. As the children of Israel proclaimed as they were heading back into Jerusalem after exile in Psalm 126:5, “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.” You can leave your exile and bondage by creating your life plan.

We are nearing base camp once again as we wind down this extended trek reviewing the Wisdom-Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Tomorrow we will provide the remaining points of our recap covering our 25-day trek. We are refining all of this valuable information into our initial release of the course and workbook that will provide you with the complete Your Life Plan Blueprint with the integrated WESPER framework. I will let you know as soon as it is available. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 243 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Review #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 29 Jan 2016 08:03:48 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 243 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Review #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 243 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we started on the 6^th phase of the WESPER framework which is review. While it is the last phase of the WESPER process, review is a continual process throughout Your Life Plan Blueprint. As with all steps of WESPER, the review process is extremely important. We will invest today focusing on the final aspects of the review process within the WESPER framework. Since our life planning series does cover many days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. After spending Thursday on-site with one of our Marietta clients, we are finishing up today with a full agenda. Paula continues to refine and tweak the course workbook for Your Life Plan Blueprint, and hopefully, our initial version will be available soon.

Saturday’s plans are to focus most of the day on the woodwork in the library, so if nothing interrupts the schedule, we should be able to make some good progress. We will then head back to Charlotte on Sunday.

We are continuing on our trek today as we hike the trail for day twenty-three of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

2. Review Process

Our trek today we will complete the review process that we started yesterday.

· Key Points to Consider When Reviewing Goals

As you review the results of your actions throughout the process, ask yourself the following questions:

How are you progressing against your targets? Are you exceeding your expectations? Are you barely meeting your expectations? Are you falling behind?
What is helping you in your goal? Why is it working? How can you focus on this to further increase your results? Are there any opportunities to improve on what has been working?
What is not helping you reach your goal? Why is it not working? Can you do anything about it to turn it around? Should you abandon the task instead? What can you do differently in the future? How can you incorporate the lessons into your plan to maximize your chances of success?

When you meet/exceed your targets, give yourself a reward to congratulate yourself. Consider whether you want to increase your targets at this point. After all, there is nothing better than to keep the momentum going while it’s high!

If you are not meeting your daily and weekly activity tasks and goals, it is likely that something was not set properly in your strategy and/or plan. Reassess and revise them accordingly, then proceed to execute your revised plan.

3. Continuous Evaluation

Considering that Your Life Plan Blueprint is a long-term plan, continuous evaluation is built into the plan. That being said, you do have opportunities and checkpoints to monitor your achievements with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly tasks, goals, and objectives.

· Goal Achieved

As you achieve your short-term checkpoints, congratulations! Occasionally take some special time to celebrate your accomplishments. After you are done, look back at the process of your goal pursuit. Did you achieve the goal too easily? Did you barely meet the goal? Did you achieve your goal but it took more time and resources than you intended?

Whatever it is, take note of the lessons learned and incorporate them into your next goal pursuit. If your goal was too easy, increase the checkpoint the next time. If your goal was more challenging than you thought, allocate your resources accordingly the next time.

· Goal Not Achieved

If you find yourself missing the daily and weekly activity checkpoints, identify the reason why it was not achieved.

Look back at the previous steps of the WESPER process to see what went wrong. Based on your review, what went wrong in the process? Did you establish your activity goals in line with the key principles and objectives? Was your strategy laid out correctly? Was your plan a clear reflection of your strategy? Did something not get executed by your plans? The earlier the issue occurs in the WESPER process, the bigger it will grow when you are executing the plans. It is very critical that wise and persistent effort has been put into all the steps of the framework.

When you are monitoring and reviewing your daily and weekly goals, you should be able to detect any potential issues early in the process. Make your minor course corrections as they occur so that you don’t run into major detours long-term. When you focus your review on the daily and weekly tasks and activity goals, you should not run into being off course on your long-term objectives.

4. Your Life Plan Blueprint Journey

In the pursuit of your long-term objective goals and your short-term activity goals you will face times where you are off-track, or you have lost focus. Unforeseen circumstances may occur that cause you to have to detour. Keep in mind there are several trails that lead to your summit on your life journey. It is okay to be disappointed in the process when you have setbacks. Face your disappointment, learn how to deal with it, and then get back on a trail that will take you forward.

As long as you follow through with the WESPER framework, you will experience success with your goals. No matter how insurmountable your 7-year objective goals may be, break them down into small digestible daily and weekly nuggets that you can easily consume.

To quote Sydney Smith, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals”.

When you correctly draw up Your Life Plan Blueprint, which is your map linking you to your end destination, all it takes is focus and perseverance to live a rich and satisfying life.

As you create and pursue Your Life Plan Blueprint, remember to enjoy the journey. Completing your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals is part of that journey to reach your 7-year objectives. That won’t be your final stop but possibly a completion of that season of your life. Learn to live fully in each season of your life.

The Bible also gives us some practical tips for our life plan using the analogy of a farmer.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 – Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

2 Corinthians 9:10 – For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Galatians 6:9 – So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

On our trek today, we completed our exploration of the review phase of our WESPER framework. This has been a long trek introducing the Wisdom-Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Tomorrow we will provide a recap of the process as our concluding day of this current trek. As soon as is feasible, we will also complete the course and workbook that will provide you with the complete Your Life Plan Blueprint with the integrated WESPER framework. I will let you know as soon as it is available. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 242 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Review #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 08:03:36 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 242 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Review #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 242 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we explored the 5^th step or phase of our WESPER framework which is execution. Today we will start on the 6^th phase which is review. While it is the last phase of the process, review is a continual process throughout Your Life Plan Blueprint. As with all steps of WESPER, the review process is extremely important. We will spend the next two days focusing on the review process within the WESPER framework. Since our life planning series does cover many days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are making good progress this week on both the house and our client work. Our plans are to head back to Charlotte on Sunday, so I hope to invest Saturday on the woodwork in the library. The woodwork is in great shape but needs an old coat of varnish removed so I can seal it with a new coat of polyurethane. Reviewing the results is always rewarding.

Reviewing the results is the focus today of our trek as we hike the trail for day twenty-two of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint©

1. Importance of Review

Review serves two important objectives:

Accountability
Feedback

Accountability and Feedback

Accountability: Review strengthens accountability to yourself. When you review, you make yourself answerable to your goals. You take ownership of and responsibility for your actions. If you don’t review, how will you know how you are reaching your goal? This is especially important if your progress is not immediately observable, such as how much weight you are losing or how much savings you generated in a month. You can always operate under the assumption that you are on track to meet your goal, but you will never know for sure until you review. Within Your Life Plan Blueprint your 7-year objectives are broken down into small daily and weekly tasks that are easy to track and hold yourself accountable.

Feedback: Review is where you get feedback on everything you have strategized, planned, and executed. Reviewing lets you understand what’s working, what’s not working, and how you can improve. Without review, you will have no clue on whether your actions are leading you toward or away from your goals. You will be stabbing in the dark, blindly repeating the same steps, wondering why you do not seem to be getting closer to your goal. Measuring your progress against your daily and weekly tasks will provide a continual feedback loop.

2. Review Process

Reviewing occurs from your daily tasks through your 7-year objectives. The frequency of review corresponds to the time frame of the task, goal, and objective.

Within many goal setting systems, the review process does not provide adequate accountability and feedback to make the necessary adjustments throughout the process.

Review should be an ongoing process that happens daily with your daily tasks. It serves as your constant feedback loop on the effectiveness of your actions and their implications toward the outcome. By reviewing daily, you get immediate lessons which can then be incorporated to increase your chances of success. Just like riding a bike, driving a car or flying an airplane, you will be making continual minor course adjustments throughout the entire process.

Use Your Tracking Sheets

I recommend establishing your review process from the start of Your Life Plan Blueprint using goal tracking sheets. Within the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan course and workbook, we will provide you with all of the tracking sheets that are needed to properly track your objectives and goals throughout the entire 7-year process. This will include a set for each of the 7 areas of your life. Our initial manual and worksheets will be free for anyone to download. Our long-term vision is to create a full course for Your Life Plan Blueprint, which will include a web-based tracking system. Early adopters of the program will receive special consideration on future releases.

If you prefer to create your own tracking sheets, I would recommend using Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Open Office. In doing so, make sure you create sheets that track the following:

Statement of your overriding purpose for your life and your primary objective that supports that purpose.
Your 7-Year Objective in each of the 7 areas on your Wheel of Life – Describe how you desire to see yourself in 7 years in each area. Make sure that your life is in balance as much as possible.
Your 1^st-year objective goal for each of the 7 areas of your life
Your 1^st-month activity goal for each of the 7 areas of your life
Your 1^st-week task goal for each of the 7 areas of your life
Your daily tasks for each day of the 1^st week for each of the 7 areas of your life (49 total tasks covering the 1^st week – some of these tasks may be repetitive for each day) An example of a repetitive task is that you will take a 30 minute fast walk each day. This would be the same for each day of this 1^st week. On the 2^nd week, you may want to increase it to 35 minutes for each day.

There is really no hard and fast rule to how your tracking sheet should be. If you like the ones we provide for you, use them, or use them as an example for your own tracking sheets.

The key is to keep it simple for you and don’t obsess over the process of tracking. If you find yourself spending an hour every day on tracking your performance alone, it is a sign that you are not optimizing your time. Keep it as simple as possible while ensuring that it captures the necessary information to serve your needs. Once your goal tracking is set up, try to keep the daily tracking limited to about 15 minutes a day.

To effectively complete and track your objectives and goals, you must be patient for the results. Anything worthwhile is worth effort and patience to endure as it indicates in James 5:7-8, “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

On our trek today, we are focused on the 6^th phase of our WESPER framework which is review. Using a good tracking system to facilitate your review is important to ensure you are meeting all of your checkpoints each day and week. This will guarantee the successful progress and completion of Your Life Plan Blueprint. Tomorrow we will continue with the 6^th step or phase in our WESPER framework on review. As we continue on our life plan trail with resolve, we are laying the foundation and structure of Your Life Plan Blueprint. This framework incorporates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, taking one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 241 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Execution

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 08:03:28 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 241 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Execution

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 241 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we finished the 4^th step or phase of our WESPER framework which is planning. We focused our exploration on how best to schedule your tasks to ensure they are consistent with your strategy. Today we have reached our 5^th step or phase of our WESPER framework which is execution. Although all steps are very crucial, if we do excellent on the first 4 steps, but fail to execute then we have accomplished nothing. Execution is paramount for success. Since our life planning series does cover many days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The contractors are making good progress on the upstairs hallways and front stairs. It will look great once the project is completed. On the business side of life, we have a heavy workload this week, so it is requiring our full focus to accomplish everything. I do enjoy working, so the key is to keep it all balanced properly between the various tasks that need to be completed.

Let’s focus on the execution of our trek today as we hike the trail for day twenty-one of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

So far on this trek, we have traversed through the first four steps of the WESPER framework. Those four steps are Wisdom, Establish, Strategy, and Planning. Today we will focus on execution and then move on to review. All six steps of WESPER are important, and no step should be missed or marginalized. If we have one step that is absolutely imperative, it is execution. Execution is where your boots hit the trail, or as Thomas Edison put it, “Vision without execution is hallucination.” It could also be said that “Execution is all that the world sees.”

Execution is the 5^th step of the WESPER framework. This is the step where your objectives and goals really get brought to life in physical reality. Let’s see how the WESPER framework ties together into this execution.

When you were seeking wisdom you searched for it:

Through the study of the Bible
Through your network of family, friends, and mentors
By asking God directly for wisdom through prayer and meditation

Wisdom provides the seeds of hope that are being planted in your life to help you determine what your life purpose is and how you can fulfill that purpose. This is the foundation on which to build Your Life Plan Blueprint.

When you were establishing your 7-year objectives and goals in each of the 7 areas of your life, you began the creation of Your Life Plan Blueprint. You started to see the virtual image in your mind and on paper of what you would accomplish it. You projected forward to what you would be and would accomplish in 7 years.

As you formed your strategy, you developed the building blocks of key activities and principles you need to build your plan on. This is like taking the blueprints and determining the list of materials and processes needed to complete building the structure, which in this case is your life plan.

In planning, you developed the specifics of your plan, right down to weekly and daily activities you need to complete and then integrated those activities into your schedule. This is taking the blueprints and putting a “construction schedule” in place for what will be completed and when it will be completed.

This brings us now to execution which is an extremely critical step because execution is all that anybody ever sees. You can spend all your life seeking wisdom, establishing goals, strategizing and planning, but if you never get down to the execution, nothing is going to happen. It is the step when your dreams begin to become a reality. It is during this phase when you actually begin to build your life from Your Life Plan Blueprint.

Your life is a trek of creating your living legacy. Through the daily execution of Your Life Plan Blueprint, you will move one day closer to your 7-year objective in each of the 7 areas of life. Your Wheel of Life will be in balance, and you will be working toward fulfilling your life purpose for this season of life.

In some ways, the execution phase of our WESPER process may be the easiest step of the framework. If you have completed the previous four steps properly and have broken down your 7-year objectives into small bite-size daily chunks, then it is simply a matter of being consistent and persistent every day. This does require daily discipline, but when a person is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself. You have created a great plan, now you need to follow through with it.

Here are some encouraging verses on follow through on the execution of Your Life Plan Blueprint.

Proverbs 22:29 – Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

Galatians 6:4 – Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.

Colossians 3:23 – Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

On our trek today, we focused on the 5^th phase of our WESPER framework which is execution. Execution is imperative for successful progress and completion of Your Life Plan Blueprint. Tomorrow we will move onto our 6^th step or phase in our WESPER framework, which is review of all that you completed to ensure that it matches your blueprint. We are hiking our life plan trail with persistence as we lay the foundation and build Your Life Plan Blueprint. This framework incorporates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, taking one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 240 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Planning #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 08:03:36 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 240 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Planning Goals #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 240 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we remained on our trail covering the 4^th step or phase of our WESPER framework which is planning. We examined fitting your daily and weekly tasks into your schedule using a daily calendar, identifying the best times each day to work on your tasks, and learning to invest your time wisely.

Today we will focus our exploration on how best to schedule your tasks to ensure they are consistent with your strategy. Since our life planning series does cover many days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, please leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our renovation contractors were back on Monday, and they started to drywall the ceiling and skim coat the walls. It will add to the dust and clean up but will be well worth it when finished. I am also making slow but steady progress on the woodwork in the library. On the outside, temperatures are moderating a bit this week, but it will take some time for the current snowfall to melt completely.

Let’s head out on the trail for day twenty of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

We started developing a plan for your long-term objective goals and short-term activity goals two days ago. These goals need to be based on your pre-planned strategy for proper execution and completion of those goals. You must allocate the time required to ensure success, which leads us to the trail that we will continue to explore today.

2. Fit Your Plan Into Your Schedule

c. Schedule your weekly and daily activity goals/tasks.

After you have identified the best available times to work on your goals, schedule your goal tasks:

Schedule your key activities of success. Start filling your available time slots with your key activities of success first. These are the most important tasks in your goal setting and need to be placed first. As part of your long-term life plan, it is important to complete all activities, if possible, but focus on the tasks that will have the most impact first.
Schedule your remaining tasks. After giving priority to your key activities of success, fill in the other tasks. These are the remaining tasks that need to be done in the course of your goal pursuit. They are not necessarily all that critical in the bigger picture of your goals but need to be done anyway as part of the activity goals and your life plan.
Ensure you spend disproportionate time and energy on your key activities of success. Ideally, the majority of your time is allocated to your key activities of success. Your other tasks should be disproportionately skewed toward the former. The ratio will be dependent on the context of the activity goal to your overall life plan, but the general principle is to spend as much time and focus on your key activities of success as possible.

As you work on your schedule, here are some tips that can help you build a more robust schedule.

Batch/Schedule similar-tasks together. See if you can be more effective by batching tasks or scheduling similar tasks together (e.g. doing all your exercise routines in one block of time while listening to audio books or podcasts to improve your mind or other areas of life; doing all your grocery shopping once per week; batch prepare meals for the entire week with specific portion size).
Allocate sufficient time for each task. Many of us often run into the situation where we underestimate the time needed for an activity. Develop a good understanding of the timing needs for each task and allocate it accordingly.
Schedule extra “buffer” time. This is for contingency purposes. It will come in handy at times when there are unexpected events that occur that need your attention or when you underestimate the time taken for a particular task.

If you find you don’t have enough time to schedule all your tasks, you will either need to reprioritize time across all the activities in your life plan or choose only those most important activities that will allow you to move closer to fulfilling your life purpose. You may have to delay some activities to another season of life. Continue to massage your schedule until you are able to fit everything into your time schedule. Remember, you cannot manage time, only your activities. Check the journal for Day 239 to study the Activity Management Matrix.

3. Ensure Congruency With Your Strategy

As a checkpoint, your goal plans that you develop should be congruent/consistent with your strategy. Your strategies are a subset of Your Life Plan Blueprint, so your goal activity plans should be based on that blueprint and not deviate from it. In any scenario when you find inconsistencies in your goal plans vs. your strategy, you need to:

Revisit your strategy to examine if you missed something during that step
Revise your goal plans to fit your strategy

For example, let’s say you want to reduce your body fat by 10%. Your main strategy is to do high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT involves doing bursts of intense exercise that is followed by lower intensity exercises. This method has been proven to be effective in reducing fat compared to other methods. However, when you are doing your planning, you fill up your exercise schedule with aerobic lessons and resistance training, which are not HIIT exercises. This will cause you to miss your benchmark. To stay true to your strategy, you should identify exercises that allow you to perform HIIT, such as treadmill, running, or elliptical trainer workouts.

Let’s look at another example. One of your objectives is to improve your overall health and one of the measurable activities is to lose 25 lbs. As part of your activity goal plans, you decide to reduce your overall intake of food, and you have done that successfully. But, if you find you still find yourself eating out several times per week or you continue to purchase highly processed foods or boxed meals instead of preparing your own meals using whole foods, your plans are not consistent with your strategy.

As you are setting your activity goal plans, remember to solicit the advice of trusted and wise mentors to assist you. Proverbs 15:22 tells us, “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.”

With the right planning that is consistent with your strategies, your execution of those activities will become an easier task. The next step within our WESPER framework is execution.

On our trek today, we focused on how best to schedule your tasks and to ensure they are consistent with your strategy. Tomorrow we will move onto our 5th step or phase in our WESPER framework, which is the execution of the plans that we have created.

We are hiking our life plan trail with perseverance as we lay the foundation and build Your Life Plan Blueprint. This framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, taking one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 239 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Planning #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 08:03:44 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 239 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Planning Goals #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 239 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we began the 4^th step or phase of our WESPER framework, which is planning. We explored the five steps to success as you are planning your goals. These steps are easy to follow and repeatable across all 7 areas of your life. Since our life planning series does cover many days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy-to-use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Due to the snow event from Friday and Saturday, it was advised not to be on the roads unless necessary. We took advantage of the opportunity to relax this morning and listen to a podcast message from our church in Charlotte. After that, we spent the remainder of the day working on several client projects that needed to be completed and also made plane reservations for a trip in February to visit our construction project in Mesa, Arizona. It is coming along well, but there are always a lot of details and moving pieces to keep track of.

Let’s head on the trail for day twenty of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process, which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

Developing a plan for our long-term objective goals and short-term activity goals is crucial. These goals need to be based on your pre-planned strategy for proper execution and completion of those goals. You must allocate the time required to ensure success. This leads us to the trail that we need to explore today which is…

2. Fit Your Plan into Your Schedule

Once you set your 7-year objective goals and detailed activity goals in each of the 7 areas of your life, your weekly and daily activity task should be clear. Now you need to fit them into your schedule and integrate your plan into your daily life. Be proactive in allocating the time required. This will create certainty that the whole plan will be acted upon.

a. Get a daily calendar.

You will need a daily calendar and task list, which lists the hours as you schedule in your tasks. Depending on your preferences, you might like to use a web-based calendar, a calendar in your email client, a manually created calendar, or even a hard copy calendar.

I use Gmail and Google Calendar. It is web-based, so it can be accessed from any computer, tablet, or smartphone, making it extremely convenient. I find it extremely helpful in keeping me organized. Keep in mind that whatever you use, it is just a tool. Use what works best for you.

b. Identify the best times to work on your daily activity goals.

You must be clear on when you can work on your objective and goals. There are two factors that determine this. The first is your time. Determine when you will make available time for your goal-specific tasks. The second is your energy level. As you are allocating for those tasks, choose a time when you will be in a proper frame of mind to work on your goals.

Be realistic and do not run into the situation where you overcommit yourself with your tasks that are not part of Your Life Plan Blueprint. Learn to say “No!” to anything that does not fit into your life plan so you can say yes to what is truly important.

Learn to say ‘No!’ to anything that does not fit into your life plan so you can say yes to what is truly important.

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Creating a life plan that will enable you to complete your objectives and goals has to be your primary focus. Your Life Plan Blueprint represents your path toward fulfilling your purpose in life. You will need to be persistent, consistent, and dedicated to making your life plan work. This is very different from traditional goal setting programs where you attempt to fit working on your goals into an already busy schedule. Your Life Plan Blueprint is your trek of life and very process by which you live. You must decide to make the necessary adjustments in life to make your plan work for you. It is your choice.

It is not about managing your time better. Time management is actually an impossibility. We all have 24 hours in each day, and we can no more manage time than we can stop the rotation of the earth. We cannot manage time, but we can manage our activities. When you understand that you are accountable to manage your activities, then you start to focus on life from a different perspective. Based on the choices you have made in the past, it may appear that others control your time, but you don’t have to continue that way the remainder of your life. By the end of this first 7-year season, you will have the capacity to control how all of your time is invested.

Your time can either be spent with little redeeming value, or it can be invested so that your return on that investment helps to fulfill your life purpose. You may need to invest some time now to examine where you spend your time. How are you spending your time every day? What are the different activities that you are involved in? How much time is taken for each activity? Which activities take up the most time? Do these activities move you closer to your life purpose or farther away? When you answer these questions, don’t make excuses for yourself. Take control of your activities.

A simple yet excellent tool which enables you to get immediate clarity on how to prioritize your activities is the Activity Management Matrix. A sample of this matrix is included in the workbook.

Once you have taken the opportunity to study the Activity Matrix, you will come to realize that to be successful with Your Life Plan Blueprint, you will need to invest your time primarily in Quadrant 2. In doing so, you will minimize your time in Quadrant-1 by being proactive in Quadrant-2. Spending any time in Quadrants 3 and 4 will dramatically slow down your trek toward fulfilling your life purpose.

It is a requirement to incorporate a time for rest and relaxation as part of your life plan. This will enable you to achieve your balanced life and maximize every moment of your life for its intended purpose.

The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Church in Ephesus Chapter 5:15-17, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

On our trek today, we started our investigation of how to fit your daily and weekly tasks into your schedule through the use of a daily calendar, identifying the best times each day, and investing your time wisely. Tomorrow we will focus our exploration on how best to schedule your tasks to ensure they are consistent with your strategy. This goal planning is the 4^th step in our WESPER framework. We are hiking our life plan trail with purpose as we lay the foundation and build Your Life Plan Blueprint. This framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, taking one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 238 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Planning #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 08:03:16 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 238 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Planning Goals #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 238 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we completed our trail of how to effectively set strategies for your objective and activity goals using the 10 guidelines. Today we are moving onto the 4^th phase of our WESPER framework which is planning.

As a review, the Wisdom-Trek life planning system is built on the six-step WESPER framework. Those steps are Wisdom, Establish, Strategy, Planning, Execution and Review. Since our life planning series does cover many days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We did end up with about 10” of snow on Friday and Saturday, and it is beautiful. The temperatures were not too cold, so it was a perfect winter snow.

On Saturday, we were able to remove the ceiling tiles and wallpaper from the upstairs hallway and front stairs, so that area is ready for our renovation contractors to begin on Monday. Hopefully, they will be able to finish up their part in the next couple of weeks.

Let’s head on the trail for day nineteen of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

Now that you understand why strategy is such an important part of goal setting which creates your life plan, you are now ready to move into the planning stage of Your Life Plan Blueprint. Planning is primarily the organization of your long-term objective goals broken down into your short-term activity goals.

As A. A. Milne wrote, “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”

Proverbs 21:5

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

Planning is the fourth step of our WESPER framework. In the strategy step, you identify the overall principles to effectively complete your objectives and goals. In planning, you use the strategy principles to develop a fully structured plan, complete with all the specific details. In this step and the next, which is execution, you will find that your organization skills play a very important role. Even if you do not consider yourself an organized person, organizational skills can be developed and effectively implemented by following the Wisdom-Trek WESPER framework.

The objective of developing a goal plan within your overall life plan is to:

Organize your tasks
Allocate your resources accordingly

This will allow you to achieve your specified activity goals within your desired time frame. It will give you a clear understanding on how you invest your time and energy. If your plan is well developed, it will keep you organized in the pursuit of your objective and activity goals. If your plan is not well organized or if it is messy and haphazard, you will find your tasks get thrown into disarray and you lose focus when you are pursuing your goal.

As you proceed with planning, below are the key guidelines to use.

1. Develop Your Plan, Five Steps to Success

Step-1: Establish 1 major 7-year objective for each of the 7 areas of your life. Don’t be afraid to make it a B³ objective – one that is Big, Bold, and Brave. As part of the process, ask yourself why you desire this objective over and over until you have a clear reason for the objectives you set. Make sure that each objective is congruent and consistent with your life purpose and that all areas of life are balanced. Write them down. As a reminder, the 7 life areas in your wheel of life are:

Spiritual
Family
Physical/Health
Mind/Intellect
Personal/Social
Financial
Work/Career

Step-2: For each of your 7-year objectives, ask yourself, “What will I need to accomplish by the end of Year 1 to be on track to meet my 7-year objective? What is your specific checkpoint to compare against?” This 1-year goal will have tasks or activities associated with it, but specific details are best left for the next three steps. Write down your 1-year goal in each area of life. Repeat this step at the beginning of each year.

Step-3: For each of your 1-year goals, ask yourself, “What will I need to accomplish by the end of Month 1 to stay on track to meet my 1-year goal?” You will start listing a few more detailed tasks or activities, but granular tasks are left for the final two steps. Write down your 1-Month goal in each area of life. Repeat this step at the beginning of each month.

Step-4: For each of your 1-month goals, ask yourself, “What will I need to accomplish by the end of Week-1 to stay on track to meet my 1-month goal?” This goal should be specific, measurable, and clearly understood. It is crucial that you reach this objective. Write down your 1-week goal in each area of life. Repeat this step at the beginning of each week.

Step-5: For each of your 1-week goals, ask yourself, “What do I need to accomplish each day of this week to stay on track to meet my 1-week goal?” These are no longer goals but detailed specific and measurable tasks that need to be accomplished each day of this week to meet your 1-week goal. You should verify every day that this step is completed before the end of each day.

Since we determined our Why as part of our 7-Year Objective, as you create your daily tasks in each of the 7 areas of life some guiding questions should be:

Who: Who is required to perform each task? (That will typically be you.)
What: What is the full list of tasks you need to undertake? What are the action steps needed to trigger each task? What resources do they involve?
When: When does each task need to be performed? How regularly does each task need to be performed? (Usually daily.)
Where: Where is each task supposed to be done?
How: How is each task going to be executed?

Be clear on your key strategies and the prioritization of your tasks for success, which we discussed in the previous two days. These are the core and important guidelines that will make the most impact on the goal. Strategy needs to be set before planning, which we will explore further during the next couple of days.

On our trek today, we began our examination of developing your goal plans which is the 4^th step in our WESPER framework. Tomorrow we will explore how to fit planning the actual tasks into your schedule. We are hiking our life plan trail with determination as we lay the foundation and build Your Life Plan Blueprint. This framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, taking one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 237 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Strategy Guidelines 6-10

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 08:03:21 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 237 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Strategy Guidelines 6-10

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 237 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Two days ago we started our exploration of the third phase of the WESPER framework which is strategy. Yesterday we examined the first 5 guidelines for implementing an effective strategy, and today we will discover the remaining 5 guidelines. As you are creating your life plan that fulfills your life purpose, you must establish goals as part of your plan. Setting a goal does nothing by itself. Strategy is the core of your blueprint which enables you to do planning which leads to execution and review.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It started snowing about 2 pm Friday afternoon, and by the time it is finished on Saturday we should have between 6-9 inches. This was not the blizzard predicted for the eastern seaboard, but it is a very nice amount.

We met with our renovation contractors this week, and after how nice the two front rooms and downstairs hallway/foyer looked, we have decided to move forward with renovations on the upstairs hallway. My plans are to remove the ceiling tiles and wallpaper on Saturday so they can continue this next week. Here is a before picture.

Due to time and budget limitations, this will probably be the last area we renovate for a few months. Of course, I still have a lot of work to do refinishing the massive amount of woodwork and hardwood floors, which will take me well into springtime.

Let’s head on the trail for day eighteen of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

Two days ago we explored three points about strategy which were:

What is strategy?
Strategy is underutilized.
Develop your strategy.

Yesterday we examined the first 5 guidelines for creating an effective strategy which were:

1. Understand your goals thoroughly.

2. Pre-plan for obstacles so you can address them.

3. Identify the best route, but plan for alternatives.

4. Identify key activities or best actions for success.

5. Remain faithful and focused on your daily activity goals.

On our trail today, we will discover the remaining 5 guidelines for creating a successful strategy for any goal or objective that you set.

6. Do something different and something extra.

Even if you have tried some of your objectives and goals previously without success, using the Wisdom-Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint will allow you to approach the goals from a new perspective and mindset. This is required if you expect to be successful in creating your life plan. As the saying goes, “If nothing changes, then nothing changes.” Your Life Plan Blueprint is much more than a goal setting system. It is a life changing system. If you want to get different results, you need to do something different. By adopting the Wisdom-Trek system with the WESPER framework, you are taking action to do something different and something extra. You are proactive on setting a strategy and taking responsibility for your life.

7. Make use of new resources.

Although there are many goal setting programs and philosophies available, few, if any, incorporate the core framework of Your Life Plan Blueprint. Most systems look at goals as isolated events with little thought of how each goal ties into your overall life plan to fulfill your purpose in life. The core WESPER framework is a cycle that takes you through obtaining Wisdom, Establishing objective and activity goals, creating a Strategy, which ties into Planning, Execution, and Review. This is not a one-time occurrence but a life process for each of the 7 areas of your life. The primary reason that we focus on a 7-year timeframe within the cycle of Your Life Plan Blueprint is to allow you to adjust your plan for the different seasons of your life.

8. Leverage your environment and experiences.

Your environment and experiences guide your actions and behaviors and can be leveraged to support you in your goal and life plan pursuit.

Since most of our decisions and thought patterns are based on our current environment coupled with our past experiences, let me ask this question, “How can you use your existing environment and past experiences to assist in the support of your goals? Do you need to modify your environment to help you in achieving your primary objectives and activity goals?”

You can’t change your past. All you can do is to apply its lessons to your life today. You may need to change your environment, though, so that you can reach your 7-year objectives. This will allow you to fulfill your purpose as part of your life plan. As you start analyzing your environment, you will find there are actually many ways you can change it or leverage it more effectively. Don’t allow yourself to be jailed by past thinking patterns or constraints. Take the shackles off and immerse yourself in environments to help you complete your activity goals, which support your long-term objectives. This will allow you to fulfill your life purpose and plan. It is then you will be living a rich and satisfying life.

9. Develop your skills.

To completely fulfill your purpose in life, it may require that you gain new or upgrade your skills. Assess your current skills, and determine what improvements are needed to complete the daily tasks which tie to your weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. If needed, build the steps to gain these skills into your strategy as part of Your Life Plan Blueprint.

10. Create accountability.

Create accountability on two levels. The first level is accountability toward yourself, which we will discuss in the last step of the WESPER framework review.

The second level is extending accountability beyond yourself. Choose people that will hold you accountable for your results. These individuals may very well be the same people that invested time with you at the beginning of the process as you were seeking wisdom and insight. Another option is to encourage a friend or family member to start their own Your Life Plan Blueprint, and you can trek together on the journey. Although you may not be on the exact same paths, you can both experience the joys and challenges of the plan and become accountability partners.

It is good to have an accountability partner, and I do encourage it. But at the end of the day, remember your goals and plans are your responsibility solely and success depends only on you. Never abdicate your responsibility. Ultimately we are personally responsible to God for our progress.

Hebrews 4:13 – Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

On our trek today, we explored the remaining five guidelines to develop your life plan strategy with the WESPER framework. The strategies you develop will form the foundation which your goal plan will be built upon. These strategies are like the individual pages of your overall life blueprint. Tomorrow we will begin exploring the 4^th step in the WESPER framework, which is planning. We are hiking the trail with fortitude as we lay the foundation and build Your Life Plan Blueprint. This framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, taking one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 236 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Strategy Guidelines 1-5

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 08:03:35 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 236 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Strategy Guidelines 1-5

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 236 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we started our exploration of the third phase of the WESPER framework which is strategy. As you are creating your life plan that fulfills your life purpose, you must establish goals as part of your plan. But, setting a goal does nothing by itself. Strategy is the core of your blueprint, which enables you to do planning which leads to execution and review.

I am incorporating all of these daily concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete so that you can download it. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It looks like we will be receiving a few inches of snow in southeastern Ohio on Friday night into Saturday – not nearly as much as the northeast but a decent amount. Even with all of the sophisticated radar and weather equipment available, you can never predict with certainty, so we will see. It is nice that on our virtual hike of Wisdom-Trek we can remain indoors during bad weather and visualize much warmer days.

Let’s head on the trail for day seventeen of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

Yesterday we explored three points about strategy which were:

What is strategy?
Strategy is underutilized.
Develop your strategy.

On our trail today and tomorrow, we will discover the 10 guidelines for creating a successful strategy for any goal or objective that you set.

1. Understand your goals thoroughly.

Start with each of your 7-year objectives, and then I will ask you the following questions. What will you need to have completed by the end of year 1 to meet that objective? Then drill down. What do you need to be completed at the end of month 1 to stay on schedule? What will you need to complete by the end of week 1? What tasks do you need to accomplish each day for that week? Do you have all the information needed for the goal to create this strategy? What is the gap that exists between you and completing the 1^st week of daily tasks? You must understand the overall objective including the information and knowledge needed to reach your short-term activity goals.

2. Pre-plan for obstacles so you can address them.

Visualize that you are now pursuing your goal. What obstacles do you anticipate standing in your way of success? Write all these obstacles down and rank them in order of magnitude. The bigger the obstacle is in diverting you from the goal, the higher the rank.

Pre-plan for how you will handle each obstacle so if they do crop up they won’t derail you from completing your tasks or goals. Don’t leave life to chance, use the Boy Scout motto of “Always be prepared.” This concept should be applied to all areas of life. When you do this, you will have a set of ready solutions at your disposal when you face these obstacles later on. Instead of getting distracted in the middle of your goal pursuit to troubleshoot those barriers, you can easily brush them aside with the solutions you have developed.

3. Identify the best route, but plan for alternatives.

After you have set your 7-year objective and obtained all the knowledge on your activity goals, identify all the paths you can take to reach your destination. Take the time to analyze the potential paths that can be undertaken to move toward your goals. Rank these in order of efficiency and effectiveness. When you implement this strategy, you will always know your best route and have alternative routes available if you run into obstacles or detours.

The best route refers to the path which gives you the most reward for the least effort, as opposed to other paths which may give you a low reward for low effort, high reward for high effort, or low reward for high effort.

4. Identify key activities or best actions for success.

After you have identified your best route, identify your key activities for success. Key activities for success are the few action steps that give you the bulk of the results. They absolutely need to be executed for your goal to be a success.

Rank your key activities in the order of importance. This strategy of prioritization will guide you as you move to the planning and execution phase of the WESPER framework. To identify these activities, you need to understand how your 7-year objectives integrate into your life plan and purpose. Focus or invest the majority of your time on the most important activities that will bring you the most impact. We will talk more about this in planning.

5. Remain faithful and focused on your daily activity goals.

Your Life Plan Blueprint is designed to be simplistic but powerful. Once you have obtained the wisdom needed to establish your 7-year objectives, break down the activity goals into ever smaller nuggets. Remain faithful and focused on your daily activity goals so you will achieve success.

You must be willing to make the small sacrifices required every day so that you do not have to make large sacrifices for the rest of your life. You must remain dedicated, persistent, and consistent on completing you daily task each day without fail. You must be willing to live a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t. If you remain faithful on these small daily tasks, then you will reap a harvest of results in Your Life Plan Blueprint. This lesson is taught to us in the Good News according to Matthew 25:20-21, “The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”

On our trek today, we explored the first five guidelines to develop your life plan strategy with the WESPER framework. Tomorrow on our trail, we will dig deeper and explore the remaining 5 guidelines for creating an effective strategy. We are hiking the trail with determination as we lay the foundation and build Your Life Plan Blueprint.

This framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, taking one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 235 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Strategy

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 08:03:02 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 235 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goal Strategy

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 235 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we explored the four checkpoints needed after establishing goals based on the 10 key principles. It is now time to head out on a new trail which is the third phase of the WESPER framework which is strategy.

As you are creating your life plan that fulfills your life purpose, you must establish goals as part of your plan. An important concept that you must understand is that establishing goals does not complete them. Strategy is the core of your blueprint which enables you to do planning which leads to execution and review.

I am incorporating all of these concepts along with worksheets into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete. If you have any questions, or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Temperatures remain quite cold, and we are having some light snow today. It is not predicted that we get any significant amount, but it is really pretty. I am thankful that I can work indoors and enjoy the view from our 2^nd-floor office with its large windows.

I am making slow but steady process on the woodwork in the library. Since our work schedule is quite heavy during the day, I am using my hour exercise time first thing in the morning to work on it. There is a lot of movement while I work, so I am still able to get in a workout while completing the work.

Let’s head on the trail for day sixteen of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

I mentioned earlier that our next step in the WESPER framework is creating a strategy for your goals. It is the catalyst for planning, executing, and reviewing those goals. Let me ask this question…

1. What is strategy?

Strategy refers to a game plan that enables effective pursuit of a specific goal or result. It is a set of underlying principles which determines your action plan toward achieving your end goal or objective. WESPER itself is the framework or underlying strategy for successful goal achievement. The “S” in WESPER refers to the specific strategies that pertain to your goals.

Strategy is a core part of Your Life Plan Blueprint for a rich and satisfying life. Think of strategy as the compass, trail map, or your GPS that shows you the best trail to lead you to your goal or plateau.

In war, generals gather together to devise strategies to secure an ensuing victory. In the world of business, companies invest millions in research to develop strategies to win in the marketplace. In stock markets, the most successful traders spend years studying market trends of the past, identifying strategies and applying them. If you were to trek up Mt. Everest, you would need a detailed strategy to ensure success. It is really not much different when it comes to any of your goal achievement.

Strategy is the one step that most people completely miss in the process of life planning and goal achievement, which then leads to their failure. Remember that for every goal, there is always a certain strategy or blueprint underlying it that guarantees its success. If you are able to identify and create the proper strategy, your chance of successfully completing the goal is guaranteed.

If you are able to identify and create the proper strategy, your chance of successfully completing the goal is guaranteed.

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2. Strategy is underutilized.

The ability to precisely follow instructions is viewed as the epitome of a good student/citizen/employee. Most school and work environments teach people to do, not think. Most school systems and work environments have only one method of teaching. We receive good grades or marks, if we apply those methods to our learning. Other methods, even if it leads to the same or better output, are discouraged. Styles of thinking or behavior that do not conform to the norm are viewed as defiant or insubordinate. As a result, many people are great in execution but weak in strategizing.

I have worked with many people who are unaware of the importance of strategy and try to follow a structured set of goal planning tools. Instead of studying their goals first and developing a strategy, they establish goals and then jump right into the execution of their goals. Without the proper strategy and plan, a cycle of self-sabotage, lack of self-worth, lack of confidence, and negativity immediately follows. In the process, people waste their energy, get burnt out, and put themselves in a worse situation than before.

3. Develop your strategy.

The most solid strategy that you can develop is to look holistically at Your Life Plan Blueprint within the WESPER framework. To create the best strategy, you first need to determine and have a solid understanding of what your purpose in life is. This purpose does not have to be grand or world changing, but it should positively impact your world. Your purpose will then drive the overall 7-year objectives within the 7 areas of your life. Your Life Plan Blueprint is unique to you alone. No one else in the entire world has your blueprint, which is why you must develop your strategy.

As King David wrote in Psalms 139:14, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”

Once you establish your 7-year objectives, start creating your strategy for yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily activity goals. Think about how you can break down each objective into smaller and smaller goals. How does each step tie into Your Life Plan Blueprint?

All activity goals should support the next higher level. For instance, your daily tasks must support your weekly goal, which must support your monthly goal, which must support your yearly goal which must support your 7-year objective, which becomes your life plan.

Conversely, each 7-Year objective needs to be broken down to the smallest daily task. Work top down breaking your objectives into ever-smaller pieces until they become daily bite size nuggets. No matter how huge your objective is, there will be an underlying set of nuggets which will allow you to conquer it. This will create a successful strategy that is unique to you.

On our trek today, we looked at an overview of the strategy phase within our WESPER framework. Over the next two days on our trail, we will dig deeper and explore the 10 guidelines to develop your strategy. We are hiking the trail with perseverance as we lay the foundation and build Your Life Plan Blueprint. This framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, taking one step at a time. So, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes. This will help to promote Wisdom-Trek.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 234 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – 4 Checkpoints

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 08:03:31 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 234 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – 4 Checkpoints

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 234 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Yesterday we discussed how the Wisdom-Trek plan is a powerful and unique concept and worthy of taking our trek slowly through the process. We also looked at some examples of how the blueprint is powerful, yet very easy to implement and achieve results. During the past four days, we hiked the trail of the 10 key principles of setting goals. Those goal setting principles are:

Today we will explore the checkpoints of how to manage goals once we create them.

These 10 principles and today’s follow-up are part of the establish phase of what we refer to as our WESPER framework which stands for: Wisdom, Establish, Strategy, Planning, Execution, and Review.

I am incorporating all of this information, along with worksheets, into an easy to use workbook, and I will let you know when it is complete. If you have any questions, or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. The single digit temperatures continue in southern Ohio this week, and it is possible we may receive some significant snowfall this coming weekend. It is still a bit too early to tell, but we will be watching. Since we have no place that we have to be, and since we work from home, I am inclined to say, “Let it snow.” I am not sure everyone would agree with me.

Work is very brisk this week, which requires putting in a lot of hours to make sure we are able to accomplish everything necessary, particularly to meet the quickly approaching tax deadlines. For some reason, the tax entities don’t understand that we are just too busy.

Let’s head on the trail for day fifteen of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

After you have set your goals within the guidelines of the 10 principles, you are almost ready to move on to the third phase of the WESPER framework. However, before that, there are 4 steps, or checkpoints, about your goals you need to understand first.

1. Write them down.

Write down your final objective and activity goals in each of the 7 areas of life. Follow the example that we explored yesterday. Begin with the end in mind. Which is your overall objective goal in each of your 7 areas of life? Then move backward into your activity goals for 1 year, 1 month, 1 week and each day. These goals should be placed prominently where you can always refer to them. I will include worksheets you can use for this process in the course I am creating.

2. Develop absolute mental clarity of your goal.

As you pursue your goals, you need to develop such a clear mental impression of your goals that you are able to perceive them with all your 5 senses, as if you have already achieved the goals. Visualize how you will feel in 7 years when your objective goals for each of the 7 areas of your life are completed. In fact, make it a habit of visualizing your outcomes every day in the morning before you start your day. The clearer the image is in your mind, the easier it is for you to manifest it in reality. You can also practice this habit for each of the 4 activity goals for each objective goal. This will allow you to ensure that you are on track.

Every goal is always created twice, first in the mind and then in reality. If you are unclear on how your goal looks like in your mind, how can you expect the physical manifestation to be what you really want?

For example, if your goal is to be able to run a marathon at the end of the 7 years. Close your eyes now and visualize the picture of you crossing the finish line. How do you feel? Excited? Exuberant? Capture that moment in your head and never lose sight of it. As you are increasing your running distance slightly each day, especially on the difficult days, and keep the picture in your mind. This level of mental clarity needs to be present and right in your mind throughout your goal achievement process.

Every goal is always created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.

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3. Be in constant reminder of them.

Post your Wheel of Life diagram in a prominent place with your goal clearly written for each area so it will be a constant reminder to you. We will also have a chart available to track and remind you of your yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily activities. Reminding yourself of your goals is extremely important to keep them in the top of your mind awareness. It creates the drive and energy to pursue it every day. Always make it a point to review your goal sheet every morning after you wake up. It will move you toward the activities you need to take on for the day and keep you conscious of what is important and not important in achieving your dreams that make up your life plan.

4. Review periodically.

Review your objective and activity goals regularly. You should review your activity goals more often. A suggestion is to review daily goals daily, weekly goals at the end of each week, and monthly goals at the end of each month to make sure you are on track. While your objective 1-year and 7-year goals can be reviewed at longer intervals such as the end of each quarter since they are less subject to change.

It is important to review goals regularly since they can become irrelevant over time. None of us can predict the future with certainty, and just like hiking on life’s trek, there are obstacles, detours, and any number of unforeseen circumstances that can change the course of life. Our life purpose and overall life plan may be fixed, but there are many trails that can help us reach our destination. Changing your trail is certainly not a sign of failure (unless you give up), but it is an opportunity to learn a different path to fulfill your God-given purpose for life. The key is to keep moving forward as is related in these two Bible verses.

Luke 9:62 – But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Galatians 6:9 – So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

On our trek today, we explored the 4 checkpoints that tie into the 10 key principles of the establish phase within our WESPER framework. Tomorrow we will venture onto the third phase of WESPER, which is strategy. We are hiking the trail, one step at a time as we lay the foundation and build Your Life Plan Blueprint. The framework assimilates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com, so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 233 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – 10 Principles (8-10)

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 08:03:36 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 233 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – 10 Principles (8-10)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 233 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Since the Wisdom-Trek plan is a powerful and unique concept, we are taking our Trek through the process slowly. When Your Life Plan Blueprint trail is followed, it will result in an effective life that has impact and allows you to live your legacy each day. Even though the process is powerful and unique, it is more simplistic and easier to implement than traditional goal setting systems. Currently, we are hiking the trail of 10 key principles, or stepping stones, for setting goals. So far we have explored the first seven goal setting principles which were:

Today we will explore the remaining three key principles all of which are very important for setting and achieving effective goals and creating of your life plan.

These 10 principles are part of the establish phase of what we refer to as our WESPER framework which stands for: Wisdom, Establish, Strategy, Planning, Execution, and Review. As we navigate through this process, I am assembling the daily journals of this series on Your Life Plan Blueprint, which I will release as a downloadable course/workbook for your use. I will let you know when it is complete.

If you have any questions, or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. Your Life Plan Blueprint Trek spans many days, and the concepts build on each other as we climb toward the summit. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Winter has finally hit the Mid-Ohio Valley this week. The temperature this morning was 7° with a wind chill well below 0°. We also received about an inch of snow. Our newly renovated upstairs office is remaining warm, as we have a vent right above the large floor furnace in the eating area below. The downstairs is a bit cool, especially with the front rooms empty due to our current renovations. The weather will remain cold for a couple of days before moderating again at the end of the week. I was able to start removing the old varnish from the woodwork in the library and will be working on that for several days. I always begin with the end results in mind. It keeps me focused on the tedious process.

Let’s head on the trail for day fourteen of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

Let’s begin with another question today. Based on our concept that we discussed yesterday setting B³ goals, which are big, brave, and bold, did you decide on your own B³ goals for the 7 sections of your Wheel of Life?

We should not be fearful of setting B³ goals for we have everything we need to pursue them successfully. We may not succeed in everything that we attempt, but we can always learn from everything that we attempt. The only way you truly fail is if you fail to try. Fear not as Romans 8:15 tells us, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’”

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.

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On our daily trek, let us seek out discernment and insights, and then boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. With this in mind, let’s move on to the last three key principles that are crucial in establishing your goals.

8. Start with long-term, and then break it down into short-term.

Always start off with your long-term objective goals so you can get the complete picture. This is your overall life plan. Set one 7-year objective goal for each of the 7 areas of your life. This will allow you to start with a total of 7 major outcomes that are in balance with each other, as much as humanly possible.

From there, break down each area of life into smaller segments. I recommend establishing an activity goal for each of the 7 areas of life for the end of year 1, the end of each month, each week, and then daily. Two common criteria to break down are:

Time
Magnitude

If your goal is to lose 48 pounds by the end of year 1, your shorter term goals would be to lose 4 pounds each month, and 1 pound per week. Since 1 pound equals approximately 3500 calories, you would then need to either eat 500 calories less each day and/or do additional exercise to burn off 500 more each day. This is the simplistic beauty of the Wisdom-Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint.

9. Set your objective goals as end outcomes, not tasks.

This initially refers to the end outcome that you want to see, not the task that is needed to get the result you want. As an example, your objective goal is to be debt-free by the end of the 7-year plan. By focusing on the end outcome, you pursue the fastest track to goal achievement and actions that need to be undertaken naturally fall into the picture. To reach this objective, you may have to set activity goals in several areas of your life as part of your overall life plan to reach this objective, once again maintaining proper focus and balance in your life.

Focusing with the end in mind is much more effective because you learn to anticipate and plan for contingencies for successful goal achievement, rather than being driven by external factors. Instead of placing your control on external factors, you take responsibility for outcomes within yourself.

10. Use positive framing.

Your purpose in life is a positive one. Your life plan should be structured in a manner to fulfill your positive purpose. Your long-term objective goals should all be set in a positive framework. Your shorter-term activity should always lead you to achieve those positive objectives. No matter what your current status is in life, you can fulfill your God-given purpose and live a rich and satisfying life.

We all have so much to be thankful for that our lives should be filled will praise each day. As written in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus:

Ephesians 1:3-4 – All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

We have now completed our trail of the 10 key principles to establish goals within our WESPER framework. It is now up to you to put them into practice as you begin or continue on Your Life Plan Blueprint. Tomorrow we will explore how to manage the goals that we are creating. The framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you in and through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 232 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – 10 Principles (5-7)

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 18 Jan 2016 08:03:56 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 232 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – 10 Principles (5-7)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 232 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Just like our trek through life, we are making slow but resolute progress learning how to integrate your life plan with effective goals and objectives. We are hiking the trail of 10 key principles or stepping stones for setting goals. So far we have explored the first four, goal setting principles which were:

Ensure congruency with your life purpose.
Ensure your purpose represents your Wheel of Life.
Understand your motivations.
Identify your objective goal first and then define your activity goals.

Today we will continue with the next three key principles which are very important for setting and achieving effective goals and creation of your life plan.

If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. Your Life Plan Blueprint trek spans many days, and the concepts build on each other as we climb toward the summit. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta. Sunday I had the privilege of speaking at the morning service at Putnam Congregational Church. I spoke on how Life is Like Brewing Coffee. There are certain steps that need to be taken to brew a great cup of coffee. In the same manner, there are certain steps that we need to take in our lives to create a great life. If you would like to hear this information, listen to Day 104 of our Wisdom-Trek.

This week will be busy with client work and meetings. Also, we need to process tax information for several of our clients within the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, I will also be able to get started on the woodwork and floors within the Big House. One thing for sure is that we will make it a great week.

Let’s head on the trail for day thirteen of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as:

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

Let’s begin with another question today. Based on yesterday’s hike, are you clear on the difference between objective goals and activity goals? If not, please listen to Day 231 or read the daily journal to gain the full concept. As a quick recap, an example of an objective goal is a long-range 7-year goal which gives you a destination or target in each of the 7 areas of your life. This is the basis for your life plan. Activity goals are the steps or task that we need to perform today, this week, this month, and this year to reach your 7-year objective goal.

A couple of objective goals that we should all pursue are:

1 Corinthians 14:1 – Let love be your highest goal.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 – Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

With this in mind, let’s move on to the next three key principles that are crucial in establishing your goals.

5. Plan for B³ goals.

A B³ is a Big, Bold, and Brave goal that is so visionary and ambitious that you have people going “wow” and telling you that you are nuts when you share it with them. B³ goals move you out of your comfort zone and are great for personal growth. B³ goal pursuits require you to take on an entirely different set of thinking and strategy rather than a normal goal. They stretch you to levels you were previously not aware of. These are paradigm changing goals. B³goals are particularly important when setting objective goals.

You will typically factor in many considerations as you are setting your goals and could end up with half-baked goals in the name of realism and practicality. Do not do that. These considerations are all just “noise” and they are irrelevant at the goal setting stage. Focus purely on what you want and not how to do it. The “how” part will come in the later steps of your WESPER framework.

Your B³goals should be big, challenging and motivating to you all at the same time. Be bold, but challenging realistic. Setting small goals which don’t inspire or setting goals which are too big and discourage you defeat the purpose.

6. Be specific with your goals.

Be very specific about what you want, especially on activity goals. The more specific you are, the better guided you are in your goal pursuit. Some guiding questions you can use include: What do you want to accomplish at the end point? What is the exact end output you are expecting? What is the time frame you are setting?

Ambiguous goal leads to ambiguous results. Imagine trying to shoot at a target that did not have any markings. How can you aim when you do not even know what the target is? When your end point is clearly marked out, you have a clear target to focus on.

7. Make goals measurable.

This principle applies specifically for activity goals, rather than objective goals since objective goals are meant to be continuous directions to pursue (see Wisdom-Trek Day 231).

For your activity goals to be effective, they need to be measurable. They should come with:

a deadline
a value you can measure against

These measures will be your success criteria when you evaluate your performance. For example, if you have a goal to meditate or pray each day, your measurable step may be to “Get up 5 minutes earlier each day to cultivate the habit of meditating 30 minutes every morning by certain (but specific) date.” If your activity goal is to lose weight, your measurable step may be to “Lose 20lbs by a certain (but specific) date.”

For tasks which are qualitative, find a way to assess it. Let’s say your goal is to be more confident. One way to make it measurable is to set a target for how many times you force yourself out of your comfort zone in the day and speak up when you would have otherwise not said anything. Another example may be a goal to be more disciplined. That in itself is too vague. You can attach it to an activity you want to achieve – such as waking up at 6 am and focus on self-improvement through disciplined tasks. It is then you will have measurable steps toward your success rate of performing that task.

As we explore the 10 principles to establish goals within our WESPER framework, you are learning the keys to set effective goals within your life plan which fulfill your life purpose. The framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we will continue to dig into the precious nuggets of wisdom as we establish meaningful and realistic goals in the seven areas of your life based on the 6 step WESPER framework. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com so we can continually improve.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 231 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – 10 Principles (3&4)

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 08:03:40 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 231 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – 10 Principles (3&4)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 231 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Just like our trek through life, we are making slow but determined progress on the concept of your life plan and how goals/objectives are integrated into your overall concept. Yesterday we started down the trail of 10 key principles or stepping stones for setting goals. We were able to explore the first two goal setting principles, which were:

Ensure congruency with your life purpose.
Ensure your purpose represents your wheel of life.

Today we will continue with additional key principles that are very important for setting and achieving effective goals and creation of your life plan. These 10 principles are part of the establish phase of what we refer to as our WESPER framework, which stands for: Wisdom, Establish, Strategy, Planning, Execution, and Review. I am assembling the daily journals of this series on Your Life Plan Blueprint into a downloadable course/workbook for your use. I will let you know when it is complete.

If you have any questions, or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. Your Life Plan Blueprint trek spans many days, and the concepts build on each other as we climb towards the summit. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

The 10 Principles for Goal Setting

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta. Friday evening we drove up to Marietta and arrived around 10 pm. The renovation contractors are making good progress but still have the back stairway area to complete. There is drywall and plaster dust all over, but we will get that cleaned up this next week. The two front rooms and downstairs foyer/hallway are looking great and are ready for me to start refinishing the woodwork and floors. I also have some rewiring of the light fixtures that I need to complete before they are rehung. We are very pleased with the results.

Let’s head on the trail for day twelve of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

Let me start with a question today. Have you determined your purpose and overall goal for your life? Have you written it down? For an example, check back on Day 230 to review what I wrote for my life purpose and predominant goal. Remember that determining your purpose and overall goal of life is essential to create your life plan and establish your 7-year goals for each of the 7 areas of life.

Let’s move on to the next two key principles that are crucial in establishing your goals.

3. Understand your motivations.

Have you ever had an experience where you went full throttle at pursuing a goal only to find out that once you completed it that it did not bring the satisfaction expected or the cost to you personally was too great?

In today’s mad pursuit towards wealth and success and in the endless chase to validate one’s self-worth, we buy things we do not need with money we do not have to impress people who do not care.

Is your motivation for your goals congruent with your true purpose in life?

Tweet This

There are some common symptoms which emerge when you set goals that do not align with your primary purpose and plan for your life. These goals will undermine your values. This will cause you to sabotage yourself in your goal pursuit. You will either lose interest during the goal achievement process and not complete it, or you will feel empty after the goal has been achieved.

As you set your primary goal for life and then subsequent goals, be clear on your underlying motivations. Your goals should be something that you really desire, are in alignment with your purpose and values, and are not what others want you to do.

A good practice to implement when setting goals is to ask yourself why. This practice will help you to drill down to determine your underlying motivations for the goals that you set. In most cases the first why answer is not the real reason for setting a goal. Ask yourself, why do you want this goal? Then you answer because… Then ask why again, and keep asking “why” after each “because” until you get to the root reason for setting a goal. What will you achieve by completing this goal? Does the final answer align with your purpose?

Being clear on your underlying desires and “why” will drive you forward in the times when you face obstacles. Broad statements like “I want to be successful or earn lots of money” are not goals nor the why of a goal. Dig deep into the why of your goals, and make sure you are not pursuing goals imposed on you by others. Your goals must always align with your purpose and plans.

Psalms 20:4 – May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed.

4. Identify your objective goal first and then define your activity goals.

What is the difference between objective and activity goals? Objective goals are compatible with your purpose, your vision, and your life plan. Activity goals are specific end outcomes that you are more familiar with, such as to lose 10lbs or earn $10,000. Activity goals are the plateaus that you reach on the way to the summit as you scale your life plan mountain.

In our example of the Wheel of Life in the area of physical/health, your 7-year objective goal might be to be as healthy, vibrant, and energetic as you were in college. Your activity goals would be to eat fresh whole foods, exercise 60 minutes a day, lose 25 pounds, and to get proper sleep.

Objective goals are compatible with your purpose, your vision, and your life plan.

Tweet This

Objective goals are the visions you want to pursue long-term in your life. Within Your Life Plan Blueprint, these would be your 7-year goals in the 7 areas of your life. Activity goals are the means to achieve that vision. Objective goals are long-term plans and usually remain the same throughout seasons of your life. Activity goals change over time based on your progress towards your objective goals.

Always define your objective goals first, followed by the activity goals needed to achieve the objective goals.

By clearly articulating your objective goal first, you can determine which of the activity goals that you will pursue that are tied to your objectives. You develop new insights and open yourself up to many other routes toward achieving your objective goal.

As an analogy within our Wisdom-Trek scenario, your objective goal would be to reach a certain summit on life’s mountain. Your activity goals could take the form of several different trails that you could take to reach that summit. You are not locked into one path to successfully reach your objective.

Clearly differentiating between your objective and activity goals enables you to see the bigger picture. You stop getting hung up on the outcome of activity goals and instead focus on achieving your actual objective goal. You no longer have to obsess over your activity goals nor connect your success and self-worth to them. If your focus is on your life purpose and plan, then you will realize your activity goals are merely one of the many methods you can use to reach your objective. If one path is obstructed, then you choose a solution around the obstruction or choose a new trail to your summit.

Proverbs 16:3 – Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

As we explore the 10 principles to establish goals within our WESPER framework, you are learning how to set effective goals within your life plan that fulfill your purpose. The framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we will continue to dig into the precious nuggets of wisdom as we establish meaningful and realistic goals in the seven areas of your life based on the 6 step WESPER framework. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
On your computer or if you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 230 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – 10 Principles (1&2)

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 08:03:47 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 230 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – 10 Principles (1&2)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 230 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. Just like our trek through life, we are making slow but solid progress on the concept of a life plan and how goals/objectives are integrated into our overall concept. Today we are continuing our exploration of how to establish goals that are the stepping stones within our life plan. We are referring to this as our WESPER framework which stands for Wisdom, Establish, Strategy, Planning, Execution, and Review. I am assembling this series on Your Life Plan Blueprint into a downloadable course for your use. I will let you know when it is complete.

If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. By the time this episode is initially released we should be back at The Big House and will be staying there for a little over two weeks. I will be speaking again at Putnam Church on Sunday and plan on teaching a lesson from day 104 of our Wisdom-Trek on Life is Life Brewing Coffee. There is nothing like a great cup of warm coffee on a cold winter day. There is much to do with both our business and with the renovations while in Marietta. It is my hope that I will be able to make good progress on the woodwork and the floors in the two front rooms and downstairs foyer/hallway.

Let’s head on the trail for day eleven of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

On our trek yesterday, I encouraged you to write down one major objective or goal that you desire to complete by the end of 2022 (7 years from now) in each of the 7 areas of your life.

Those areas are:

Spiritual
Family
Physical/Health
Mind/Intellect
Personal/Social
Financial
Work/Career

I realize it may be difficult to predict that far in advance, but we need to initially think long term or begin with the end in mind. From there, we will backfill our yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goals or tasks that we must complete to reach our 7-year objective. Have you written down your objectives yet?

Within our life and life planning, we will be making a series of minor course corrections as we go along, which is understandable. Even knowing that, we still need to plan. Long-term planning is important. Proverbs 24:27 instructs us, “Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.” This means to plan for the long-term outcome. While the crops are growing, then you will have time to build your house. It will not work in the opposite. Otherwise, you would have a shelter but no food.

As we embark on establishing a 7-year goal for each of the 7 areas of life, there are 10 fundamental principles that we need to set for these goals and objectives. These principles are what will guide you to set the right goals so that you can pursue them.

Setting Your Goals

1. Ensure congruency with your life purpose.

Your goals need to be defined in the context of your life purpose which becomes your plan. Everything in your life flows from your purpose. Your purpose stems from your values and is the guiding direction for everything in your life. It sets the stage for what you do every day.

For example, my primary purpose is “To live a rich and satisfying life each day by impacting my world positively, which will allow me to live a legacy in a manner that brings glory to God.” My overall goal, which is taken from Proverbs 1, is “to learn wisdom and discipline, to understand the insights of the wise, to live a disciplined and successful life, and to always do what is right, just, and fair.” My goal is a subset of my purpose to achieve my highest potential. Both are congruent with each other.

You may ask, “So where do specific goals like losing weight or eating healthy fit in this bigger purpose?” For me, living a healthy lifestyle, which includes specific goals for maintaining my weight, exercising for an hour each day, eating healthy foods, and getting seven hours of sleep each night, will allow me to have the energy, mental clarity, and a long life to fulfill my purpose and life plan.

If your goals and your purpose are not congruent with one another, it either means…

Your goals are not in line with what you really want to do. If this is the case, determine what your underlying motivations are for listing them.
You have a limited definition or an unclear understanding of your purpose. If this is the case, try to expand the definition of your purpose.

So a question for today…“Do you know what your purpose is?” Each of us has a God-given purpose in life that no one else can fill. If you are unsure of what your purpose is the same three steps that we explored during the past two days for gaining wisdom apply to determining your purpose. First, seek wisdom, and then use the same principles to determine your purpose:

Through the study of the Bible and other information that will direct you
Through your network of family, friends, and mentors
Through asking God directly to find your purpose via prayer and meditation

Your purpose sets the right context and background for your goal setting. By identifying your purpose, you then have absolute clarity on your direction and focus in life. As an analogy, the last thing you want to do is to spend your whole life trying to grow oranges when you actually wanted apples.

2. Ensure your purpose represents your Wheel of Life.

Let’s use another analogy to help us grasp this concept. Your Wheel of Life is your purpose or life plan. You will have a primary life goal that is congruent with your purpose. Now let’s drill down a bit further. Your Wheel of Life is divided into 7 sections or areas. In each of these 7 sections, you want to establish a long-term, 7-year goal. The 7 long-term goals when connected together should match to your primary life goal or plan. As much as feasible, these 7 goals should be in balance because you desire to have your life in balance.

By first focusing on the overall Wheel of Life and its associated goals, then when you start setting your yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goals, it will be much easier to keep them in balance. You won’t always balance perfectly on a daily basis, but over the course of the next 7 years, your life plan will be in balance as we trek one day at a time.

We are just now forming the WESPER framework and are now investing a few days on the 10 fundamental principles of establishing effective goals within your life plan that fulfill your purpose. The framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we will continue to dig into the precious nuggets of wisdom as we establish meaningful and realistic goals in the seven areas of your life based on the 6 step WESPER framework. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 229 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – 7 Areas of Life

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 15 Jan 2016 08:03:30 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 229 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – 7 Areas of Life

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 229 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. So far we have covered the purposes for a life plan, basic goal setting, and an overview of the WESPER framework. Yesterday we explored why wisdom is so important as we are creating or revising a life plan with its goals and objectives. Today we will begin to dig up nuggets of wisdom on establishing goals as part of our overall life plan. I am assembling this series on Your Life Plan Blueprint into a downloadable course for your use. I will let you know when it is complete. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, either leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We had my sister Rebecca over for dinner on Wednesday evening for our monthly get-together. It is always a blessing to spend time together as we went through some more of the old pictures from when we were kids. I found a picture of all 10 of us kids singing Silent Night on Christmas Eve as we headed to bed.

We are wrapping up this week and will be heading to Marietta on Friday. We are interested to see if the contractors were able to complete their current project in the two front rooms and downstairs foyer/hallway. We know that we will have a lot of drywall and plaster dust to clean up, but it will be well worth it.

Let’s head on the trail for day ten of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint^©

We determined yesterday that the first and most important step, in creating or revising a life plan is wisdom. We also learned that wisdom can be gained in three ways:

Through the study of the Bible and other wise materials
Through your network of family, friends, and mentors
Through asking God directly for wisdom via prayer and meditation

Before you go any further with the WESPER process on how to establish goals, you need to determine what your life plan will consist of. There are various ways to do this, but based on my experience, and personality, I believe that you do not need to over complicate life. Let’s keep it simple.

If you have been on our Trek over the past ten days, I showed you the Wheel of Life on day 224 that breaks your life down into 7 major areas. The Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint is segmented into 7 areas that comprise your life. Those areas are:

Spiritual
Family
Physical/Health
Mind/Intellect
Personal/Social
Financial
Work/Career

I explained earlier on this Trek that the best way to create a life plan is to begin with the end in mind. So the first step in creating or revising a life plan is to reflect on the 7 areas of your life and determine where you would like to be in each area 7 years from now.

I realize it may be difficult to predict that far in advance, but in order to determine what you will do today, this week, this month, and this year you need to have a long-term destination planned. We will backfill with detailed goals and objectives, so don’t be overly concerned about how you will reach that destination at this point. Initially, let’s just choose 1 main objective for each area.

My question for you today is “By the end of 2022 where do you want to be…”

Spiritually?
With your Family?
Physically and Health-wise?
Intellectually?
Socially?
Financially?
In Work or your Career?

In each of these 7 areas of life, seek wisdom through prayer/meditation, the study of wise materials such as the Bible, and through advice from trusted mentors. Dream big, but realistically. Stretch yourself and be willing to explore outside of your comfort zone. Your results in 7 years will be in direct proportion to how big you dream and plan now. As Les Brown says, “Shoot for the moon, and if you miss you will still be among the stars.”

We have determined that the first step in the process of life planning and setting of goals must be to gain wisdom. Take some time today to write down one 7 year objective in each of the 7 areas of life. An extremely important point as you are thinking about your 7-year objectives is to make sure that your Wheel of Life remains in balance as much as possible. As an example, you do not want to set an objective to have a net worth of 10 million dollars by 2022 if it destroys your family and health in the process.

Once you determine your seven-year objective for each of the seven areas of your life, you will then learn how to break down that large, long-term objective and determine what you need to accomplish during the current year, current month, current week, and even each day. As the age old question asks, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer is one bite at a time. Think about the 7 year objective as the elephant, and we will break that down into bite-size daily tasks that can be achieved by anyone. The strength of the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint with its WESPER framework is that it really becomes a simplistic system to follow.

Now that you have a long-range objective in mind for each of the 7 areas of your Wheel of Life, we are ready to start the second part of our WESPER framework which is establish. We will briefly touch on this step today and then continue on it tomorrow.

Establishing your goal is more than just identifying a long-range objective you want to achieve. There are numerous factors to consider to ensure that your vision is robust, accurate, and most importantly, what you really want.

Unfortunately, instead of investing quality time on this step, many people run into the mistake of being hasty. They skip past proper goal setting and jump straight into the planning and execution. Being hasty will cause a lot of backtracking and rework because you did not set the goal properly in the first place. If you do not take the proper time when establishing your objective or goal, you may end up completing an objective that you don’t even care about.

Your time and energy are extremely precious, so it is better to invest the proper time to set the right goals. You do not want to be wasting time on goals that you never really wanted to begin with. Proverbs 21:5 tells us, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

Establishing goals as part of your overall life plan consists of 2 parts. The first part is to set your goal based on a set of 10 key, fundamental principles. The second part is what to do with your goals after establishing them. We will invest the next 2-3 days exploring the important step of establish as part of our overall WESPER framework.

The framework integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we will dig into the precious nuggets of wisdom on how to establish meaningful and realistic goals in the seven areas of your life within the 6 step WESPER framework. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 228 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Wisdom Goals

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 08:03:23 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 228 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Wisdom Goals

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 228 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. We have already mapped out the framework that will assist you in setting goals and creating a life plan for yourself. We have also explored the purposes for an effective plan and some basic goal setting principles.

Over the past two days, our trails took us through the overall concepts of the 6 step framework to create a successful life plan through effective goal achievement. We caught a glimpse of this powerful but easy to implement framework, which is the core for Your Life Plan Blueprint. We are purposely taking it slow on this life planning trail, which will allow us to understand the map that we are following. If you have any questions, or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, either leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has been a busy week of work and life activities with much still to do before we head back to The Big House Friday evening. Based on our 2016 calendar that we have laid out, we will be spending a considerable amount of time in Marietta with additional home renovations and preparing for the Chamberlain reunion on July 4^th weekend.

Let’s head on the trail for day nine of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as:

Your Life Plan Blueprint

On today’s trail, we will explore the first step of our WESPER framework which refers to wisdom. This is one element that I have never seen included in any goal setting programs that I have reviewed or used, and yet without wisdom based on Biblical principles and advice from trusted mentors, how can we begin to formulate a life plan?

Wisdom, insight, discernment, understanding, prudence, and knowledge are the very bedrock and foundation for a rich and successful life.

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With this knowledge, the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint is based on what is commonly referred to as the Book of Wisdom which is Proverbs. The foundation for a solid life plan is found in Proverbs 1:2-7,

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

While all wisdom ultimately stems from God’s Word, there are many friends, family members, and trusted mentors who have learned wisdom through their life trek and experiences. We should not hesitate to seek out these individuals for advice when we are working on our life plan and setting goals. Become part of an accountability group, a peer group, or a mastermind and utilize the experience and wisdom of others to assist in your trek of life. While experience is a great teacher, its lessons are hard. Vernon Law said it this way, “Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.” Voltaire understood the value of wisdom when he said, “Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?”

In addition to gaining wisdom from the Bible and others, there is another way to obtain wisdom and that is by asking God for it. James, the half-brother of Jesus, writes in his letter to 1^st-century Christians that if we lack wisdom all we have to do is ask. James 1:5-8 reads, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

We need at least a measure of wisdom as we embark on creating a life plan and setting goals to fulfill it. God wants us to be wise, and He can fill us with the wisdom that will allow our lives to be successful. Wisdom is more than just being able to make wise and prudent choices. It is the actual skills that we need for everyday life. This is what we do in our homes, our professions, and our businesses. There are many examples of this in the Bible, Moses wrote these instructions from God in Exodus 28:3, “Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service.”

Also in 31:3, “I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts.”

King Solomon, who wrote the book of Proverbs, was considered the wisest man of all time. He gained his wisdom by asking God for it. od’s response to Solomon’s request is recorded in 1 Kings 3:10-13, “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, ‘Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame!'”

It is so clear that the first step in the process of life planning and setting of goals must be to gain wisdom. Wisdom can be gained in three ways:

Through the study of the Bible
Through your network of family, friends, and mentors
Through asking God directly for wisdom

The WESPER framework process integrates into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we will begin to explore how to establish meaningful and realistic goals in the seven areas of our life within the 6 step WESPER framework. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 227 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Framework #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 08:03:18 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 227 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Framework #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 227 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. On this Trek, we are mapping out the framework that will assist you in setting goals and creating a life plan for yourself. We have explored the purposes for an effective plan, some basic goal setting principles, and yesterday and today we are exploring the overall concept of the 6 step framework to create a successful life plan through an effective goal achievement. This powerful but easy to implement framework is the core for Your Life Plan Blueprint. Just like our trek of life, we will take the life planning trail one step at a time. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek either leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

Since our trek on life planning will take several days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are enjoying the time we are able to spend with our grandson Kip, who is staying with us for a few days while his parents are out of town. We cherish the teachable moments of everyday life and take our responsibility to be a positive role model very seriously, without the need to be too serious ourselves. Proverbs 13:22 tells us, “Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.” This inheritance and wealth are so much more than money. It is the legacy that we live each day.

Let’s head on the trail for day eight of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint

Yesterday on our trail, we started an overview of the framework that makes up the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint and consists of 6 steps for which I use the acronym WESPER which stands for:

Wisdom: Seek guidance from God and trusted mentors.
Establish: Set the vision and goal in place.
Strategy: Devise strategies to succeed in the goal.
Planning: Identify plan elements based on the strategies.
Execution: Bring the plan and goal to life.
Review: Assess the outcome and next steps.

Today we will explore some important facts about the WESPER framework.

Things to Know about WESPER

The framework is applicable for any goal.

As part of Your Life Plan Blueprint, we will explore setting at least one goal in each of the seven areas on our wheel of life that we described on day 224. Those seven areas are:

Spiritual
Family
Physical/Health
Mind/Intellect
Personal/Social
Financial
Work/Career

The WESPER framework is applicable in all areas of your life. What goals do you have? Finding a job you love? Losing weight? Increasing traffic to your blog? Setting up your business? Improving your health? Buying a new home? Building stronger relationships? No matter what goal you have, WESPER is totally applicable and relevant. In short, it can be used for virtually any goal in the world.

Each step serves its own role and is pertinent to the success of the goal.

They are individual parts of a system that make it whole. While the only essential step is the fifth step of Execution, trying to skip any of the other steps will jeopardize your chances and degree of success.

The steps occur in succession of one another.

The steps occur in a succession of one another – meaning that the first step needs to be done and locked before going to the second, and so on. Thus, each step should be defined as accurately as possible before moving to the next to prevent disruption and rework. Say, for example, you set the goal for yourself to lose 30 pounds. You make a series of strategies and plans. But as you start losing the weight, you find yourself feeling tired, unhealthy, and weak. You realize that you do not exactly want to lose 30 pounds; you actually just want to be healthy. Since the basis of the goal is different, this changes in-between steps, like an increased focus on exercise and choosing healthy foods instead of just losing weight. The further down you are in execution and the larger the magnitude of change in the initial step, the more disorienting it will be to revise your plans to reflect the change. Thus, it is important to be rigorous with each step of the framework.

Progression through the steps symbolizes your goal being manifested from a mental creation to physical creation.

As you start off with the first step (Wisdom), it is essential that you seek guidance from God and/or trusted mentors to ensure the goal is wise and achievable. It is at this initial step that you can determine the “why” of this goal. After the first step, then you can confidently move onto the Establishment of the worthwhile achievable goal. This is the creative part of the process. As you move through the steps, you are essentially taking that virtual creation inside your mind and giving it physical form and shape in your physical reality.

The framework is best suited for taking big, long range goals and creating the steps (short and medium range goals) needed for completion.

WESPER is a framework for busting your big, long range goals into easy to complete smaller goals which you are reasonably confident in achieving. This will promote your ability to move forward faster with more efficiency in completing your goals. The Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint starts with the larger end goals in mind and works backward through the smaller steps that are needed to achieve the end game.

The framework sets you up for success in your goal.

Having this systematic approach to goal achievement helps dramatically increase your chances of success for two simple reasons:

First, if there are problems with achieving the goal, you can always look back and identify exactly in which stage the issue arose and resolve it from there.
Second, it ensures all bases are covered, and you do not leave any stone unturned.

Starting tomorrow, we will be exploring in detail each of the six steps that make up the WESPER framework. I will be detailing the specifics of each step, the role each serves, and how to apply it in real life.

While I am a big proponent of life planning with detailed goal setting, I also realize that there are many unforeseen circumstances that happen in our lives. The WESPER framework has a way to handle those situations built into the system. We do not want to make excuses for inaction but also understand that ultimately God’s Word should guide the steps that we take. Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

A light for my path

This process dovetails into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we begin our detailed analysis of the 6 step WESPER framework starting with wisdom. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 226 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Framework #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 08:03:13 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 226 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Framework #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 226 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. On this Trek, we are slowly mapping out the framework that will assist you in setting goals and creating a life plan for yourself. So far we have explored the purposes for an effective plan and some basic goal setting principles. On our trail today and tomorrow, we will review the overall concept of the 6 step framework to create a successful life plan through effective goal achievement.

Your life plan does not have to be overly complex. A simple but concise life plan is sufficient to achieve significant results in your life. Just like our trek of life, we will take the life planning trail one step at a time. If you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, either leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

Since this trek on life planning will take several days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our delayed Chamberlain Christmas celebration this past weekend was such an enjoyable blessing for Paula and me. All five of our children, their spouses, and our six grandchildren were able to spend Friday evening and all day Saturday with us. While some of my time was spent on meal preparation, I was able to share in all the festivities as we have an open floor plan in our house that makes it great for hosting activities.

Sunday evening through late Wednesday, we also have the blessing of having our grandson Kip staying with us as his parents take a few days off together. It is always a special time when we can share life with our grandkids. These amazing times with our children and grandchildren are part of our life plan. To make a lasting impact on them is a very important part of living our legacy each day.

Let’s head on the trail for day seven of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan process which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint

I mentioned yesterday that the framework that makes up the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint consists of 6 steps for which I use the acronym of WESPER, which stands for:

Wisdom: Seek guidance from God and trusted mentors.
Establish: Set the vision and goal in place.
Strategy: Devise strategies to succeed in the goal.
Planning: Identify plan elements based on the strategies.
Execution: Bring the plan and goal to life.
Review: Assess the outcome and next steps.

Through this WESPER framework, goals you never thought achievable that make up your overall life plan will start becoming within your reach and in a matter of time, achieved. I personally use this framework to achieve my goals, and it works wonders.

Do not let the simplicity of the framework fool you. While these 6 steps look very simplistic, they are the foundation for successful goal achievement, especially for massive goals where the “what” and “how” for achieving them becomes elusive.

That being said, WESPER is not a miracle pill that takes out the hard work of fulfilling your life plan through goal achievement. WESPER is not an elixir that allows you to achieve your goals without lifting a finger. At the end of the day, you still need to put in the time and effort to achieve your life plan. As Proverbs 21:5 encourages us, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

With WESPER, you will find the whole goal achievement to be significantly easier and more manageable. Instead of success being a random, haphazard occurrence, it will become a predictable, securable result. You will start seeing your goal obstructions crumble before you so naturally that you will wonder why you struggled so long with them in the beginning.

WESPER is what is going to take the question mark out of your goal achievement process. WESPER is what will put your goals right within your grasp and lead you to success. On our trails for today and tomorrow, we will explore an overview of what WESPER is about. On the subsequent days, we will explore each part of the framework in detail. After that, we will then provide you with tangible tools that will help you to create Your Life Plan Blueprint.

Why WESPER Is the Single Framework You Will Need For a Successful Life Plan through Goal Achievement

Within most other goal planning approaches, they expound different methods to goal achievement. Some talk about how goal achievement is all about not procrastinating, being motivated, persistent, self-disciplined, “just doing it,” and so on. At best, these are very fluffy, air-fairy methods to goal pursuit. While these soft skills are important in their appropriate context, they do not give you any insights as to “what” exactly are the key steps needed to achieve your goals, let alone how they connect to the “why” of your life plan.

Persistence and desire can take you far, but they can only take you so far without a proper strategy to hold everything together. Very few other methods or processes address the crucial or secret element, which is to change your habits and life you must change your fundamental thinking process.

You certainly cannot rely on persistence and desire alone to achieve your huge goals and life planning. A more structured approach based on wisdom is needed rather than just randomly firing at different things. Let me ask you this question. Would you prefer to be firing 100 shots every time and hit only once, or funnel your energy properly and get an 80/100 hit rate with a properly constructed blueprint?

There are some other good frameworks like SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound) or GTD (Getting Things Done). While these are great methods in themselves (I have used principles from both of these in my life), they are one-dimensional in the scope of goal achievement. For example, SMART only pertains to goal setting (the second step of WESPER), and it does not address the over-arching question of “why” you are setting this goal (where does it fit in your life plan). It does not guide you on what is to be done between setting the goal and actually reaching the goal in the end.

In addition to that, SMART itself is not exhaustive on the principles of what makes a good goal. GTD is great for planning and executing (fourth and fifth steps of WESPER), but it deals with the lower levels of goal achievement. It neglects the higher levels of goal establishment and strategizing, which are pertinent to successful goals. It does not address the goals from an overall life planning process.

What is lacking in most other goal systems is a holistic, single system that captures the essential key steps for successful goal achievements and how those goals tie into your life plan.

WESPER is an overall blueprint – a single, holistic framework that covers all that is to be done in life planning through goal achievement, from start to finish. It starts off with seeking wisdom on how a goal fits into your life plan and then moves onto the establishing of your goal. From there it steps you through the strategy process to planning, the execution of those plans, and then the review of what you have done and the lessons you can learn from and adopt for the next time. It maps out the key steps you need to take for every goal you pursue as part of your life plan and guides you along throughout the whole process. WESPER is Your Life Plan Blueprint.

I mentioned yesterday, the Wisdom-Trek life planning process is not a quick fix process, but instead, it is a life-changing process. It is simple, yet complete. This process dovetails into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we will finish the overview of WESPER, the 6 step blueprint for life plan framework. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 225 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goals #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 08:03:56 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 225 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goals #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 225 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek Your Life Plan Blueprint. On this Trek, we are slowly mapping out the framework that will assist you in setting goals and creating a life plan for yourself. A simple but concise life plan is sufficient to achieve significant results in your life. Just like our trek of life, we will take the life planning trail one step at a time. As always, if you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek, either leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

Yesterday, I introduced the concept of the Wisdom-Trek Wheel of Life that has our lives segmented into 7 areas, which we will explore as part of our life planning process. I will be utilizing our daily journals for this trek to create a PDF workbook which you can use to create your life plan. Once the workbook is completed, I will let you know how you can obtain a copy of it.

Since this trek on life planning will take several days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After a busy weekend celebrating Christmas with our children and grandchildren, we are embarking on another busy work week. We are still involved with our own life planning for 2016, so this week will be occupied with some of those details.

Let’s head on the trail for day six of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Trek which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint

As we continue to consider some of the preliminary concepts of setting successful goals that make up the life planning process, I thought it would be helpful to share some of my own experiences.

My Experience With My Goal Pursuits

I have set and pursued many different goals and goal programs throughout my life. While I have utilized some different types of goal setting processes, which I will discuss tomorrow, the processes really did not include all the information that was needed to create a blueprint for a life plan. They focused on action and habit changes without getting to the root of the need for changing the way you think, which is the only way to ensure lasting change.

I do tend to be disciplined and driven, so I was able to achieve many of my goals that I set out to complete. I was able to lose about 30 pounds from my heaviest weight. I do exercise extensively at least five days a week, and I generally eat healthy to maintain good physical condition. I also spend time each day in meditation, prayer, the study of the Bible, and positive business training.

All of these milestones that I have been able to achieve have been driven by a change in the way I thought about life and the legacy that I wanted to live each day. This is the reason why I have taken some of the best concepts of goal setting, life planning, and changing the way you think and have created the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint.

I fully acknowledge that much of the information that I will be sharing during our daily Wisdom-Trek is not new, or necessarily original, but as Issac Newton is quoted as saying, “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

I have curated information from my mentors that have gone before me, added my own life experiences, and integrated a good dose of wisdom from the Scriptures to design the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint.

All of us should use the good advice of others when making plans as Proverbs 15:22 tells us, “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.”

Also in Proverbs 20:18, “Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.”

Although life planning may not be the same as going to war, in some ways, it is a great analogy. We are at war with a life lived in mediocrity and complacency, but we can have the victory of a rich and satisfying life where we create and live a legacy each day and make a positive impact on our world. We need to conquer the limiting beliefs that hold us back with the proper strategy and plans.

As a lifelong entrepreneur, I realized that there are certain strategies for companies that are successful long-term. The same basic strategic principles can be applied to all seven areas of our wheel of life mentioned yesterday to achieve the life that we desire.

With this framework, I then designed a blueprint to follow the same strategy. As a Christ follower, as I consider setting goals, which are an integral part of my life plan, the first step for me is to seek wisdom through prayer and meditation on God’s Word to ensure that my plans and desires will bring glory to God and not myself. If you are not a person of faith, I would still advise that you meditate and seek wisdom from others about the goals that you would like to set before moving forward. The next step is to establish a vision. From there a strategy needs to be implemented to achieve the goal. After that, making specific plans is crucial. Once plans are in place, then it requires execution of those plans. The final step is to review the entire process to ensure that the end result is the same as the original objective.

After creating this six-step process for one goal, I realized as long as I use the same key principles and follow the same formula, I will see similar success for every goal as part of an overall life planning process.

Suddenly, goal achievement and subsequent life planning became much easier and more surmountable. The uncertainty that used to surround the successes of my goal pursuits withered away in the face of this process. As with our trek of life, there will be obstacles and detours that we cannot predict with certainty, but this, at least, provides a solid blueprint to follow. While time and energy still need to be invested, the process of goal setting as part of an overall life plan has turned into more of a predictable science than abstract art. I knew as long as I followed the same formula in all my goals, I would definitely face a much greater probability of success.

Eventually, I distilled down the key elements of what I was doing so that I could share it with others so that anyone, regardless of their position in life, would have the same success in goal setting and life planning. The output is what I refer to as my 6-step Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint, for which I use the acronym WESPER.

This planning process and acronym remind me of when Elijah was seeking God’s guidance in 1 Kings [19:12]. After many mighty cataclysmic events, God spoke to Elijah in the sound of a gentle whisper.

The Wisdom-Trek life planning process is not a quick fix process, but instead, it is a life-changing process. This process dovetails into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we will explore an overview of WESPER the 6 step blueprint for life plan framework. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 224 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goals #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 08:03:50 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 224 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Goals #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 224 of our Trek, and we are continuing on our current Trek “Your Life Plan Blueprint.” On this trek, we are slowly mapping out the framework that will assist you in setting goals and creating a life plan for yourself. As I stated yesterday, your life plan does not need to be overly complex to be effective. Just like our trek of life, we will take the life planning trail one step at a time. As always, if you have any questions or would like additional information as we go through our daily trek either leave a comment on Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com.

As we grow through the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint process, I encourage you to begin thinking about your own life plan. I will be utilizing our daily journals for this trek to create a PDF workbook that you can use to create your life plan. Once the workbook is completed, I will let you know how you can obtain a copy of it.

Since this trek on life planning will take several days, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. By the time this episode airs, we will have completed our delayed Christmas celebration with our children and grandchildren. I will provide an update with some pictures within a couple of days. These types of celebrations need to be included as part of your life plan so you do not miss the most special moments of life.

Let’s head out on the trail for day five of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Trek, which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint

Before we actually dig into the framework or blueprint to create your life plan, we will spend a couple of days of our trek exploring how to achieve your goals with success. The Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint is segmented into 7 areas that comprise your life. Those areas are:

Spiritual
Family
Physical/Health
Mind/Intellect
Personal/Social
Financial
Work/Career

One long-term objective of a life plan is to make sure that all 7 areas of life are in proper balance. If you find that your life is out of balance in any of these areas, it may take some time, even months or years, to bring all areas into balance. But with a well-developed life plan, you can work toward that objective. Check out the picture representation of the Wisdom-Trek Wheel of Life below.

Before we explore the details of the wheel of life and overall blueprint in depth, let’s first study some basic principles of goal achievement. Goals that you set are the stepping stones of your overall life plan. So let’s look at…

An Introduction to Goal Achievement

One of the most important elements in creating a life plan is to make sure that you bring your life into balance and to maintain balance when setting new goals.

In one or more of the seven areas listed above, what are some of your biggest goals in life? To lose weight? To earn more money? To be in your dream career? To set up your own business? To grow in your faith walk? To live in abundance? To be at the peak of your health? To meet your life partner? To have a loving family?

For any of these goals, have you ever had the determination to achieve it, devote resources to it, work on it for an extended period of time, only to have it fall flat on your face eventually?

One of the most important elements in creating a life plan is to make sure that you bring your life into balance.

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Let’s use an example that most of us can relate to. Say you have a goal to lose weight and you resolve to take off 30lbs. You start off strong, cutting down the amount of food you eat. You also start an exercise regimen. Every day, you measure your weight to closely track your progress. Within the first few days, you start seeing a reduction in your weight. Rejoicing, you continue what you have been doing, but it seems that your actions have lost their effectiveness because your weight loss has plateaued. If anything, it seems to be increasing slightly versus your lowest weigh-in.

You become discouraged. You start to give up and binge, resigning that it is never possible for you to achieve the goal because it is in your genes or you just do not have the self-discipline. You begin to bury the whole notion of weight loss at the back of your head. Predictably, you start to gain back all the weight you lost and more. This makes you even more depressed, and you start eating even more.

At some point down the road, you receive a wake-up call to lose weight. You embark on the goal pursuit again, more determined than ever. However, past events repeat themselves, and soon you are back where you started, if not in a worse place.

Does this pattern of behavior apply to any of the goals you have set out to achieve before? Are you being looped in a continuous cycle of setting the goal and trying to achieve it, but never quite getting there? At this point, you may feel despondent. You resign that you are not meant to achieve this goal and decide to focus your energy on something else.

The Biggest Mistake Many People Make in Goal Achievement

Many people are guilty of trying to tackle their goals using a series of trial and error approaches. They randomly throw their energy out with all their might on the few steps they know, thinking that this will get them to their goal. They deal with their goals in a haphazard way, then hope that everything will turn for the best in the end.

While it may work in the short-run and on smaller goals, this strategy does not work with big, long-term goals. For example, you may get away with losing 5lbs of weight by generally just eating less and exercising more, but to lose more weight and maintain that weight loss requires proper strategy.

Many people have this misconstrued notion of goal achievement because they only come into contact with the results of others’ goals. They are not involved in all the thought-processes, intricacies, and actual planning that went behind the achievement of those goals. This is why the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint is different. It is not just a goal setting program but a life change process. It is more than changing actions or even habits. It is about changing the way you think.

The new World Trade Center, one of the world’s tallest buildings, was not built from just randomly slapping tiles of concrete and slab together. It was through envisioning, strategizing against environmental elements, planning with precision, and executing the plan that enabled it to be built, even though many people said it couldn’t or shouldn’t be built. Today the entire area and the memorial is a statement of resolve and beauty. It was built through a strategic and well-designed blueprint.

In the same manner, to have a long-term successful life plan with its associated goals, you need to have a system in place to sustain it. This is why we are taking an extended period of time on our life planning trek because the initial investment in time and planning will be far outweighed by the benefits generated in the long-run.

God will honor our planning if our plans include bringing glory to His name. In Proverbs 16:3, he tells us to, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” The Wisdom-Trek life planning process is not a quick fix process, but instead, it is a life-changing process. This process dovetails into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek, one step at a time. Tomorrow we will explore more of the strategy of life planning before we start to explore the 6 step blueprint for life plan framework. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. As you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, I encourage you to help us promote Wisdom-Trek in the following four ways:

Leave us feedback about the podcast on Wisdom-Trek.com.
On your smartphone, subscribe on iTunes, GooglePlay, Spreaker, Soundcloud or Stitcher, so the podcast will be downloaded to you automatically each day.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 223 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Purposes #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 09 Jan 2016 08:03:45 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 223 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Purposes #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 223 of our Trek, and on our current Trek “Your Life Plan Blueprint,” we continue to lay out the framework in detail so that you can create a life plan for yourself. Your life plan does not need to be overly complex to be effective. Minor changes in your life can result in huge benefits. As we grow through the Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint process, I encourage you to come along with us and begin thinking about your own life plan. When we are finished with this Trek, I will put together a workbook that you can use to create your life plan.

The purpose of Wisdom-Trek is for you to gain wisdom through your daily trek of life and to create a living legacy each day. If you are going to be successful in creating a legacy, establishing a plan for your life is imperative. There are no excuses or factors that will prevent you from creating a well-established plan for your life. Your life plan doesn’t have to change the world, but it should positively impact you and your world. It is my goal and plan to provide you with the information and tools needed to create an on-going plan for your life. Just as with your trek of life, you will need to make continual adjustments to your plan, but your primary focus is fixed based on your values. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The day that this episode is originally airing is January 9^th, which is the day we will be celebrating our family Christmas. It is a blessing that we are able to be with our children and grandchildren on this special weekend. The older four grandchildren were able to spend our “Christmas Eve” with Granny and Gramps. We cherish these special times together.

Let’s head on the trail for day four of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Trek which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint

I mentioned a couple of days ago that there are 6 essential reasons why we should set goals and create a life plan. We have explored the first 4 reasons which are…

To Give Clarity To Your End Vision
To Drive You Forward Even When You Face Obstacles
To Give You Laser Focus
To Make You Accountable

Today we will explore the final 2 reasons which are…

5. Be The Best That You Can Be

Goals help you achieve your highest potential. Without goals integrated into your life plan, you will slip back into your natural, default set of actions that make you feel safe and comfortable every day. To use an analogy, when we were growing up on the farm, ruts would form on the farm roads when the tractor would use the roads when it was muddy. After the ruts were formed, many times it was easier to drive in the ruts, even though they were rough, than to try driving on higher ground. Just like those ruts, the familiarity of your default life habits is the adversary of growth. It prevents you from growing. It does not enable you to become the best person you can be. It denies you from tapping into your God-given potential for a rich and satisfying life.

By setting goals for your life plan, you set targets to aim for. These targets make you venture into new places, new contexts, and new situations, which puts you into growth mode. They make you stretch beyond your normal self and reach new heights. They get you outside of your comfort zone. For example, setting a time limit for your run lets you know if you should be running faster. Setting a specific weight loss target makes you aware if your actions have been effective in losing weight. Setting a career or business goal ensures you are not settling for anything less than what you desire.

Stretch beyond your normal self and reach new heights.

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In my goal achievement processes, I have found myself constantly bursting through new grounds and uncovering potential which I did not know existed before. Without those goals, it would be easier to take the path of least resistance, just doing things within my natural constraints. Goals and plans have forced me out of my comfort zone and made me face and then overcome countless barriers to achieve what I desired. It has made me much more self-aware and taught me a lot more about both myself and life, compared to if I did not have those goals. Goals and plans help us be our very best. As the Apostle Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

6. Live Your Best Life

Goals ensure you get the best out of life for two reasons.

First, by becoming a better person, your new found knowledge and abilities let you experience more out of the same life events compared to the previous you. Your worldview and knowledge should be different now versus 10 years ago. You should see life with much more clarity, depth, and perspective today than you did in the past. What may be a simple daily occurrence in the past holds a lot more meaning to the more knowledgeable and wiser person that you are today.

Second, time passes in our life, whether we want it to or not. Time is the only thing in life that is truly finite. Goals with specific measures and deadlines, integrated into your life plan, ensure you are maximizing your output and experiences during the time God has granted you. If you have already discovered your life purpose, your goals will ensure you get the best out of your purpose.

Compare your life to a trek. When you identify your purpose for being on this trek of life, you get clarity on the direction to travel in. However, without specifying an exact destination and time frame, there is no way to measure or benchmark your progress. It has been said, “If you don’t know where you are going then, any trail will get you there.” Goals provide insight to the trails that we need to travel to ensure we are maximizing our lives for all that they can offer us.

As you begin designing the framework for your life plan, ask yourself, “What are my goals for the upcoming 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years?”

Start by taking some time today to write down a few of your goals, dreams, and aspirations for your life plan. By starting this process, I can guarantee you that you will definitely experience more growth as a person. By just spending a few minutes to articulate some aspirations that have been in your mind, you will experience more progress in your life a year from now than if you don’t. If we do our part of the goal setting and planning process, God will provide us the direction as is written in Psalms 32:8, “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.'”

We have now explored all 6 of the essentials reasons to create goals as part of our overall life plan. The Wisdom-Trek process that we will be covering over the next couple of weeks is a unique and successful process. This process dovetails into our concept of Wisdom-Trek as we look at life as a trek with its steep uphill climbs and precarious downhill slopes. Along the trails of life, though, there are many breathtaking views to enjoy. We can create and follow a life plan blueprint that will keep us on the right trail. For our trek during the next couple of days, we will explore some initial groundwork in creating goals and a life plan. After that, we will look at the 6 step blueprint for life plan success. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 222 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Purposes #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 08:03:08 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 222 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Purposes #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 222 of our Trek. Yesterday we continued on a new and exciting trek which we are calling “Your Life Plan Blueprint.” The purpose of Wisdom-Trek is for us to gain wisdom through our daily trek of life and to create a living legacy each day. If you are going to be successful in creating a legacy, establishing a plan for your life is imperative.

With a solid life plan in place, you will then be able to create and live your legacy today, which will leave a positive impact on your world. There are no factors that will prevent you from creating a well-established plan for your life. Your life plan doesn’t have to change the world, but it should positively impact you and your world. It is my goal and plan to provide you with the information and tools needed to create an on-going plan for your life. Just as with our trek of life, we are making continual adjustments to our plan, but our primary focus is fixed. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As this first week of 2016 is nearing the end, we are looking forward to our family Christmas celebration on Friday night and Saturday. With job changes, a new grandchild, and other financial obligations, our children decided to forego gift exchanges this year, except a few for the grandchildren. Instead, we will just focus on the time of celebration together and the true meaning of the Christmas season. We are very pleased with that decision and are looking forward to the time together with all of our children and grandchildren.

Let’s head out on the trail for day three of our Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Trek which we refer to as…

Your Life Plan Blueprint

I mentioned yesterday that there are six essential reasons why we should set goals and create a life plan. We explored the first two reasons yesterday, which were:

To Give Clarity To Your End Vision
To Drive You Forward Even When You Face Obstacles

If we are going to go through the process of creating a life plan, we need the wisdom to create an easy and tangible way of establishing the plan. We need a clear strategy for the plan, defined tasks that make up the plan, steps of execution of those tasks, and then a means of review to ensure that the plan has been completed properly and in a timely manner. This is why I refer to your life plan as a blueprint. The Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint provides everything that we need to ensure that the end result meets the original design.

Today we will explore the next 2 essential reasons why setting goals and making plans are so important in creating a successful life plan.

3. Give You Laser Focus

Goals give you a single focal point to focus your attention. Whereas your purpose gives you a broad, directional focus to move your life in, goals give you laser focus on what exactly to spend your time and energy on. Think of your time, energy, and efforts as input, and results as the output. A goal acts as your funnel which guides and directs those inputs effectively into your desired output or result.

When you don’t have goals, tied to an overall plan, you are bouncing from one activity to another. These activities may have become urgent due to our neglect, but they are seldom important to your overall life plan. These are activities that play no role in your larger scope of life, but you are not aware of this because you are just living life as it is. You end up mislabeling a lot of urgent or “nice-to-do” activities as important. You might also be engaging in these activities because you can’t think of a better way to spend your time. Do you find yourself surfing the internet, constantly visiting social media sites, or checking your email excessively? Do you consider yourself a workaholic, but then are not sure what you accomplished during the day? What’s your objective for what you do each day? What is the end result of your activities? Is that the top priority in your life?

You may have a broad idea of what you want to do. But until you clearly articulate it as specific goals tied to a plan, you are not focusing your efforts properly. You will often find yourself getting sidetracked because you don’t have goals to rein you in. It’s really quite easy to end up in the ruts of everyday life simply because they are familiar and comfortable and there is so much to distract your attention.

You may try to convince yourself that you are moving in the direction that you want, but it is just an illusion that you are having. With no goals tied to an overall plan, you have no clear focus for life. Without this focus, your efforts are scattered in too many places to have any meaningful results.

With no goals tied to an overall plan, you have no clear focus for life.

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When you set goals as part of your overall life plan, it gives you focus as the Apostle Paul taught his student Timothy in his first letter to him in 4:15, “Give your complete attention (focus) to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.”

4. Make You Accountable

Having goals integrated into your overall plan makes you accountable. Rather than just talking about what you want all the time and not doing anything concrete about it, you are now obligated to take action. Setting a specific goal gives you clarity on whether you are living up to what you committed yourself to do when you first set your goal.

This accountability is accountability to yourself, not anyone else. As an example, this accountability is what you hold up to when you choose the healthy salad over that piece of fried chicken. It is what you answer to when you spent that hour working on your report rather than random web surfing. When you stay accountable for your goals, you are in fact staying true to your core desires.

A tangible example for me is creating and publishing this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal every day. It is a goal that I hold myself accountable to which requires focus and clarity. When I decided to launch Wisdom-Trek, I did so with a commitment to a daily podcast. I made myself accountable for delivering it. If I find myself wanting to stop or skip a few days, I make the necessary mind shift to turn the situation around. I attempt to put aside all of the timewasting activities that are so easy to get caught up in.

It is easy to convince others that we are accomplishing what we are supposed to and meeting our obligations, especially if we have nothing to measure it against. Once we set goals as part of our life plan, then we become accountable to ourselves to complete them. Ultimately we are also accountable to God for how we invest the precious time, talent, and treasures that he has given us to manage as Hebrews 4:13 tells us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”

We have now explored 4 of the 6 essentials reasons to create goals as part of our overall life plan. As we explore the process of our life plan blueprint, you will start to see why the Wisdom-Trek process is unique and successful when many other goal setting plans fail. This process dovetails into our concept of Wisdom-Trek with the understanding that life, and life planning at times is difficult and there are unforeseen circumstances that happen. Even with those times, we can create and follow a life plan blueprint that will keep us on the right trail. Tomorrow we will explore the final 2 essential reasons to create a life plan blueprint. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 221 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – Purposes #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 08:03:06 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 221 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan Blueprint – Purposes #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 221 of our Trek. Yesterday we began a new and exciting trek which we are calling “Your Life Plan Blueprint.” Since the purpose of Wisdom-Trek is for us to gain wisdom through our daily trek of life, establishing a plan for your life is crucial, regardless of your current age or status in life. With a solid life plan in place, you will then be able to create and live your legacy today, which will leave a positive impact on your world.

The most certain way of living a rich and satisfying life and creating a life of purpose is to have a well-established plan for your life. It does not have to be a grand plan to change the world but a plan to positively impact your life and the lives of those that you have the privilege to impact. As we go through the life plan process, if you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. So far it has been a rather pleasant week of work and planning that is coordinating together well. January’s workload is always a bit busier with detailed financial work as we have to prepare budgets, process 1099s, W2s and other tax related work for our clients, including our own companies.

After our introduction to our life plan Trek yesterday, we are now ready to begin on the trail. There are six essential reasons why we should set goals and create a life plan. If we are going to go through the process of creating a life plan, we need an easy and tangible way of not only establishing the plan but also a clear strategy and review to ensure that the plan is realistic and completed in a timely manner. This is why I refer to your life plan as a blueprint. It provides everything that we need to ensure that the end result meets the original specifications. So our new Trek is called…

Your Life Plan Blueprint

Over the next three days we will explore the 6 essential reasons why setting goals and plans are so important in creating a successful life plan.

1. Give Clarity To Your End Vision

As the opening quote by Bill Copeland put it across very adeptly, if you don’t have a plan for your life, you are spending your life running around and not achieving anything for yourself. You may be busy, and you may get the illusion that you are doing a lot of things. But they aren’t what you want. If you do not plan your own life, you are just busy fulfilling everyone’s goals and plans.

If you don’t have a plan for your life, you are spending your life running around and not achieving anything for yourself.

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There are so many things and people that are crying out for your attention that you find yourself continually spinning your wheels on the perpetual treadmill of life. The convenience of fast food outlets or highly processed quick fix meals are ruining your health. The consumer goods and pharmaceuticals industry inundate you with products that are supposed to make you look better, feel better, and perform better. You may be in a job that you don’t really care for, but it provides the false security of a steady income but requires you to spend all of your time there, just to make an adequate living. You get so trapped by the daily grind that you have no time to consider and plan what is best for you and your family.

How are you supposed to manifest what you want if you don’t even set concrete plans? How are you supposed to achieve your dreams and visions if you have never taken the time to clearly define what the plan is for your life? Where do you desire to be in life in 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years?

Setting your goals and creating a life plan gives you clarity on what you ultimately want. It makes you crystallize and articulate the wishes, hopes, and desires floating in your mind. It ensures that you are focusing your time, energy, and efforts on things that really matter to you. It makes you live more consciously.

Everything in this world is created twice. First, things are created in your mind, and second your thoughts are manifested into reality. Without the mental creation, there will be no physical creation. When you set a goal and determine your plans, you already accomplish the first creation. You have set into motion a command for yourself and as you seek God’s guidance, it forces that thought to materialize the goal and plan into the physical reality.

Your Wisdom-Trek Life Plan Blueprint will help bring clarity to your life in a similar manner as what Paul wrote in his 1^st letter to the Church in Corinth 13:12, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.”

2. Drive You Forward

Your goals and plans are a representation of your inner desires; desires which motivate you to action in life. The point when you set goals and start to form plans marks the starting point when you are most connected with your source of motivation. It is when your motivation is at its peak. Having goals and plans written down serve as constant reminders of what is motivating you to move forward to make an impact on your world. Think of these goals and plans as the fuel which drives you forward and keeps you going when the trek of life is a steep uphill climb.

Think of these goals and plans as the fuel which drives you forward and keeps you going when the trek of life is a steep uphill climb.

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When you have those moments where you start to lose motivation, which we all do, your life plan becomes your map, or we could say compass to get you back on the trail to continue on in the correct direction. These are the times when you may need to go to prayer and meditation to refocus your thoughts back on why these goals and plans were created and why they are important. At these times, visualize once again your goals and plan with full mental clarity. Picture the end scenario as if your plan was nearly complete. Visualize your life plan as if it were a map of our trail. You see where you are now and where your destination is. There may be detours at times, but there will always be a way to continue on.

During those times our life plan will keep us on the course. It drives us forward as is written in Philippians 3:12-14, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

We are just getting started on our Trek of our life plan blueprint today as we established two of the six essential reasons for creating a life plan. As we explore the process of our life plan blueprint, you will start to see why the Wisdom-Trek life planning process is unique and successful when many other goal setting plans fail. This process dovetails into our concept of Wisdom-Trek with the realization that life and life planning at times are difficult, and there are unforeseen circumstances that happen. Even with those times, we can create and follow a life plan blueprint that will keep us on the right trail. Tomorrow we will continue to explore more of the 6 important reasons to create a life plan blueprint. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 220 – Your Life Plan Blueprint – An Introduction

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 08:03:13 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 220 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Your Life Plan – An Introduction

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 220 of our Trek. We invested the first five days of 2016 on our trek up Transformation Mountain where we explored the trails of trust, thankfulness, truth, timing, travail, the Tempter, and being teachable. As we hiked these trails, we learned that in order to enjoy the rich and satisfying life that we desire we must change the way we think in each of these areas. It is my hope that what we learned was beneficial as we start this new year.

Beginning today, we will link this changed mindset to learn how to create your life plan so that 2016 will be your best year ever, and that plan will continue for years to come. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We continue to work on our life planning to determine the direction and action steps needed to build additional features into Wisdom-Trek and also build the structure for Christian Podcasting Network. It is crucial that we take our time to ensure solid plans for growth. Life is a trek, not a sprint. It is very important that we are able to dovetail these new plans into our current client workload, other business projects, and renovation plans for The Big House. We want to make sure that we properly balance all areas of our lives so that we can truly enjoy the journey.

Today we are beginning a new Trek as we explore why it is so crucial for us to create a life plan. We will learn why it is important and then how to create, follow through, and complete this plan based on predefined milestones and timelines, which we will call our blueprint. So our new Trek is called…

Your Life Plan Blueprint

If you desire to achieve success and to create/build a living legacy, you must create a life plan with a means of measuring progress along the trails of life. It does not matter what your age is or what your current economic status is in life. It is never too late to begin.

This trek will be a lengthy one as we will first explore the 6 important reasons why we should create a life plan, and then we will travel through the trails of a detailed 5-Step life plan blueprint. Since I purposely keep the Wisdom-Trek episodes to between 7-9 minutes a day, we will break this life planning into small digestible nuggets of wisdom. When we complete the entire Trek, I will merge the entire plan into a separate PDF document that you can download for review.

Before we begin the trails of laying out your actual life plan, I want to make sure that you understand why it is important. Creating and following your life plan is one of the most important events in life because it can change your course for the remainder of your life.

Creating and following your life plan is one of the most important events in life.

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While I fully understand, that God will ultimately give us direction for our lives, He is also very concerned that we live our lives with purpose, on purpose. God addresses the issue of planning over 100 times in His Word. If we design our plans according to the principles and precepts in His Word, then we can rely on the wisdom in Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”

If we do our part in the planning process, God will see that our plans are successful. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'”

If we remember to give God the glory, He has much more planned for us than we can even imagine, so plan large. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

Introduction

Let us set the stage for our life plan blueprint with our introduction for today. On our Trek, think about today as an overview of the trails that we will be hiking. Over the next few days, we will explore the six important reasons for creating a life plan.

I would first like to present three quotes that sum up the importance of life planning.

Author Bill Copeland put it this way, “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.”

One of my virtual mentors, Zig Ziglar, makes a very good point in this quote, “You need a plan to build a house. To build a life, it is even more important to have a plan.” Think about this, you would never try to build a house without a detailed blueprint, and yet most people go through life with no plan at all.

Another one of my virtual mentors, Jim Rohn, said it well, “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

So let me ask a few questions…

Do you set goals or plans for yourself? What is your life plan for the next 12 months? How about 3 years from now? 5 years? 10 years? What are your aspirations that you look toward coming true? Anything?

Thomas Carlyle is quoted as saying, “A man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder.” If you know anything about boats, you will not be able to go where you intended without a rudder. In life, you will not be able to go where you desire without a plan.

Goal setting is the first step toward successful life planning. It marks your first point toward success. It is what puts your life into real action mode. Without this step, the other steps of life planning cannot take place.

Have you ever encountered people who have a passive approach toward life? They don’t set any goals or have any plans. They just live life on a meandering, day-to-day basis. You see them 1 year, 3 years, 5 years from now, and their lives are largely the same, save for a few changes that are really more the result of others’ actions and desires rather than their own.

During the past 11 days, we discovered why we should be living a life with purpose, on purpose. We studied some points on how to create a living legacy. And we explored why we need to adopt the 7 thought patterns for a rich and satisfying life. Today we are preparing our Trek to create a life plan blueprint, or we might want to consider it our map if we want to tie it to our hiking analogy. We have reviewed some guidelines and explored why a life plan is crucial in order to create a living legacy. All of these factors are inter-connected and must be part of our lives. Tomorrow we will begin to explore the 6 important reasons to create a life plan blueprint. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 219 – 7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #5

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 08:03:41 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 219 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #5

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 219 of our Trek. We have invested the past four days on our trek up Transformation Mountain, and today will be our last trail to explore. I will emphasize again how important it is for us to have the proper mindset as we begin 2016. Today we will finish our 7^th thought pattern to create a rich and satisfying life. Starting tomorrow, our trek will focus on setting our plans and goals for this new year. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are back into our normal work routine with our map of goals, plans, and timelines set for the year. We do realize that there will be obstacles, detours, and challenges along our trek for 2016, but by having our map laid out, we will continue making adjustments as needed.

We are looking forward to this upcoming weekend as we will have our five kids, their spouses, and all six grandchildren in for our Christmas celebration here in Indian Trail. We strive to be as flexible as possible during the Christmas holiday so that the individual families can establish their own traditions while still being able to get together with our kids.

Let’s continue on this first trek for 2016, as we hike one final trail on the Mountain of Transformation. Changing the way you think through the renewing of your mind is the only way to obtain personal transformation in any area of your life. If you expect 2016 to be a better year than last, then it will only happen if you change how you think. On our final trail up Transformation Mountain, we will explore how to be teachable so that we can learn and apply lasting change in our lives. This is a nugget of wisdom that is so important, especially in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing world. Alvin Toffler put it this way, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Today let us be teachable as we continue our exploration of the…

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life

So far we have covered the thought patterns of trust, thankfulness, truth, timing, travail, and the Tempter. Today we will finish the first trek of 2016 as we explore how to be teachable. If you missed the first four days of this current trek, please listen to them or read the daily journal to learn the wisdom contained there. If you do not change your thought patterns through these seven elements that we are exploring, then you cannot expect your life to change. The other six elements that we explored are all based on this final one. To change you must learn, and to learn you must be teachable. So let’s explore…

7. Teachable

If you want your life to be transformed, you must fill your mind with thoughts of obedience to the will of God. You must not have a rebellious and stubborn mind which refuses to submit to the will of God. You must be willing to submit to the ways and thoughts of God. You must be teachable and willing to learn from God. You must put away thoughts of pride and self-sufficiency that refuse to acknowledge the need for God’s wisdom. When you allow your mind to receive the wisdom of God, your life will be transformed.

If you want your life to be transformed, you must fill your minds with thoughts of obedience to the will of God.

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If you examine many of the most highly regarded members in any field, one of the most consistent similarities in their personalities you’ll find is the ability to constantly learn and the desire to improve themselves in all areas of life. The ability to learn — and the confidence that you can learn — is the most powerful weapon you have at your disposal during all stages of your life. Developing the humility required to be this way will be the most solid foundation you can lay to build a life that is rich and satisfying.

You must learn to trust in the Lord for wisdom and understanding.

Proverbs 3:5-7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

You must learn that God’s thoughts are greater than we can imagine.

Isaiah 55:8-9

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

You must learn that there is always more to learn.

Romans 12:3

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

You must learn to be responsible for your work and conduct.

Galatians 6:3-5

If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

You must learn that you can always gain more wisdom.

Proverbs [26:12]

There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.

You must learn that God expects obedience over sacrifice.

I Samuel [15:22]

What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.

We have now completed our trek up Transformation Mountain. We explored the concepts of trust, thankfulness, truth, timing, travail, the Tempter, and being teachable. All of these segments are woven tightly together and become the very fabric of our lives. They are crucial for changing the way we think and renewing our minds. If we apply the principles that we explored these five days, we will change our lives by changing our thought patterns, and 2016 will be the best year ever. Tomorrow we will begin a new trek starting with 6 important reasons why you should set goals. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 218 – 7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #4

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 08:03:35 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 218 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #4

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 218 of our Trek. We continue this week on our trek up Transformation Mountain, where I want to emphasize again how important it is for us to have the proper mindset as we begin 2016. We are exploring how we need to renew our minds so we can transform our lives. Today and tomorrow we will finish our seven thought patterns to create a rich and satisfying life. After that, we will spend a few days focusing on setting our plans and goals for this new year. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The weekend was both relaxing and productive. Paula and I were able to complete additional work on our life/business plan, and we went to see the new Star Wars movie. We also were able to worship with our local fellowship of believers and take a nice long walk on a cool but pleasant Sunday afternoon. It was quite an enjoyable New Year’s weekend, and we are prepared to start the first workweek of 2016 with new focus and direction.

Let’s continue on our Wisdom-Trek for 2016, as we hike another trail today on the Mountain of Transformation. Personal transformation in any area of our lives first begins on the trails of renewing our minds, or it might be said, changing the way we think. The only way 2016 will be a better year is if we change how we think. Today on the trek up Transformation Mountain, we will explore the role that the Tempter has in our thought process. This is an important nugget of wisdom that is often overlooked when we consider making lasting positive changes in our life. Today we continue our exploration of the…

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life

To make significant and lasting changes, it takes consistent and persistent commitment to change the way you think. You have to consciously have a gate-keeper monitoring what you allow into your mind each day. So far we have covered the thought patterns of trust, thankfulness, truth, timing, and travail. If you missed these first three days of this current trek, please listen to them or read the daily journal to learn the wisdom contained there. Today we will explore the 6^th thought pattern which is the Tempter, the evil one.

As a Christ follower, I am convinced there are very real and present evil forces in the world who influence the bad that happens in our world today. If we do not change our thought patterns through the five elements that we covered previously, it opens up the possibility to be influenced by the Tempter. You need to learn how to prevent the Tempter from influencing your thought pattern so that you can make real and lasting changes in your life. So let’s explore…

6. The Tempter

If you want your lives to be transformed, you must recognize the attacks of the enemy on your mind. The Tempter will attack your minds with thoughts of evil, accusations, rebellion, strife, defeat, unworthiness, lies, and hate. These unclean spirits wage a relentless war on your minds. You must recognize the suggestions of these evil spirits and resist them at once. When you fill your mind with the thoughts of God and refuse to entertain the thoughts presented by the Tempter, your life will be transformed. You must allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in your prayers as you pray in the spirit and continually feed on God’s Word.

You must resist the Tempter through the knowledge of God’s word.

Matthew 4:1-10

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights, he fasted and became very hungry.

During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’ ”

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,

‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’ ”

You must resist the Tempter when he tries to get you to doubt God’s word.

Matthew [16:21]-23

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

You must resist the Tempter when he tries to weaken your faith.

Luke [22:31]-34

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

You must resist the Tempter by putting on all of God’s armor.

Ephesians [6:10]-18

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

On the first six segments of our trek up Transformation Mountain, we explored the concepts of trust, thankfulness, truth, timing, travail, and today the Tempter. All of these segments tie to each other on our trek of life and are crucial for changing the way we think and renewing our minds. If we apply the principles that we explore this week, we will change our lives by changing our thought patterns. We will invest one more day on our trek up Transformation Mountain and explore why you need to be teachable to transform your thinking. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 217 – 7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 03 Jan 2016 08:03:50 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 217 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 217 of our Trek. As we start a new year, I want to emphasize again how important it is for us to have the proper mindset as we begin 2016. For the first few days of this year, we will explore how we need to renew our minds so we can transform our lives. After that, we will spend a few days focusing on setting our plans and goals for this new year. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Paula and I enjoyed a relaxing New Year’s Day watching the Rose Bowl Parade and visiting with her sister Ruth and her husband Joe. We enjoyed homemade chili and played a game of Carcassonne. This weekend will be dedicated to additional life/business planning as we get ready for the first work week of 2016.

Let’s continue on our Wisdom-Trek for 2016, as we hike our trail for today on the Mountain of Transformation. Personal transformation of any area in our life first begins on the trail of renewing our minds, or it might be said, changing the way we think. The only way 2016 will be a better year is if we change how we think. The trek up Transformation Mountain will take us a couple of days longer than anticipated to keep the Wisdom-Trek episodes between 7-9 minutes, but I want to make sure that we take our time as we explore these important nuggets of thought that will change our lives. Today we continue our exploration of the…

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life

I stated on the first two days of this year that if you desire to live a life that is rich and satisfying in 2016 and beyond, then it starts with changing the way that you think. Why is it so hard to change the way we think – to choose the right, just, and good? It is such a simple concept, and yet for most of us, it is so difficult to do consistently each day. This is because changing our thoughts and changing our lives is hard work. Your thought patterns, your habits, and the manner in which you live is so engrained in you. To make significant and lasting changes, it takes consistent and persistent commitment. We have to consciously have a gate-keeper monitoring what we allow into our minds. Our minds have been programmed throughout our lives based on what we have allowed our minds to feed on each day.

So far we have covered the thought patterns of trust, thankfulness, truth, and timing. If you missed these first two days, please listen to them or read the daily journal to learn the wisdom contained there. Today we will explore the 5^th thought pattern which is travail, or it could be referred to as hard work. You need to infuse this thought pattern into your life to make a real and lasting change. So let’s explore…

5. Travail

If you want your life to be transformed, you must fill your minds with thoughts of diligence, labor, and travail. You must be a person who is responsible, reliable, hardworking, committed to excellence, and task-oriented. You must put away thoughts of laziness and apathy. You must not be a wandering and uncommitted person. You must avoid expecting everything to be easy and be prepared to handle difficult responsibilities. You must take responsibility for your lives and avoid putting the blame on others for whatever happens in your life. When you fill your mind with thoughts of diligence and excellence, your life will be transformed.

Let’s look at some action steps on our trail today that will help you to implement a change of thought patterns in your life.

You must be willing to plan and to put that plan into action.

Proverbs 21:5,25

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin,
for their hands refuse to work.

You must be willing to work hard and lead others.

Proverbs 12:24 – Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.

You must be willing to invest the time and resources to improve yourself.

Proverbs 22:29 – Do you see any truly competent workers? They will serve kings rather than working for ordinary people.

You must be willing to work for your desires.

Proverbs 13:4

Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper.

You must understand the correlation between hard work and riches.

Proverbs 10:4 – Lazy people are soon poor; hard workers get rich.

You must work to please the Lord, not only to please others.

Colossians [3:23]-24

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

You must work to gain respect and avoid being overly dependent on others.

1 Thessalonians [4:11]-12

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

You must be willing to work and not be idle.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-12

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us. For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.” Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.

On the first five segments of our trek up Transformation Mountain, we explored the concepts of trust, thankfulness, truth, timing and today travail. All of these segments tie to each other on our trek of life and are crucial for changing the way we think and renewing our minds. If we apply the principles that we explore this week, we will change our lives by changing our thought patterns. We will invest two more days to adequately cover the final two elements of the tempter and being teachable. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 216 – 7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 08:03:16 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 216 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 216 of our Trek. Yesterday was the start of a brand new year, and I want to emphasize again how important it is for us to have the proper mindset as we begin 2016. For the first three days of this year, we will explore how we need to renew our minds so we can transform our lives. After that, we will spend a few days focusing on setting our plans and goals for this new year. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Paula and I arrived back in Indian Trail late New Year’s Eve and were able to sleep in a little on New Year’s Day. The remainder of the day was invested in watching the Rose Bowl Parade, working on more life planning, and visiting with Paula’s sister Ruth and her husband Joe who brought Mom Jarvis back from her Christmas week with them.

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life

I stated yesterday that if you desire to live a life that is rich and satisfying in 2016 and beyond, then it starts with changing the way that you think. It is such a simple concept, and yet for most of us, it is so difficult to do consistently each day. Your thought patterns, your habits, and the manner in which you live is so engrained in you. To make significant and lasting changes, it takes consistent and persistent commitment to change the way you think. Changing the way you think first begins with what you allow to enter into your mind. Your mind is programmed for certain thought patterns and outcomes based on what you feed it. Yesterday we covered the first two thought patterns of trust and thankfulness. Today we will explore the next two thought patterns that you need to infuse into your lives to make a real and lasting change. The first of those is…

3. Truth

If you want your life to be transformed, you must fill your mind with thoughts of truth. You must meditate on the Word of God and fill your heart and mind with the revelation of the truth from the Word of God, which will bring freedom and deliverance in your life. You should not be deceived by the lies of the devil. You must put away thoughts of lies, slander, gossip, impurity, falsehood, and evil. You must not allow your minds to be filled with the filth of this world and not allow your mind to dwell on the evil that may reach your ears. You must meditate on thoughts of goodness and purity and truth and not allow yourself to be deceived by appearances. When your minds are filled with the truth, your life will be transformed.

You must be willing to seek truth.

John 8:32 –And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

You must be willing to obey the truth.

Genesis 3:1-5
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

“Of course, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

You must be willing to accept the truth.

Romans 8:32 – Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

You must be willing to believe the truth.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

You must be willing to spend time in the truth.

Psalms 1:2-3

But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
³They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.

You must be willing to meditate on the truth.

Joshua 1:8 – Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

You must be willing to think about the truth.

Philippians 4:8 – And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

4. Timing

If you want your life to be transformed, you fill your minds with the understanding of God’s timing and purpose. God has His divine timing to fulfill His plans and purposes for your life. You must not be restless, hasty, and impatient with God. You must be patient until you receive the harvest for all that you have sown. Only then can you inherit the promises of God. God may bring deliverance little by little, step by step according to your ability to handle the changes it may bring. You must allow God to develop His character in you through the various circumstances through which He leads you. When your minds and hearts comprehend the timing of God, you will allow Him to transform your life according to His divine plan and purpose.

You must be willing to wait for God’s promises.

Hebrews [10:35]-36

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

You must be willing to wait for God’s blessings.

Galatians 6:9 – So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

You must be willing to wait for God’s timing.

Deuteronomy 7:22 – The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once. Otherwise, the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you.

You must be willing to wait for God’s firm foundation.

I Peter 5:10 – In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

You must be willing to wait for God’s complete provision.

James 1:2-4

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

On the first two segments of our trek up Transformation Mountain, we explored the concepts of trust and thankfulness. Today we explored the concepts of truth and timing. These four segments of our trek are crucial for changing the way we think and renewing our minds. If we apply the principles that we explore this week, we will change our lives by changing our thought patterns. Tomorrow we will cover the elements of travail, tempter, and teachable. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 215 – 7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 08:03:53 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 215 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 215 of our Trek. If you are listening to this podcast the day it is released, I would like to say Happy New Year! May 2016 be filled with blessings and be your best year ever!

For the final week of 2015, we explored two important areas of life. The first was how to live with purpose, on purpose. The second area we explored included the statements from the Apostle Paul that he proclaimed near the end of his life: “I have fought the Good Fight,” “I have finished the race,” and “I have remained faithful.” Let us resolve to be able to say this at the end of 2016 and every year of our life.

Listening to Wisdom-Trek daily is one thing that will help you to gain the wisdom you need to live your legacy today, which will also allow you to leave a legacy tomorrow. Today is the start of a brand new year, and I want to emphasize how important it is for us to have the proper mindset as we begin 2016. For the first three days of this year, we will explore how we need to renew our minds so we can transform our lives. After that, we will spend a few days focusing on setting our plans and goals for this new year. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Based on the life planning that Paula and I have completed so far, 2016 will be a very busy and eventful year. In preparation for the Chamberlain reunion in July, we will be spending a significant amount of time in Marietta this year working on and around The Big House. We are continuing our planning during this next week or so as we lay out the detailed plans for our new business focus.

It is now time to begin our Wisdom-Trek for 2016, so let’s get started on our trail for today as we hike the mountain of transformation. Personal transformation of any area in our life first begins on the trail of renewing our minds, or it might be said, changing the way you think. The only way 2016 will be a better year is if we change how we think. The trek up Transformation Mountain will take us three days as we explore the…

7 Thought Patterns for a Rich and Satisfying Life

If you desire to live a life that is rich and satisfying in 2016 and beyond, then it starts with changing the way that you think. It is such a simple concept, and yet for most of us, it is so difficult to do consistently each day. Our thought patterns, our habits, and the manner in which we live is so engrained in us. To make significant and lasting changes, it takes consistent and persistent commitment to change the way we think. Changing the way we think first begins with what we allow to enter into our minds. Our minds are programmed for certain thought patterns and outcomes based on what we feed it. Today we will explore the first two thought patterns that we need to infuse into our lives to make a real and lasting change.

1. Trust

If you want your life to be transformed, you must renew your mind. You must change your thinking before you can change your life. You must be thinking thoughts of trust and faith and confidence in God. You must put away thoughts of fear, unbelief, worry, suspicion, unworthiness and doubt from your mind. Your mind must be dominated by thoughts of faith and trust in the faithfulness and goodness of God. Such positive thoughts will cause positive changes in your life, and you will be transformed. Whenever you need wisdom, insight, and understanding, it is best to go to the source of all wisdom, which is God’s Word.

You must change the way you think.

Romans 12:2 – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

You must rid yourself of fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

You must realize that you have the strength to change.

Phillippians 4:13 – For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

You must trust even when it does not make sense.

Romans 4:18-21 – Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!” And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

2. Thankfulness

If you want your life to be transformed, you must fill your mind and heart with thoughts of thankfulness and gratitude toward God for all the blessings, He has bestowed upon you. You must count your blessings and not forget all His benefits. Such an attitude of praise and thanksgiving will bring great victories in your life. You must put away all thoughts of depression, complaining, murmuring, jealousy, criticism, judgment, and bitterness. Your mind must be dominated by gratitude for what you have instead of dwelling with self-pity and complaining about what you do not have. Such a heart and mind of thankfulness will transform your life and fill you with joy and happiness.

You must remember and be thankful for all your blessings.

Psalm 103:1-2

Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.

You must be thankful for the protection that you are given.

Psalm 149:6-9

Let the praises of God be in their mouths,
and a sharp sword in their hands—
to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with shackles
and their leaders with iron chains,
to execute the judgment written against them.
This is the glorious privilege of his faithful ones.

Praise the Lord!

You must refrain from grumbling and complaining.

I Corinthians 10:9-11 –Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.

On the first two segments of our trek up Transformation Mountain, we explored the concepts of trust and thankfulness. These two segments are crucial for changing the way we think and renewing our minds. If we apply the principles that we explore this week, we will change lives by chaining our thought patterns. Tomorrow we will cover the elements of truth, timing, and travail. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 214 – How to Live a Legacy Each Day #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 08:03:33 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 214 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 214 of our Trek, and yesterday and today, we are exploring the trails that will help us learn how to live a legacy life each day. Listening to Wisdom-Trek daily is one thing that will help you to gain the wisdom needed to live your legacy today, which will also allow you to leave a legacy tomorrow. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is airing originally on the last day of 2015. How has the year turned out for you? Are you healthier and more joyful than you were a year ago? Did you achieve your dreams and goals that you had hoped to? If you answered yes to either of these questions, well done! If not, don’t be discouraged. Tomorrow starts a brand new year with all of its potentials.

For Paula and me, we have had many blessings, but we have also had some setbacks. On the positive side, our younger daughter Janet was married to Rowan Webster and our son Barney and his wife Leesha blessed us with another beautiful granddaughter. Our construction project in Arizona finally started this year, which was a real benefit, as we were just finishing up our work with another client. We also were able to start this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal this year, and it has opened up our eyes to additional business opportunities for 2016. But, one of our primary clients is in the oil and gas industry where prices have crashed by over 65% so that has impacted us financially. While I enjoy the low gas prices at the pump, it is not without significant ramifications. Through both the good and the difficult situations, we move forward living that rich and satisfying life that Christ has for us.

It brings to my mind what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Church in Philippi 3:12-14, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Join me in being resolute for 2016 to live with purpose, on purpose. Let us choose each day to live a legacy of positive impact on our world. Let us not miss this opportunity.

On our Trek for today, let’s continue on our trail as we explore…

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #3

We finished yesterday with the understanding of what that Apostle Paul meant when he said, “I have fought the Good Fight.” Today we want to explore his last two proclamations which are…

“I have finished the race.”
“I have remained faithful.”

2. “I have finished the race.”

Finishing the race means ensuring in the process that you are neither disqualified nor disheartened in the race of life and becoming a living legacy. The Apostle Paul fully understood what he meant when he made the statement, “I have finished the race.” He was near the end of his life and knew what the prize was as I mentioned in the verses earlier. “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

I’ve been around long enough to know some men and women whose lives were on fire to make a positive impact on others, who have for some reason quit the race or, at least, are just walking and no longer running. The Apostle Paul addresses this in his letter to the church in Galatia 5:7, “You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?”

Here are four things the evil one or your own self-absorption will do to hold you back from finishing the race.

Distractions – These can be either positive gains that you become self-focused on or wrong/harmful things that you should not be involved in causing you to lose focus and not continue on your race.
Discouragement – This can be when someone is negative to you causing you to want to give up or you stumble and fall in your race so you decide to quit.
Divisions – This can be strife between you and other people or you having a falling out with God because life is not what you pictured it should be.
Deceptions – This is when you become so self-absorbed that you deceive yourself into thinking that life is all about you, or you gain the mentality that God wants you to be happy, and the pursuit of that happiness disqualifies you from the race of living a legacy for good.

In any situation which may pull you from the good race of life, keep in mind the encouragement found in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

So far we have explored

“I have fought the Good Fight.”
“I have finished the race.”

Now let us explore Paul’s last proclamation.

3. “I have remained faithful.”

Remaining faithful here brings to mind a long trek or marathon race in Paul’s analogy. You continue one step at a time, one foot after another, continuing on until the end. Someone who is persistent and consistent. Someone who is always dependable. These are the traits of a faithful person.

Hold on to what is right, just, and fair, regardless of personal cost to you
Pursue God daily. Have a lifestyle of worship
Forget living to please others, and live to please God and pursue the destiny that He has called you to.
Live sacrificially for others – a descent into greatness as a servant leader.
Live and leave a legacy. Live sacrificially because you are living for something greater than yourself.
Embrace supernatural faith and remain faithful at all cost.

“I have remained faithful.”

Is it your desire to live and leave a legacy? Do you desire to proclaim as Paul did:

“I have fought the Good Fight.”
“I have finished the race.”
“I have remained faithful.”

To do this, you must do as Paul did in Galatians 2:20, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Paul knew the secret of his success which he stated in Philippians 4:13, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

As we continue our trek of life, if we follow the proclamations of Paul to fight the Good Fight for what is right, just, and fair, continue on our trek until it is completed, and we have remained faithful throughout our journey we will be living a legacy each day, we will leave a legacy that will impact all of eternity.

On our Trek, we explored what Paul proclaimed at the end of his trek. If we apply the principles that we explored during the past week, we can say the same thing when our Trek is nearly finished. Live fully each day. Tomorrow starts a brand new year, and we will pursue the renewing of our minds so that 2016 is your best year ever. So encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 213 – How to Live a Legacy Each Day #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 08:03:41 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 213 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 213 of our Trek, and yesterday and for the next few days, we will explore the trails that will help us learn how to live a legacy life each day. Listening to Wisdom-Trek daily is one thing that will help you gain the wisdom needed to live your legacy today, which will also allow you to leave a legacy tomorrow. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As we look towards 2016, there are many dreams and goals which we need to sort out. We have to be prudent to set realistic steps based on the time and resources that are available. This is one reason our year-end planning sessions are so important. It allows us to set our budget based on the time, talent, and treasures that we have available. Of these three key elements, only time has a finite amount. That is why it is so imperative that we utilize our time wisely and maximize its value. Only then will we be able to improve our talents and increase our treasures. I sure wish it was easy to do that, but we all fall victim to wasting time, which in turn limits our talents and treasures. This is something that we all need to consider.

The three elements that I just spoke of are very important on our Trek this week, so let’s head back out on our trail today as we consider and explore for more nuggets of wisdom that will enable us to effectively live our legacy each day. These are important concepts to grasp. Our positive impact on others should begin as early as possible on our life’s trek and grow each day. This will enable them to last throughout eternity in the lives of others. So let’s explore.

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #2

We finished yesterday considering the three short but impactful proclamations that the Apostle Paul pondered near the end of his life. He made three very simple statements about his legacy. He says by God’s grace:

“I have fought the Good Fight.”
“I have finished the race.”
“I have remained faithful.”

These are three simple but great statements concerning “a living legacy.” Let’s explore the impact of each of these statements. Today we will explore the first one and finish up with the other two tomorrow.

1. “I have fought the good fight.”

As my friend on this trek of life, you need to understand that if you want to live and leave a legacy that is greater than yourself, you must recognize each day that you are in a battle to either bring good into the world or to allow evil to flourish. Daily we must choose to do what is right, just, and fair. We learn in Proverbs 2:9 that one of the many benefits of wisdom is, “Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.”

To live and leave a legacy, we must prepare in advance. We need to choose to stand firm, clothed in your armor, as a spiritual warrior. All of these are a choice that we make in advance on how we will live.

To live and leave a legacy we must prepare in advance.

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Here is what I think we sometimes miss. When you and I are casual about spiritual things, careless with the disciplines of the faith (like prayer, meditating, the study of the Bible and other good materials, and the fellowship with other like-minded individuals) we become callous about things that are right, just, and fair. When we fail to prepare ourselves for life’s daily battles, we live a legacy that is not strong enough for our family in their time of need and hardship. We have to understand that when Satan, the evil one, targets us and tries to weaken our faith, compromise our stand, or induce us to sin, he is not simply targeting us but our children, our grandchildren, our family, and our friends as well.

That is why the legacy you live and ultimately leave for others is created by the choices you make on a daily basis. You must be prepared for the battles in life that seem to hit nearly every day. The battles are rarely physical battles but rather spiritual, mental, and emotional.

Ephesians 6:12 – For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

The better you are prepared for the battles of life, the more successful you will become in all areas of life. To live right, just, and fair in all of life is a life lived with integrity. This allows you to live your legacy with impact each day. The Apostle Paul wrote in his 2^nd letter to the Church in Corinth 6:7, “We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.”

Paul knew firsthand what it meant to battle each day, but at the end of his life he was able to state, I have fought the good fight. If you are not making choices in keeping with what is right, just, and fair, you are compromising your strength in the battle.

You have to understand that as being part of God’s kingdom here on earth you may have to fight for your inheritance or fight to live your legacy. That is because it is promised but not possessed. Each day we can possess that legacy a little more if we remain faithful to our calling. Think about it this way. Israel had already been given the Promised Land. It was theirs – an inheritance, a legacy – but they had to fight for it. God did not drive out the inhabitants of the land divinely. The Israelites had to do their part. In our battle for a living legacy, we must also do our part.

The devil does not want you to live the positive, impactful legacy that is yours to possess. As a matter of fact, he is out to steal, to kill, and to destroy it. Remember the verse that I have used so often John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

How can you tell when you are starting to live a rich and satisfying life? How can you tell if you are fighting the good fight and becoming victorious?

The answer is when you are growing in grace and love. As you allow God’s Spirit to have a greater impact on your life, you will start to manifest the fruit of His Spirit in your life. This list of attributes is found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

It is good for us to do a self-analysis on a regular basis concerning these 9 attributes. Are they increasing in your life? If so, you are fighting the good fight. You are winning in the daily battle of life.

If you want to live to leave a legacy, fight the Good Fight.

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On our Trek, we explored what Paul meant when he said that he had fought the Good Fight. Tomorrow we will continue on and explore what Paul meant to finish the race and remain faithful. These are very important lessons in wisdom that you won’t want to miss, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 212 – How to Live a Legacy Each Day #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 08:03:00 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 212 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 212 of our Trek, and for the past three days, we explored how to live life fully by living with a purpose and on purpose. Today we will explore another trail that will help us learn how to live a legacy life each day. Listening daily to Wisdom-Trek is one thing that will help you gain the wisdom needed to live your legacy today that will also allow you to leave a legacy tomorrow. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This final week of 2015 is a busy one for us wrapping up some work with a couple of clients and continuing with our 2016 life planning. It has been cool and very rainy all week in Ohio, but we have had no snow. Paula and I have dreams of being snowed in, but unless the Internet and electricity are off, most of our work can continue as usual.

Our renovation contractors are making good progress in the library, parlor, and downstairs foyer/hallway. The drywall is completed on the ceilings, and the walls are getting smoothed out in preparation for painting. Unavoidably there is drywall and plaster dust everywhere, but we will wait for any major clean up until they are finished. It is amazing how it seeps into rooms that are closed off, but it will be well worth it when it is completed.

Today and for the next couple of days, our trek does take us on a slightly different trail, as we consider what it means to live a legacy each day and not just wait to leave a legacy when we die. This is an important concept to grasp. Our positive impact on others should begin as early as possible on our life’s trek and grow each day and then last throughout eternity in the lives of others.

So let’s explore.

How to Live a Legacy Each Day #1

As we start today’s Trek, I want to ask, “What kind of impact or legacy do you have on others? If someone were to describe your attributes in one or two sentences, what would they say? What do others think about you and the life that you live?”

Living a legacy each day is part of living with purpose and on purpose, which we explored over the past three days. It is part of living a rich and satisfying life. I am not referring to money but a rich life that money can’t buy.

In reality your life leaves a legacy each day – that is not an option. The question is “What type of legacy are you living?” However you frame that question, the truth is that every day you are leaving a legacy that will impact the lives of your family, friends, and others, which will last well beyond your time on earth.

What are you passing onto them daily? They are impacted by your life or legacy whether that is good or bad. The legacy you live impacts the legacy they live, and that will impact circles of influence and generations well beyond yourself. As a grandfather of 6 grandchildren so far, I am reminded of the verse in Proverbs 13:22, “Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.”

This inheritance is not just referring to money but the wealth of a life well lived – a life of positive influence.

I read a comment not too long ago that we should all reflect on, “The central paradox of our time is that most of us are earning more money and living better in material terms than our parents did at the same age…Yet by most measures we’re working longer and more frantically than ever before, and the time and energy left for our non-working lives are evaporating. The new economy we are living in brings enormous benefits in terms of wealth…innovation…new chances and choices. But our absorption in keeping up with it all is leading to the erosion of our families, the fragmenting of our communities, and the challenge of keeping our own integrity intact. We are in danger of losing the crucial distinction between ‘making a living and making a life.’”

A former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm said something very interesting, “Future historians will say the multiple factors that led to the decline of cultures in the world were led by the failure to replace ourselves with enough stable children born to families with the ability to raise successful children themselves.”

What we are experiencing is a crisis in generational legacies. Regardless of your age, it is never too late to start living your positive legacy today. Even with the decline in some of our values in the world, I do see hope among young adults today that they appear to be more plugged into social commerce. That is not only making a living but also making a difference in their world. Let’s hope that trend continues.

Martin Luther, when asked what he would do if he knew he was going to die tomorrow, replied simply, “I’d go out and plant a tree.” He would, in other words, take action today that would grow on and on into the future. That is what living a legacy does. It will grow on and on into the future.

On today’s Trek, let us learn the principles that are not centered on what we can become in life but what positive impact we can live as we are daily creating a legacy. It is not about us but about our impact.

Let’s consider the difference between your reputation and your legacy.

You reputation is who you are supposed to be; your legacy is who you are.
Your reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; your legacy is what you leave behind when you go.
A reputation is made in a moment; a legacy is built over a lifetime.
A single newspaper report or careless gossip can make or destroy your reputation, but a life of consistent impact gives you your legacy.
Reputation is what men say about you on your tombstone; legacy is what your children and grandchildren will live with for the rest of their lives.

Are you living your legacy each day or striving to build a reputation?

The Apostle Paul desired to live his legacy each day as he instructed his protégé Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:6-7, “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”

Notice that Paul’s brief statements here say nothing about the education he had received, the places he had traveled, the letters he had written, the people he had preached to, or the churches he had planted. He flat out wanted his legacy to be “I have remained faithful.” I love that! It’s what I want to desire to be as a Christ follower – faithful, consistent, dependable, and considered a good man.

As Paul pondered the end of his life, he made three very simple statements about his legacy. He says that he had . . .

“Fought the good fight”
“Finished the race”
“Remained faithful”

I would suggest to you that right there you have some of the greatest statements concerning “a living legacy” you will ever read. If you want to live and leave a legacy that is greater than you, if you want to live and leave a legacy that will impact generation after generation, if you want to live a legacy and then leave a legacy that is great, all you need is wrapped up in these three profoundly simple yet inspiringly deep statements.

On our Trek over the next few days, we will explore each of those statements from Paul as we learn how to live and leave a legacy of our own. These are very important lessons in wisdom, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 211 – Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 08:03:14 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 211 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 211 of our Trek. Today we will continue on our Trek to live life fully by living with a purpose, on purpose. Listening to Wisdom-Trek daily is one thing that will help you live with purpose even through the difficult trails of life’s Trek. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are continuing this week with fine tuning our 2016 life plan. Our calendar is being set, and we are making slow but good progress. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we solidify our plan and goals. As we do plan, another verse that keeps us humble is Psalms 57:2, “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who will fulfill his purpose for me.” That is why we seek God’s guidance as we plan.

We continue with our theme of life being a trek with its steep mountains to climb and deep valleys to navigate. We realize that as we stay focused on our purpose, even if we don’t always understand the trails of life that we end up on, we will live a life that is rich and satisfying. Let’s continue our Trek as we discover more wisdom nuggets on what is required for us to live life with purpose, on purpose. We started two days ago and will continue today. Let’s set our course and learn how to accomplish this. Let’s continue today with…

Living a Life with Purpose, On Purpose #3

So far on our Trek for purpose, we have explored the following aspects of living a life of purpose, on purpose:

Everyone has a God-given purpose in life.
Your purpose makes you unique.
Your purpose is the key to your fulfillment.
God will accomplish His purpose.

So where do we go from here? Our final point that we will explore today is to…

5. Choose to live with purpose, on purpose.

Throughout my years of experience in business and serving others, God has broken it down really simply for me. This may be because I am a rather simplistic person in the way I view life. Here is the conclusion and insight that I have been given…You don’t find your purpose. You learn it as you go. Now do not confuse purpose with destiny. Your destiny is what happens at the end of the journey. Your purpose is all about the journey. Your destiny is that you will rule and reign as perfected saints in glory in the presence of the Father.

Your purpose is all about the journey.

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Your purpose is that you do what you do as a child of the King of Kings. Here are four simplistic steps on our trail today that will help you to choose to live with purpose, on purpose.
The first step is…

A. Affirm Your Identity

The journey of purpose begins with the question, “What was in the mind of the Maker when God created you?”

God knew your purpose when your name came to mind. Great care was taken to choose the individual components of your design. He carefully mixed the right heart motivation and temperament with a unique set of talents and gifts. He allowed life experience to shape your passions, exercise your strengths, and channel your steps. I realize that I have brought this verse to mind several times this past month but really think about the words to it.

Ephesians 2:10 –For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Affirm who you are in the eyes of the One who created you on purpose and with purpose. Once you make this shift, you will begin to see how much thought and love went into designing not only life itself but also your unique place in it.

Jeremiah 29:11-12 –“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.

The next step in choosing to live with purpose, on purpose is…

B. Commit to Faithfulness

Fulfilling your purpose is not so much about what you do as it is how you do it. You do not need to do great things to fulfill your purpose – but do little things in a faithful way.

If you want to fulfill your purpose, whatever it is that you are doing, do it with all your heart and soul and mind. If you are a stay at home mom, give it your best. If you are a teacher, give it your best. If you are on the road, do it with all your heart.

God’s purpose for you is to do what you are doing now with all your heart. And if you do not like what you do, where you live, what you get paid…If you do not like anything about your “now,” be faithful in your “now,” and as you fulfill your purpose there, God will grow it for you.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it as faithfully as you know how. In that, you will find purpose and fulfillment.

The third step in choosing to live with purpose, on purpose is…

C. Upgrade to Ministry

Ministry here means to serve in whatever capacity and area that God has placed you today. If you want to fulfill your purpose, do what you do with a heart for ministry.

Your gifts and talents were given to you by God to help you accomplish your purpose.

How do you do it as ministry?

Do whatever it is you do as unto the Lord.
Ask God to show you how to use your gifts and talents.
Minister His supernatural love and grace there.

Joseph of Old Testament fame never built a great ministry or raised the dead nor did he preach to a single congregation. But he did what he did with all his heart, he did it as unto the Lord, he used his God-given gifts and talents, and he ministered in the supernatural whether he was a servant in the house, a captive in the prison, or a servant working for a pagan government in a foreign land. He did what he did as a ministry.

The fourth step in choosing to live with purpose, on purpose is…

D. Expand Your Territory

As you are faithful, ask God to expand your territory. As you faithfully minister where you are, you will fulfill your purpose by simply doing what you do faithfully, and then God, who ordained you for good works will grow you from strength to strength, from grace to grace, from glory to glory. As is written in James 3:13, “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.”

As we conclude this trek about purpose, understand that your purpose is not an accident and choosing to walk in your purpose is not an accident. It is a choice you make to be faithful now where you are.

Instead of looking for some grand purpose, find His incredible purpose in the ways you do what you are doing right now.

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Faith in God’s promise precedes the miracle of God’s provision in your life.

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On this three day trek, we explored how to live our lives with purpose, on purpose. The five points that we learned are:

Everything has purpose.
Your purpose makes you unique.
Purpose is the key to fulfillment.
God will accomplish his purpose.
Choose to live with purpose, on purpose.

Tomorrow we will take what we learned about living with purpose and expand it to learn how to live a legacy each day, so please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 210 – Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 08:03:31 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 210 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 210 of our Trek. I hope that you are still able to relax and enjoy this Christmas holiday. If you have to work throughout this holiday, choose to enjoy it and spread cheer to those that you meet. Today we continue on our Trek that we started yesterday on our hike towards 2016. I mentioned yesterday that one commitment that I am making for 2016 is to live my life with purpose, on purpose. I encourage you to join me in living a life that is both rich and satisfying, to live life to the full. As we Trek through life, living fully does not imply that we won’t have setbacks but that we will be able to navigate through them while learning the lessons that they teach us. Wisdom-Trek is one way that will help you through the difficult days of our Trek. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our planning days have begun as Paula and I lay out our calendar for all of 2016. This year includes a Chamberlain Family Reunion July 4^th weekend, as well as the Podcast Movement conference the week following that. We will also be making 3 or 4 trips to Arizona to work with our partners there on the construction projects. One of the big aspects of our planning for 2016 is to create and build the “Christian Podcasting Network.” This is a new direction for us and stems from an opportunity we see from creating Wisdom-Trek and working with other podcasters who are also Christ followers. There are many other areas that will also be involved in our planning, so it should be a very intense week. If you are a person who prays, we would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and insight during this planning process and throughout 2016. As we do plan, we realize that it is God that will give us direction in all areas as we humbly follow him as was mentioned in Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

Keeping with our theme of life being a trek with its steep mountains to climb and deep valleys to navigate, let us focus on how we can live that rich and satisfying life each day. What is required for us to live life with purpose, on purpose? We started yesterday and will continue for the next few days to set our course and learn how to accomplish this. Our Trek for the next couple of days is…

Living a Life with Purpose, On Purpose #2

Yesterday we stopped on our hike and explored the fact that everything has purpose, and most importantly you and I are God’s masterpiece and He has a plan for us as written in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Now that we know we are God’s Masterpiece let’s explore the concept that…

2. Your purpose makes you unique.

Your purpose is different from the purpose of anybody else listening or reading this today, anybody else on the face of this globe, anybody since creation.

You are not a divine experiment. Let me tell you what I mean. God did not make you to see what He could possibly do with you when you were born. Isaiah [46:10] tells us this.

Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.

That is saying, before you were created, God had the end in mind. God knew your purpose. God did not start with your creation. He started with your purpose, and He designed you uniquely and specifically for that purpose.

Your existence is evidence that this world needs something that only your life can offer. In other words, your purpose is the uniqueness and the value that you bring to this world.

When you lay hold of the purpose God has for your life, you start to think of your life and value the way God thinks.

Ephesians 1:4 – Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

Now that we know that our purpose makes us unique, next let’s explore the concept that our…

3. Purpose is the key to fulfillment.

When you embrace your God-given purpose, you unleash your God-given potential. Turn God’s purpose into your passion.

There is nothing more satisfying than to know what you are meant to be doing and to commit yourself to do that faithfully. I said to do that faithfully. That means with persistence and consistence every day.

You can never be truly satisfied when you are not sure what you are meant to be doing.

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Miles Munroe said that the greater tragedy is not death, but life without purpose. The greater tragedy is not the unfortunate and untimely death, as terrible as that is, of a loved one in an accident. It is the millions upon millions who die every year having squandered their potential and their purpose by doing something else.

Life is not simply lost by dying. Life is lost minute by minute, day by day, in all the thousands of ways in which men and woman live their lives without purpose.

In everything, purpose is the key to fulfillment!

Do you want to be fulfilled in tragedy? Find purpose!
Do you want to be fulfilled in need? Find purpose!
Do you want to be fulfilled in cancer? Find purpose!
Do you want to be fulfilled in the loss of a loved one? Find purpose!

Don’t squander your troubles, your trials, and your tragedies. Find God’s purpose.

Why? Because in purpose your pain and God’s provision meet.

By understanding that purpose is the key to fulfillment we need to understand that…

4. God will accomplish his purpose.

How many of you know that in Matthew 3:17 when the Father in heaven says of the Son, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy,” it meant that at that time Jesus was fulfilling His purpose?

In John 19:30 when Jesus said, “It is finished!” He was speaking about purpose.

Jesus also said in John 17:4, “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”

How many of you know God will accomplish His purpose in you?

Romans 8:28 also says, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Here is an important concept that I want to explore with you. I don’t think even the devil has a good understanding of this. If you grasp this concept, you will always be one step ahead of the devil. Nothing the devil does can stop the purpose of God. He always has a backup plan.

Nothing the devil does can stop the purpose of God. He always has a backup plan.

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His purpose was fulfilled in the Garden of Eden even after the fall of humans.
His purpose was fulfilled when Joseph got sold into slavery.
His purpose was fulfilled when Israel was taken into captivity.
His purpose was fulfilled when Jesus died on a cross.
His purpose was fulfilled when Nero persecuted the Church.

God has a purpose and a plan even when you and I get it wrong. He always has, and He always will. Now here is the amazing thing. Even the mistakes we make and the failures we experience, they too become part of God’s purpose and plan.

God has a purpose and a plan even when you and I get it wrong. He always has, and He always will.

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And why is that? It is because the sovereign God of the universe will fulfill His purpose, and you are that purpose.

Paul knew this when he boldly proclaimed in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” Paul is speaking about your purpose.

So stop sweating it. It is okay. God will fulfill His purpose in you and through you. This sovereign God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. God is for you!

God is never troubled by your past, but He is excited about your future. Understand this. You cannot walk in the richness and righteousness of your purpose while you are tied to the pain and failures of your past.

In addition to yesterday’s lesson that everything has purpose, today we explored that your purpose is unique to you and that no one can take your place. We also explored that the key to your joy, peace, and satisfaction is the fulfillment of that purpose. Finally, we explored that God will accomplish His purpose through you, regardless of your past. Tomorrow we will continue and explore why it is important for you to choose to fulfill that purpose, so please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 209 – Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 08:03:23 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 209 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 209 of our Trek. I trust that you had a very blessed and merry Christmas. Yesterday, on Christmas Day, we finished up our hike along the Christmas Trail. We explored the lives of those individuals that had a significant impact on the story. It is my hope that you were able to learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Today we look forward as we start on our Trek into 2016. One commitment that I am making for 2016 is to live my life with purpose, on purpose. I encourage you to join me in living a life that is both rich and satisfying, to live life to the full. This does not imply that we won’t have setbacks but rather that we will be able to traverse through them while learning the lessons that they teach us.

Trekking into the New Year

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We drove up to Marietta on Christmas Eve and had a relaxing Christmas Day. Since Paula and I will be celebrating Christmas with our kids and grandkids on January 9^th, it was great to sleep in and then share a wonderful Christmas dinner with my brother Jack, his wife Ann, and our dad.

For the past few years, Paula and I take the last week of the year to assess what we were able to accomplish during the year, but more importantly, what our plans are for the New Year. We cannot predict with certainty what the future may hold during this next year, but we can confidently know who ultimately holds the future. With that then we can confidently make plans and map out the trails that we would like to hike. If we trip and fall or are detoured on our way, that is okay. We still have our destination set. That destination is to live life fully and to impact others positively each day which becomes our living legacy.

Keeping with our theme of life being a trek with its steep mountains to climb and deep valleys to navigate, let us focus on how we can live that rich and satisfying life each day. What is required for us to live life with purpose, on purpose? For the next few days, let’s set our course to learn how to accomplish this. Our trek for today and the next couple of days is…

Living Your Life with Purpose, On Purpose #1

There seems to be an abundance of gurus of every kind that flood the TV and internet selling their secret formulas and magic juices for a more successful and more fulfilling existence. And there is, of course, no shortage of needy and sometimes very successful people in the market willing to part with their hard earned money to gain the insights that are being peddled.

This is because seeking fulfillment in life is almost a universal phenomenon. And the primary problem stems from the fact that while most everybody knows when they were born, very few know why they were born – and so they are searching for meaning. Your alarm clock can tell you what time to wake up in the morning, but it cannot tell you “why” to wake up in the morning.

Even as a listener to this podcast or reader of our journal, if I were to ask you if you believe that God has a purpose for your lives, you would most likely reply that you do believe that. Yet if I had to ask you what your God-given life purpose is, would you be able to tell me? Many people live their life without knowing what their true purpose is. Nevertheless, we all yearn to live meaningful lives.

As we continue our hike during the next three days, let’s discuss what it means to live a life with purpose, on purpose. In other words, how can you and I choose to live a life of legacy each day that has a fulfilling purpose for you and impacts your world positively?

Many people live their life without knowing what their true purpose is. What is yours?

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With the suicide rates around the world increasing dramatically, most of us know someone that has given up finding his purpose and ended his life. Maybe you have even felt this way at some point in your life. This is such a tragedy since each of us has a purpose within God’s plan that only we can fill. As a Christ follower, I am convinced that there are forces of good and evil in this world. Even if you don’t consider yourself a Christ follower, please continue with us on our trek and gain the wisdom from our discussion.

The more I understand individuals that have lost hope in themselves, the more I realize that one of Satan’s most powerful lies is to tell you that God does not have, or no longer has, a purpose for your life, or he will try to convince you that you cannot know that purpose. The evil one is the father of lies and wants you to believe his lies.

The evil one is the father of lies and wants you to believe his lies.

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The truth is that until you find your God-given purpose, your life tends to be driven by self-preservation and self-promotion. In other words, you become your own agenda. But when you discover God’s purpose in your life, you find something that is greater than your own agenda. Something that you are willing to invest your life in or live your life for. Then, instead of living the frustration and futility of a self-absorbed directionless life, you are released into the fulfillment and rewards of a called life.

A person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder that floats aimlessly and without direction.

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This first stop on our hike today is…

Everyone has a purpose.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Church in Ephesus wrote in 1:9-11, “God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

So we can see that everything God ever created He created on purpose, with purpose. Purpose precedes creation. Everything in life begins and ends with purpose.

In the next chapter of this letter, Paul writes in 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

You are God’s masterpiece! So what is your purpose? Your purpose, the reason you were created was for the pleasure of God. You were created to bring glory to God.

Everything has a purpose, and your primary purpose is the pleasure of God – to do the good things he planned for you long ago. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for His purposes.

If you have not determined your specific purpose or calling, let me help you make the first steps that will bring purpose to your life. It all starts with loving and serving God and others from Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Today we have established that everything has purpose, and I have shared where you can start fulfilling that purpose. Tomorrow we will continue and explore why your purpose makes you unique, which means one of a kind. So please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 208 – Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 25 Dec 2015 08:03:23 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 208 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 208 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Today, we will explore the second part of the story titled Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us. This is the last story in this week’s Christmas series. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This episode is airing on Christmas Day. If you are listening to the podcast or reading the journal on Christmas Day, I want to say Merry Christmas!!! May your day be a blessed time as we focus on the reason that we celebrate this day.

Christmas was always such a special time for our family growing up. Mom and Dad’s love for each other and for each of the 10 children was reflective of God’s love for us. They especially sacrificed what they had to bring the best possible time of celebration for us as a family. Let’s make sure that we do all that we can to show God’s love to others every day of the year.

During this Christmas week, we have invested our time on our Trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. It is by design that our hike on the Christmas Trail today we are exploring the ultimate gift, which is God’s gift to us – salvation through Jesus Christ whose birth we are celebrating. Today we are exploring the final part of our story.

Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift To Us #2

2. God’s gift to you is measured by its cost.

As we serve such a loving and Holy God, we are to give Him our best. He doesn’t want our leftovers. He doesn’t want cheap stuff. He wants the best you and I can give Him. Remember the story of the wise men when I referenced how King David insisted on paying the price for his offerings in 2 Samuel [24:24].

But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.

David said if he was going to give a sacrifice to the Lord he was going to give his best – something of value, something of worth. Why would David say that? Because that is what God has done for us. He has given us the most precious gift He could possibly give – something of worth, something of value, something that is one of a kind. He gave us His son.

Look at 1 John [4:10] again.

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

God knew what had to be done. He knew what price had to be paid. He knew what it was going to cost Him, and He sent the best for you and me. He sent Jesus Christ – born as a child for the salvation of the world. If He gave that much to me, what should I give Him?

FACT: God’s gift to me is valuable.

3. God’s present to you is measured by its effectiveness.

If you get a toaster for Christmas, you expect it to be able to make toast. If you get a coffee machine, you expect it to make coffee. If you get a hair curler, you expect it to be able to curl hair. So the question that needs to be asked is “Is it effective? Does it do what it was intended to do?”

What is the love of God intended to do? CHANGE YOU.

Look at these three verses again in 1 John 4:9-11, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

To me, they seem almost like a mathematical formula. 1+1=2. See how it all adds up. “God’s gift is useful PLUS God’s gift is valuable EQUALS we ought to love one another.”

Verse 11 says this, “Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

“Ought” sounds like a suggestion, but it’s not. It’s not just some suggestion that God is making to us. The Greek word for “ought” could be translated “must”. The root word actually means “to owe something.” You owe a payment. You are under obligation. You must pay it back! Let me restate the last part of verse 11 again.

…since God loved us that much, we MUST love each other.

Why? Because God is not done loving the world yet. He wants to keep loving the world – through you and through me. Jesus said it this way in Matthew [5:14]-16,

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

Does God’s love change you? Does it affect your behavior? Does it affect the way you treat people? You see that is what love is intended to do. It doesn’t make toast. It doesn’t make coffee. It does not curl hair. It changes us into loving compassionate people who care for the needs of those who around us. God wants to love the world, but He has a desire to do through you. Are you willing to let God show His love through you?

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. – 1 John 4:9-11

We certainly MUST love each other.

Because of God’s love for us, He has provided the best Christmas gift to us – a rich and satisfying life on earth and a life for all eternity. God’s love is useful, God’s love is valuable, and God’s love is effective. This Christmas, take the time to reflect on the wonderful gift that God has given us, and fulfill your purpose of bringing glory to God. Tomorrow we will begin to explore the wisdom and value of planning with a purpose so that we can create a living legacy each day of 2016. Please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 207 – Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 08:03:27 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 207 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 207 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the first part of the story titled Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This episode is airing on the day before Christmas, as we are be heading north and arriving at The Big House late this evening. Since we are celebrating our family Christmas on January 9^th in Charlotte, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day should be a nice relaxing time for Paula and me. We do plan on sharing Christmas dinner with my brother Jack, his wife Ann, and our dad. Jack and Ann are hosting the dinner, so all I have to prepare are my favorite creamy and buttery mashed potatoes. So, it will be a break from the usual cooking that I would be doing.

During this Christmas week, we continue to invest our time in our Trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. It is by design that on our hike on the Christmas Trail today and tomorrow we will be exploring the ultimate gift, which is God’s gift to us – salvation through Jesus Christ whose birth we are celebrating. Today we are exploring the first part of our story.

Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift To Us #1

I want to start with a story that I read recently, and it goes like this…Christmas was an exciting time and Joie was excited too. He was only 10 years old, and he was as excited as any ten-year-old boy could be. For him, Christmas was still a time of wonder. He did the things most 10-year-olds do. He played ball, rode his bike, climbed trees, and went fishing with his dad. He was a happy kid. He just enjoyed life – every part of life. To him, life was full of wonder and amazement. And Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year.

It was Christmas Eve and the ground was white with snow. It was cold, and it was clear. The stars were bright that night and seemed so close that you would have thought you could reach out and touch them with your hands. The family was on their way to the grandparents’ house – that was the family tradition. Joie could hardly wait. He was excited, and his mind just raced with ideas about what he might receive this year. What present would be under the tree for him tonight?

Every year the family would gather at grandpa and grandma’s house. There was always a huge tree and there was always a present under the tree for each person there. The kids would sneak peeks at the presents and find out where theirs was located. Joie was usually one of the first to find out where his present was placed, but this year it was different. He didn’t find his right away, even though he searched all over.

He began to worry because he couldn’t find it. Then his eyes caught a big box in the corner. It was a huge box – the biggest present he had ever seen. He slowly walked over to it and sure enough written on the tag were the letters J – O – I – E. He was grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were wide with excitement.

Grandpa always handed out the presents. Grandpa was not very fast, but this year he seemed especially slow, and wouldn’t you know it, Joie’s name was the last one called. As soon as his name was called Joie bolted up to Grandpa. “Is this really mine, is that big present really mine?” he asked. Grandpa reassured him it was. As soon as he knew it was his, he tore into the package, and what do you think he found? What do you think was inside that large box? It was the best Christmas present Joie had ever received.

What do you think it was…? Well, I will leave that up to your imagination of what you would like to have. We all have ideas of what the best present is, don’t we. We can all picture in our mind what the best present is.

How do you measure the value of a present? How do you judge its worth? By its size, or by its weight? Do you judge it by its cost, or perhaps by its usefulness?

What I would like to do today and tomorrow is examine God’s present to us. It is wrapped up. It has bows on it. It is standing in the corner, and it is large. I will read from God’s Word the best present of all time found in 1 John 4:9-11.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

How do you measure the value of God’s gift to you? I would suggest three ways. We will explore the first one today and then save the final two for Christmas Day.

1. God’s gift to you is measured by its usefulness.

What is the usefulness of His gift to us? Notice the usefulness of the gift in verse 9. “…so that we might have eternal life through him.”

Jesus said it this way in John 10:10, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

What a promise that is! Not just life, not just existence but life which means something – life that has worth, a rich (full) and satisfying life. Life with a purpose. A life which has value. Life with meaning. A life that will have eternal consequences and benefits.

God has made you a SPECIAL PERSON for a SPECIAL PURPOSE

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Ephesians 1:4 – Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

You were specially created, handcrafted, uniquely made for the purpose of bringing glory to God.

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FACT: I am here for the glory of God.

Your purpose is to live a life that magnifies the Lord, to encourage and support fellow Christians, to become more like Christ, to use your gifts and talents in helping others, and to tell those who don’t know Jesus that there is Good News. Your purpose is to bring glory to God in all you do and say. And when all is said and done, you should long to hear the words written in Matthew 25:21, “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”

God says you have brought me glory. You have enlarged the kingdom of God. You have done well. God’s gift of salvation to us is useful. It gives us meaning and value. Our purpose is to bring glory to God.

Because of God’s love for us, He has provided the best Christmas gift to us – a rich and satisfying life on earth and a life for all eternity. God, through Jesus Christ, took on human flesh and dwelt among His creation so that He could redeem us. This Christmas take the time to reflect on the wonderful gift that God has given us and fulfill your purpose of bringing glory to God. Tomorrow we will explore the final episode in our Christmas Story series this week with part 2 of Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us. Please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 206 – Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 08:03:53 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 206 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 206 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the second part of the story titled Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Final preparations and packing will be completed today so that we will be ready to head to The Big House for Christmas. We will remain there until New Year’s Day when we will return back to Home2.

During this Christmas week, we continue to invest our time on our trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #2

As we hike the Christmas Trail together today, let me start by reading the story of the Wise Men in Matthew 2:1-12.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling citie^] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview, the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The second point I want to make on our trek is…

2. A wise man’s journey is one of worship.

When the wise men came on their journey, it was for the purpose of worship. They brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts have a lot of symbolism associated with them. Gold represents wealth. It is a gift fit for a king. (Jesus was the King of Kings.) Frankincense is the sap of a tree that was dried and hardened and used as incense to worship God. Thus, we see a gift for his deity. (Jesus was the Son of God.) Myrrh is a fragrant perfume that was used to anoint the dead – to embalm and preserve them. (Jesus was The Sacrificial Lamb.)

But there is more to worship than presenting a gift of gold, frankincense, or myrrh, isn’t there?

FACT: Worship always involves sacrifice.

Was there a price to be paid for the wise men’s worship? You bet. They had given themselves to a journey. Travel in those days was not very comfortable. In fact, it could be downright dangerous. The wise men had sacrificed their own comfort to find the King and worship Him. Listen to what David said about sacrifice in 2 Samuel 24:24, “But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.’ So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.”

Romans 12:1 says it this way, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

To truly worship requires sacrifice.

The greatest gift, the greatest sacrifice you can give to God is yourself. You say, “But I have given nothing to Him today.” But I say, “Yes you have!” Even today you have given Him something of yourself. You have given Him your time by listening to this podcast or reading the journal. When you volunteer time or donate money to churches or charities that promote God’s work throughout the world, you are sacrificing. When you give of yourself to others to impact them for Christ, you become a living sacrifice, even though you may not view it like that and even though you may not have realized it. The efforts you make to worship in word and deed in God’s name, you sacrifice to Him. But here is a fact I want you all to remember today…

FACT: What God wants most of all, above everything else, is me.

He wants your heart. He wants your attention 24/7. The question to ask is “What am I willing to give Him? Am I willing to give Him my best? Am I willing to go on a spiritual journey to worship Him? Am I willing to give up my comfort zone to follow Christ?” The wise men were, are you?

The third point I want to make on our Trek today is…

3. A wise man’s journey is one of change.

Look at verse 12 with me…

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Isn’t it interesting that after they worshiped Jesus they could not go back the same way that they had come? I find that to be a fact even today. Once you have met God, you will never be the same. An encounter with God changes things. It changes you, doesn’t it? It’s always been that way.

Once you have met God, you will never be the same.

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Jacob, who was renamed Israel, wrestled with God and never walked the same the rest of his life.

Isaiah stepped into the presence of God and proclaimed chapter 6:5, “Then I said, ‘It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, theLord of Heaven’s Armies.’”

Job questions God over and over again concerning his suffering, and when God shows up. Job says in chapter 40:4-5…

“I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”
Job met God and became a changed man.

That is what happens when we walk into the presence of God. We become changed. That is what happened to the wise men when they encountered Christ. They were changed. That is what happens when we encounter Christ. Things become different.

It’s Christmas time, and we hear the story of the wise men. They were wise because they had faith. They were wise because they worshiped, and they were changed forever – all because of a child. How about you? Are you looking for a change in your life? Find Christ this Christmas and I can guarantee that you will be changed. Things will be different. Step out in faith and seek Him as the wise men did.

Tomorrow and the next day, we will explore our final Christmas Story called, Christmas Love: The Story of God’s Gift to Us. Please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 205 – Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 22 Dec 2015 08:03:37 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 205 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 205 of our Trek, and this week we are hiking the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the first part of the story titled Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. There are many activities for this week as we wrap up before heading north on Christmas Eve. We should be leaving early in the day and dropping Paula’s mom off at her sister Ruth’s house in Spotsylvania, Virginia for Christmas. Then Paula and I will head on to Marietta and should get in late on Christmas Eve.

Fred and his friend Doug came over for dinner on Monday evening, and we watched the Grinch movie. We also were able to watch our grandson Kip on Monday, so Kip and Chelimo joined us for the evening. It is great to be able to spend time with family.

During this Christmas week, we continue to invest our time on our Trek together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…

Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men #1

As we hike the Christmas Trail together today, let me start by reading the story of the Wise Men in Matthew 2:1-12.

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling citie^] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

The story of the wise men is a story that is shrouded in mystery. From tradition, we seem to know all the facts and details. But, as we study the scripture, we find that there are a lot of questions we cannot answer about the wise men from the Biblical text. For example…
How many were there? We don’t know.
Where did they come from? We don’t know.
How long did their journey take? We don’t know.

They seem to just show up mysteriously, and just as mysteriously they are gone. But one thing I am certain about is that the number of wise men and women increases in every generation as people continue to seek Christ. Today and tomorrow we will look at three facts that we can learn from the story of the wise men. We will cover the first one today and then continue with the remaining two tomorrow.

1. A wise man’s journey is one of faith.

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
What would prompt someone to leave the comfort of home to go on a dangerous journey? Romance? Yes. Wealth? Most definitely. But faith? Yes, even faith. “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” What a probing question! There is no doubt in their language that He had been born. The question is “Where is He?” They had seen the star. The evidence was real…Now where is He? They had faith that He was alive – that He existed. Now all they needed to do was to find Him.

Their purpose was established – find Him. And so they were willing to risk everything to find Him. They were willing to leave the safety of their homes to risk a perilous journey to seek a King. This was their Wisdom-Trek.

Can you imagine their neighbor’s reaction? “Are you going on a journey?” “Yes.” “Where are you going?” “We don’t know for sure.” “How far is it?” “Well, we don’t know that either.” “How long are you going to be gone?” “Well we’re not quite sure on that either.” “Boy, for wise men you sure don’t know much do you?”

But you know they must have said the same things to Abraham when he left his home for the Promised Land. They must have said the same things to Noah who was building an ark, even though it had never rained in the history of the earth up until that point. They must have said the same kind of things to Peter, Andrew, John, and James when they left the fishing nets to become fishers of men. What are you crazy? Are you insane? Are you out of your minds? No not crazy. Not insane. Not out of their minds. They were men of faith.

FACT: God’s journeys always involve faith.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us about faith, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

People of faith have been willing to respond to the challenges of the unknown over and over again throughout history.

William Cary was a shoemaker when one day he heard of the millions of people in India who had not heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. He believed the great commission to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” He believed that that verse was speaking directly to him, so he volunteered to go to India. But, he was told, “Young man, sit down. When God wants to convert the heathen, He will do it without your help.” Cary went anyway, supporting himself. For seven years he worked without seeing a single convert, but by the end of his life, he saw hundreds of churches and thousands of converts. Today he is known as the “Father of Modern Missions.” He was a man of faith.

If we are going to be wise men and women on our trek of life, we need to know and internalize the three facts for our trek. We looked at the first fact today, which is that our trek of life will always involve faith. A wise person realizes that in life no one knows the future with certainty, so you must rely on faith in the One who does know. It is God through His Word that will give us direction, even if we can only see a few steps in front of us. Psalms 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Tomorrow we will explore the remaining two facts in our story Christmas Wisdom: The Story of the Wise Men. Please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 204 – Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 21 Dec 2015 08:03:22 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 204 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 204 of our Trek, and this week we started on a series of stories that we will study between now and Christmas as we hike the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the second part of the story titled Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We were blessed to be able to attend our local fellowship of believers in Charlotte this week. It was a special Christmas service, and we are so glad that we were in town. It has been several months since we were able to attend two weeks in a row.

With Christmas quickly approaching, we will spend our time together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the second part of our story…

Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #2

There are three parts to this story of hope that Mary had. Yesterday we covered Mary’s Hossana, which was her song of praise called The Magnificant. I will read it again today to tie in yesterday’s hike.

· The Magnificant: Mary’s Song of Praise

Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Today we want to focus on Mary’s humility and her hope.

Mary’s Humility

There are three key elements to humility. Do you know what they are?

First, realize you’re not in charge.

Matthew 6:27 – Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

There are some things you can change. There are many things you can’t change. What you can’t change, put in God’s hands.

*Second, accept your position as servant.***

Matthew 23:11 –The greatest among you must be a servant.

*Third, submit yourself to God.***

James 4:6-7 – And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.

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Mary knew that she would now live her whole life under a cloud of suspicion from her family and neighbors. Embedded in her decision to be fully submissive to God’s call was the willingness to suffer possible ridicule, loneliness, and contempt. God chose her, and she submitted to His will.

Mary accepted God’s will in Luke 1:38, “Mary responded, ‘I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.’”

There is no evidence of Mary thinking that she was any different than anyone else. In fact, she speaks of being a servant of the Lord and how she lived in a lowly state. She realized that among all women of all time she was fortunate to be the one to bear the Christ child.

It is taught throughout the scriptures that God is no respecter of persons. Do you think that at the judgment seat of Christ He will give rich people the place of honor when it is taught in James that it is wrong to be a respecter of people because of their wealth? Do you think He will allow kings and presidents to stand before Him without bended knee when the Bible says, “Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Christ as Lord.”? No, absolutely not. God is not a respecter of people. He looks on the humble and the meek, and He smiles with pleasure. In Mary, He found a humble vessel that He could use for His glory. It is wonderful that God can take a nobody and make a somebody out of them. God is not looking for rank, wealth, or power. He is looking for people who have a humble heart. He is looking for one who displays true humility like Mary.

It is wonderful that God can take a nobody and make a somebody out of them.

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Mary’s Hope

Mary put her hope in the promises of God. She undoubtedly knew scripture. She had heard the stories passed down through the family about a God who had promised a savior – a messiah. She knew that God was faithful. Notice what she said in verse 55, “For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary knew the promise that had been passed down from generation to generation – that one would be born of the seed of Abraham who would save people from their sins. She realized that she had been chosen – of all the women who had ever lived – to be the mother of that child.

The first coming of Christ brought hope to the world, but so will His second coming. Jesus has promised that one day He will return. One day Jesus will come and take His bride the church to be his wife and to live with Him forever and ever. It’s almost like a fairy tale. The Prince of Peace will come riding on a white horse to rescue His beloved, His bride, the church. It sounds like a fairy tale, yet it is absolutely true. Christ will come to take His beauty home. That is if you and I are in Christ, if we know Him in a personal way, He is coming back for us. If you have a personal relationship with Him, you too can have hope for an eternal future. Because He loves you. If you don’t know Him, that can change right here right now. Here is what you do.

A. Admit that God has not had first place in your life and that you have sinned.

1 John 1:9 – But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

B. Believe that Jesus died for your sins.

Romans 10:9 – If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

C. Accept God’s free gift of salvation.

Ephesians 2:8-9 – God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

D. Invite Jesus to come into your life and take control.

John 1:12-13 – But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

Christ has come to give you hope. Christmas – Hope.

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Mary the ordinary, humble servant, went from fear, to praise, to hope. When we become fearful, let us remember that God is in control and will use us to fulfill his plan for the world. Praise God, be humble, and have hope that His plan will allow you to live a legacy each day that will impact the world. Tomorrow we will explore Christmas Wisdom: The Story about the Wise Men. Please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 203 – Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 08:03:48 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 203 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 203 of our Trek, and this week we started on a series of stories that we will study between now and Christmas as we hike the Christmas Trail to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days and for today, we will explore the first part of the story titled Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Saturday we were able to visit the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, North Carolina. It was all decorated for Christmas and so beautiful. It has become a tradition for Paula and me and is a nice day trip from our home.

With Christmas quickly approaching, we will spend our time together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will explore the first part of our story…

Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary #1

I want to start off this podcast by doing an exercise. Not a physical exercise but a mental exercise. I want you to remember being 15 years old. What were you doing at 15? Fifteen is an awkward age, isn’t it? You are no longer a child yet you’re not quite an adult. Hormones are doing all sorts of weird things in your body. Peer pressure is especially important at that age, and so is testing the waters of life. Wanting to be independent is also important at that age.

Scholars tell us that 15 was about the age of Mary when the angel came and visited her and told her she would become pregnant. In all likelihood, she was between the age of 13 and 16. Our views on maintaining purity until marriage may be somewhat tainted in the world today, but the issue is not new. Put yourself in Mary’s position as a young teenager who loves God and views remaining pure until marriage as one of her top priorities. She was already pledged to Joseph for marriage. If you were that age and received news like this, how would you respond? Let’s look and see how Mary did. The story of Mary is found in the book of Luke Chapter [1:26]-56. It is a rather long passage but crucial to learn the entire story of Mary.

· The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!”

Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.”

Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

· Mary Visits Elizabeth

A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

· The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise

Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

Can you imagine all that must have been going through Mary’s mind? She went to her cousin Elizabeth, who was the wife of a priest. After she had met with her, Mary was able to sing a song of praise for being chosen to be the physical mother of the savior of the world.

For our story today and tomorrow, I would like for us to look at three characteristics of Mary. We will look at the first one today:

1. Mary’s Hosanna

(Mary’s Song of Praise and Adoration)

Mary’s response is a song of praise to God. It was a verbal offering from her heart through her words to a Holy God. Let’s read our focal verses again and notice where the focus lies, not on Mary but on God. The focus of the virgin birth is not on Mary but on the power of God. If we were to take out a magnifying glass and examine our focal verse, we would see nothing less than a song of praise to God. We would see adoration. We would see exaltation and pure praise to the Father. This is truly a song of worship. This is truly a song of praise.

Praise is a verbal offering to God from your heart.

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I have heard it said that if the only thing God has done in our lives is to save us, we should praise God from the rising of the sun through the darkness of the night. But He has done so much more for us than that. He has given you the sense of taste so that you can enjoy your favorite food. Praise God. He has given you the sense of smell so you can enjoy flowers or bread baking in the oven. Praise God. He has given you the sense of humor so you can enjoy laughter. Praise God.

What a beautiful story of fear that was turned to praise and then to hope that the long-awaited savior of the world was about to arrive. Mary the ordinary, humble servant was chosen to be the vessel in which God would use to fulfill His plan of redemption. When we become fearful, let us remember that God is in control and will use us to fulfill his plan for our world. We can live a legacy each day that will impact the world. What an awesome thought! Let us be willing to be open for whatever God has in His plan for us and to be humble to allow Him to work through us. Tomorrow we will explore Mary’s humbleness and hope. You won’t want to miss it, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 202 – Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 19 Dec 2015 08:03:36 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 202 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 202 of our Trek, and yesterday we started on a series of stories that we will study between now and Christmas to learn about some of the key players in the Christmas story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world, not only during Christmas but each day of the year. Each story will cover two days, so for today, we will finish our story titled Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are coming to the end of another busy week but one that has been rich and satisfying. This term that I use frequently does not mean that everything is going splendid or as planned but that life is an adventure and we should enjoy all aspects of it, even the difficult times.

This week we packed up the containers of caramel corn and got them sent off to their intended destinations. I had to make some additional batches of caramel corn to complete what we needed, so we made a total of 18 batches so far this year although I do make a double batch in each pot. If I calculated properly that would equate to nearly 150 cups of popped corn and 10 cups of various types of nuts. My favorite is with almonds. It is the making of memories that makes the time extra special, but let’s move on down our trail for today.

As mentioned on yesterday’s Trek with Christmas quickly approaching, we will spend our time together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will start with our story…

Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph #2

I will re-read the passage from yesterday to set the continuation of our story today. This passage is Matthew [1:18]-25.

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,^[^b^] for he will save his people from their sins.”All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

God gives us the courage to overcome our doubts and fears.

We can only imagine how Joseph must have felt when he found out that Mary was pregnant. His natural response would have been that she had been unfaithful to him. He knew the child was not his. She must have been unfaithful. What emotions do you think he would have?

Shock, disappointment, embarrassment, sorrow, anger…Probably a mixture of all. Yet Joseph’s character enabled him to keep a rein on his emotions. His love for God and for Mary compelled him to seek a way to protect her. You know the scripture says in 1 Peter 4:8, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”

And also in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Joseph faced down his own emotions and courageously chose to protect Mary. Can you imagine rumors that must have spread through the community? The neighbors would have thought that they had broken the law. Obviously the neighbors thought that they were having a sexual relationship.

Regardless of what others say or think, we must do what Joseph did. It is always the right time to do the right thing.

God gives us the courage to face our own doubts and fears and also the rumors of others.

The third point I want to explore with you in this courageous story of Joseph is…

3. God gives us the courage to **face the future.**

It would take unrelenting courage to deal with the life that Joseph had to face.

In the case of Joseph, he was given a vision – a dream to help reinforce his faith. He knew the neighbor’s opinion of him would change. He knew the rumors would be flying. But he also knew that God had spoken to him in a special way. The scriptures say, “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.”

Does God always give a vision to people? No. It does not appear to be frequent today since we have the full revelation of Jesus Christ in God’s Word. But sometimes He does. Sometimes God will give you a vision. Does God always give a vision to people? No. It does not appear to be frequent today since we have the full revelation of Jesus Christ in God’s Word. But sometimes He does. Sometimes God will give you a vision. Sometimes He will speak to you in a dream. Sometimes He will lead you to a verse in the Bible and show you how that verse applies to your situation. He does not do that every time, but sometimes He does. But you know what He will always do? If you are Christian, if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, if you have the Holy Spirit living inside you, He will never, never, never leave you or forsake you. He will always be there. That is a promise.

Hebrews 13:5 – Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

This fact gives me the courage to face the unknown as described in Romans 8:31. – This fact gives me the courage to face the unknown a. As described in Romans 8:31. – What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

When we face doubts, when we face fears, when we face an uncertain future, we are tempted to avoid the wilderness. We like our comfort zones. If we are approaching an area of the unknown, we try to find another way around or to make a U-turn to avoid it. We are afraid of the wilderness. There might be Giants there. There might be bullies there. There might be rumors and teasing. There might be hardships and struggles. But it is only by a journey through the wilderness that we will reach the Promised Land. And if we make the journey, God will be with us. Think of what Joseph had to endure and remember:

It is only by a journey through the wilderness that we will reach the Promised Land.

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God gives courage to ordinary people like you and me and Joseph.
God gives the courage to face our doubts and fears.
God gives the courage to face the future.
Trust in God – believe in Him. No matter what you are going through He will be there with you.

What a marvelous story of courage that we find in this ordinary and humble man, Joseph. Dare to be a Joseph. Dare to be ordinary but good. We can be courageous and remain good in the face of hardships, ridicule, and slander. We should all endeavor to be like Joseph in our lives. Tomorrow our story will switch to another ordinary person in the story called Christmas Hope: The Story of Mary. You won’t want to miss it, so encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we learn how to have hope in the midst of despair.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 201 – Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 08:03:54 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 201 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 201 of our Trek, and for the past five days, we stayed in camp to dig up the nuggets of wisdom that are found in Proverbs Chapter 6. Now through Christmas, we will hike the Christmas trail to learn about some of the key players in the story. It is my hope that we will learn from these stories that bring hope to the world not only during Christmas but for each day of the year. Each story will cover two days, so for today and tomorrow our story is Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph. These stories are adapted from lessons taught originally by Raymond van Plesten. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

The Christmas Trail

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. On Wednesday, we were able to pick up Kip from his preschool and watch him until Chelimo was able to get off work. After that, we had our monthly dinner date with my sister Rebecca, and we enjoyed a meal and time of fellowship together. We both look forward to this time each month to be able to catch up and share. Granny was also able to attend a Christmas breakfast and enjoy additional time with Kip at his school on Thursday. It is important to take time from our busy schedules to enjoy life, relax, and reflect.

With Christmas quickly approaching, we will spend our time together reflecting on the true stories surrounding the original Christmas. Today we will start with our story…

Christmas Courage: The Story of Joseph

If you have seen the movie World Trade Center, you realize how courageous the rescuers were in the days following 9-11. The movie is about a team of rescuers who are searching for survivors in the rubble of the twin towers. The rescuers search through the rubble risking their own lives – they are men of courage – because at any moment the tangled mass of steel and concrete may collapse on them. The movie focuses in on one team of rescuers as they risk life and limb to save two firemen who were trapped in the collapse of the towers. The movie depicts the danger of the situation. The movie shows the risks of everyone involved. But the movie also shows the courage that everyone displays under life threatening conditions.

There is a story of courage that took place at the first Christmas. We often miss it because our focus is on a young mother and a baby. But the character I want us to focus on during today’s hike was in the story too. He heard firsthand that his bride-to-be was pregnant, and it was not his child. This was difficult for him to deal with, but he wanted to handle the situation properly. As he thought about what to do, he experienced a personal message from God because of the extraordinary event. He stood by the manger where the baby was laid. He provided protection for the mother and child during the early years of the child’s life. The man’s name, of course, is Joseph.

A Humble Carpenter

What can we learn from Joseph? Let’s read his story from Matthew [1:18]-25.

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

1. God gives courage to ordinary people.

In the midst of the story of the miraculous birth of Jesus, we find an ordinary man by the name of Joseph. Many of us don’t view biblical characters as ordinary, do we? Many times we attribute to them almost super-human powers. But folks, that is not the case. They were people just like you and me. They had problems, fears, doubts, and worries just like you and me, yet God is able to use them. In fact, that is a major theme of the Bible.

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

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Look at how Paul states this fact in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, “Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.”

Joseph was an ordinary man, but He was a man God could trust to be strong in the midst of crisis. He was strong and resilient enough to protect his family. Matthew says it this way, “He was a good man.” In other words, he was a man of honor. Did he have concerns? Yes, but he was a man, as the Scriptures tells us, that was “good.”

Let’s read the first part of this passage again.

Joseph was an ordinary man, yet he was a good man. What that means is that Joseph displayed moral courage.

Joseph displayed the character of God in his own life. That’s tough to do sometimes, isn’t it?

In the movie Cinderella Man, we meet a man like Joseph. It is a story that takes place during the Great Depression. The father is a boxer who has lost everything, and the family is starving to death. His son steals a loaf of bread to help his starving family. The father rebukes his son and makes him apologize to the storekeeper. This God-fearing father may not have been able to fill his family’s stomachs with food, but he was able to nourish their spirits. Joseph was a man like that. He was an ordinary man but a man with moral courage.

We have just gotten started on our hike for today, but tomorrow we will finish up the story of Joseph. As we reflect on Joseph, we see that he was ordinary but good. He was also a very courageous man that would have to remain good in the face of ridicule and slander. We should all endeavor to be like Joseph in our lives. Tomorrow we will learn how God helped Joseph and, in the same way, is here to help us. This is a great story. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we learn how to have a courageous Christmas like Joseph.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 200 – Proverbs 6:30-35 Lessons for Daily Life #5

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 08:03:58 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 200 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [6:30]-35 Lessons for Daily Life #5

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 200 of our Trek, and for one final day, we will stay at camp digging for nuggets of wisdom as we continue our exploration into the book of Proverbs Chapter 6. Yesterday we explored verses 20-29, and today we will dig into verses 30-35. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. There has been a lot of work and activities this week, but we continue on each day accomplishing all that we can.

Each day we have the opportunity to impact our world for good, let’s not miss an opportunity.

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If our plans do not change, Paula and I will head to Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, North Carolina on Saturday for our annual Christmas visit. Biltmore is America’s largest home and with its 250 rooms is magnificent to visit any time of the year, but when it is decorated for Christmas, it is a site to behold. We do look forward to these short excursions that we are able to take, even with a busy schedule. As I continually try to learn to be a good and wise husband, I am still learning the importance of these times away from our work to spend with each other.

We will remain at camp for another day as we finish up Proverbs Chapter 6 digging deep for additional nuggets of wisdom that we can digest. As we accumulate this wisdom, it helps us to create that living legacy each day so we can impact our world throughout eternity. Never underestimate the value that you bring into the world with just a single act of kindness.

Never underestimate the value that you bring into the world with just a single act of kindness.

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To use an analogy for our life, gathering together with like-minded people around a campfire is always a reflective time – a time to share stories, to laugh, and to enjoy each other’s company. As I reflect back over this past year, we have been able to accomplish a significant amount by God’s grace and also your support. Today our Wisdom-Trek passes the 200^th day of our trek. The time really has rushed by.

I want to thank you for being on this trek of life with me over these 200 days. I have really enjoyed being your guide and your mentor but most importantly your friend. Please leave a comment at Wisdom-Trek.com or email me at guthrie@venturecg.com, and let me know how our days together have impacted your life. Also, let me know how I can improve so the next 200 days bring an even greater impact. Thank you in advance.

For today, let’s get started and dig for more nuggets of wisdom as we explore Proverbs Chapter [6:30:35]. This chapter in Proverbs is referred to as…

Lessons for Daily Life

Today I will read the entire passage, and then we will break it down into small segments as we dive deeper into our exploration.

³⁰Excuses might be found for a thief
who steals because he is starving.
³¹But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,
even if he has to sell everything in his house.
³²But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,
for he destroys himself.
³³He will be wounded and disgraced.
His shame will never be erased.
³⁴For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
³⁵He will accept no compensation,
nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

So now let’s do a deep dive into the verses.

³⁰Excuses might be found for a thief
who steals because he is starving.
³¹But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,
even if he has to sell everything in his house.

We can understand somewhat the plight of this thief although we should not excuse the actions. This thief is hungry. He has no food. His family would also have no food. So, this thief steals because he is starving. We can sympathize with him. However, there need to be consequences for wrong decisions that we make. In this case, the law will punish him. It is not the laws purpose to forgive this person. God forgives, and we should also. But the law does not forgive. The law does not ask if he needed food. His punishment is severe. He is to pay back seven times what he stole, even if it takes all possessions that he has.

Some people do wrong actions because they hate God. Other people sincerely want to do good things, but they still do evil things. Before we become too judgmental, we need to realize that everyone must trust in God because everyone does wrong actions. James 2:10-11 tells us this clearly, “For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, ‘You must not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘You must not murder.’ So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.”

Let’s move to exploring verses 32-35. These three verses are actually a comparison to the previous two. Although we feel that stealing is reprehensible, there is another type of wrong choice that is even more so.

³²But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,
for he destroys himself.
³³He will be wounded and disgraced.
His shame will never be erased.
³⁴For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
³⁵He will accept no compensation,
nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

While the thief stole to satisfy his physical appetite of hunger, the man in this passage makes wrong choices to satisfy his sexual appetite. Both are wrong. While we may feel sympathy for the thief, God calls the man that is unfaithful an utter fool. That is pretty strong language, but it shows the heart of God about purity. In addition to being a fool, a person who commits adultery will have a worse punishment. In this passage, this man had sex with another man’s wife. He receives a double punishment because his actions were foolish and wrong. There is a strong possibility when he is found out, he may also receive punishment from the angry husband. While many times in our “civilized” society we don’t see as much physical violence from the offended spouse, but we sure see the wreckage of broken homes and kids. The punishment is severe to many more than just those physically involved.

The Bible says that God will be angry. If we choose to make unwise and wrong decisions, then God is angry about our wrong behavior. He is angry when our actions are unfair. He is angry with us if we turn against him. A man’s anger may be terrible. God’s anger is much worse because God’s anger is a righteous anger.

We are utter fools when we choose wrong behaviors. We should not be fooled about the consequences of our continual wrong actions if we do not turn back to God, as is explained in Ephesians 5:6, “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.”

God is angry, but he also loves us. Here is Micah’s prayer to God in Chapter 7 verses 18 and 19.

¹⁸Where is another God like you,
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing unfailing love.
¹⁹Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

Today we dug up more important wisdom nuggets. There is such a treasury of wisdom found in the pages of Proverbs. We will make it a regular habit to dig for those nuggets throughout our trek of life. Let’s learn to obey God’s commands and make wise choices each day of our life. One of those choices is to live an impactful legacy each day in your world. As you make wise choices also encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Between now and Christmas, we will turn our focus to gain wisdom by learning more about the rich and satisfying life that Jesus brings to us. That is the reason to celebrate.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 199 – Proverbs 6:20-29 Lessons for Daily Life #4

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 08:03:25 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 199 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [6:20]-29 Lessons for Daily Life #4

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 199 of our Trek, and for this week, we will stay at camp digging for nuggets of wisdom as we continue our exploration into the book of Proverbs Chapter 6. Yesterday we explored verses 12-19, and today we will dig into verses 20-29. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. I know that Christmas is close when I make my world famous caramel corn. At least it is famous in my little world. I made 12 batches total with some batches including either pecans, almonds, or walnuts. We give most of it away to siblings and neighbors but do keep some of the delicious, mouthwatering treat for ourselves. These are a few of the huge walnut bowls where I place the finished product.

It is great to have traditions in our lives which are part of our living legacy. I know that our grown kids will be looking forward to some fresh batches of caramel corn when we celebrate Christmas with them on January 9^th. They won’t be disappointed.

As we remain in camp for this week in our study of Proverbs Chapter 6, it reminds me of several years when Paula and I took our kids, and usually many of their friends and church youth groups, for a week of primitive camping at a music festival in the hills of Pennsylvania called Creation Fest. We all have many fond memories of our times there. It is my hope that you and I are forming those fond memories and friendships as we share together each day on our Wisdom-Trek.

Let’s get started for today and dig for more nuggets of wisdom as we explore Proverbs [6:20]-29. This chapter in Proverbs is referred to as…

Lessons for Daily Life

Today I will read the entire passage, and then we will break it down into small segments as we dive deeper into our exploration.

²⁰My son, obey your father’s commands,
and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
²¹Keep their words always in your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
²²When you walk, their counsel will lead you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake up, they will advise you.
²³For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.
²⁴It will keep you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
²⁵Don’t lust for her beauty.
Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.
²⁶For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,
but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.
²⁷Can a man scoop a flame into his lap
and not have his clothes catch on fire?
²⁸Can he walk on hot coals
and not blister his feet?
²⁹So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife.
He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

So now let’s do a deep dive into the verses.

²⁰My son, obey your father’s commands,
and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
²¹Keep their words always in your heart.
Tie them around your neck.

We should love wisdom. Wisdom should be in our hearts and in our minds. We keep wisdom in our minds or hearts by constantly being aware of the choices that we make. Wisdom should be so evident in our lives it is as if we are wearing a very noticeable necklace. We should always live in a wise manner.

²²When you walk, their counsel will lead you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake up, they will advise you.

This is a theme of Wisdom-Trek…Life is like a journey. Wisdom will guide us each day. Wisdom will help us to make the right decisions. At night when we sleep, our wise decisions will protect us. As we wake, we can think about wisdom.

The relationship between God and us must be like this. God will guide us to make good decisions every day. The Bible will teach us the right way. At night, God watches over us. He protects us. As we wake, we should think about God’s word.

²³For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.

This is similar to Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” God will provide us a clear path to each day of our trek.

²⁴It will keep you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.

²⁵Don’t lust for her beauty.
Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.

Solomon is writing about sex in these verses, but it can also be applied to other evil actions. It seems like sex drives so much of society, and it has in every age since creation. It stems back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve desired the forbidden fruit more than they desired to obey God.

Sometimes an idea about an evil action attracts us, or some other compulsion we may have. Sometimes we want to do evil things. It is our forbidden fruit. But we should refuse to do evil things. Solomon has taught this lesson to us before in both Proverbs 2 and 5. He will also explain the same lesson in Proverbs 7. He repeats the lesson because it is important and so prevalent in every culture and society. As Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.”

In Proverbs [6:25]-29, Solomon explains about punishment. A husband will punish the man that sleeps with the husband’s wife. In the same way, our evil behavior leads to punishment. God will always punish our evil behavior, either directly or through the consequences we may suffer because of our unwise choices. There are punishments in this world, for example, either physical prisons or prisons of addictions that we find ourselves trapped in. The Bible teaches us about heaven and hell after we die. Everyone has done evil things, so everyone must turn to God. We all must trust God because only God can forgive us. When Jesus died, he suffered our eternal punishment in our place.

When Jesus died, he suffered our eternal punishment in our place.

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²⁶For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,
but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.

If a man has sex with a woman, she might use him to her advantage. She may require money for her services. Spending money for sex will bring a person to poverty, and it can become an addiction. She might put him in danger of diseases also. If you have an affair with a married person, it could cause such anger from the offended spouse that even if physical death does not occur, spiritual death could. The analogy follows in the last three verses of this segment.

²⁷Can a man scoop a flame into his lap
and not have his clothes catch on fire?
²⁸Can he walk on hot coals
and not blister his feet?
²⁹So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife.
He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

Fire is dangerous. It can burn you. Use fire carefully! Sex is also dangerous when it is outside of marriage. You should only have sex with your husband or wife and only within the confines of marriage. Otherwise, it is dangerous. Be careful!

Our evil actions are dangerous. Escape from evil things! Don’t partake of the forbidden fruit, which is anything in our lives that is contrary to God’s precepts in His Word. Trust in God!

Today we dug up more important wisdom nuggets. Let’s learn to obey God’s commands and resist the forbidden fruit of sin on our daily trek of life. That is the only way that we will find true peace and joy in our lives. Let’s ponder the wisdom in this passage and also encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue to dig for those nuggets of wisdom from Proverbs [6:30]-35.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 198 – Proverbs 6:12-19 Lessons for Daily Life #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 08:03:11 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 198 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs [6:12]-19 Lessons for Daily Life #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 198 of our Trek, and for this week, we will stay at camp digging for nuggets of wisdom as we continue our exploration into the book of Proverbs Chapter 6. Yesterday we explored verses 6-11, and today we will explore verses 12-19. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was nice to be able to attend church services on Sunday with our local gathering of Christ followers. Since we were in Marietta the last several weeks, it had been about a month since we were in Charlotte on a Sunday. On Sunday evening, we went on our annual shopping date at Ollie’s Discount Store to pick up a few items for the grandkids. They have one evening a year prior to Christmas when all toys are 25% off and everything else is 15% off, so Paula and I have set this time aside for several years. Both of us are rather frugal by nature, so this is an enjoyable time together, especially knowing the prices are extra low.

We did get a call from our renovation contractor on Friday about the work they are doing in The Big House, and we were glad to hear that they are making good progress. With us being out of the house and the fact that we prepared the two front rooms, the foyer, and downstairs hallway, they were able to get most of the drywall on the ceilings, start patchwork on the cracks in the walls, and fix a pocket door that had a broken track. We are excited to return on Christmas Eve to see the progress.

Let’s get started for today as we remain at camp sitting around a nice warm fire. Visualize the smoke’s gentle wisps in the air and the flames that leap from the logs burning brightly. I find staring into a campfire almost mesmerizing. In the same way, if we are not careful of who we associate with, we can become mesmerized by their philosophies. Let’s look for this today as we dig for more nuggets of wisdom as we explore Proverbs Chapter [6:12]-19. This chapter in Proverbs is referred to as…

Lessons for Daily Life

Today I will read this segment, and then we will dive deeper into our exploration.

¹²What are worthless and wicked people like?
They are constant liars,
¹³signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,
a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
¹⁴Their perverted hearts plot evil,
and they constantly stir up trouble.
¹⁵But they will be destroyed suddenly,
broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

Sometimes, an evil person is easy to identify, but other times, we must be careful. There are many that have perfected the practice of lying to the point it is even difficult for that person to realize it. Jesus was very stern when he described such a person. In John 8:44, Jesus was confronting the group of people that did not believe He was God’s son. Jesus said,“For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

The basic nature of evil people in Proverbs 6:12-15 says that they are liars. They are dangerous to associate with because their evil plans are secret. His signals are small, but these signals might help us to identify him. In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus tells us to be careful when we are around them, so we do not become influenced by them. This is what Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

If we see a poisonous tree, its fruit is poisonous. If we see a good tree (for example, an apple tree), its fruit is good.

Consider the actions of the people in Proverbs 6:12-15. In verse 12, he speaks false words. Such behavior is not good. It warns us about their true character. In verse 14, they plan, or plot evil. It does not just happen. It always begins in the mind, and is revealed in actions. This type of person’s behavior is evil. We should not trust them. We have to be careful that we do not become like these people. God is just, and His justice cannot be mocked as is told to us in Galatians 6:7-8, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”

Let us continue to dig for the nuggets of wisdom found in verses 16-19.

¹⁶There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
¹⁷haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
¹⁸a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
¹⁹a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

Verses 16-19 use a different style of poetry. The poet writes a list of things that God opposes.

This style is also in Proverbs 30 and in the Book of Amos. The numbers in these lists are not important. However, the subjects are important. Here the poet tells us that God hates these evil actions.

Verse 17

“Haughty or proud eyes” – The poet is describing someone who is proud. He mentions“eyes” because we see other people with our eyes. How we think about others shows in our eyes. Proverbs 27:19 says, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” The evil person thinks that he is greater than other people. Perhaps he even thinks that he is greater than God. God opposes proud people. God wants us to be humble. Once again we see this person is a liar, and when you have hatred in your heart for others, it is a short step to murder.

How we think about others shows in our eyes.

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Verse 18

Remember, in Scripture “mind” and “heart” mean the same. God knows our thoughts. He knows our secret plans.

Verse 19

Once again this person is pointed out to be a liar – that is his very nature. It is not wise to be a person who is constantly planting seeds of strife, especially within families. Contrast this verse with Psalm 133:1, “How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”

“Brothers” does not only mean family members here. It can also mean neighbors and friends. It could even mean nations. Peace is good – it is God’s gift. Sometimes a war might be necessary if, for example, atrocities are being committed in the same way as with the Nazis during World War II. However, even in war, we must look after people and try to work for peace. We should always pray for peace.

Today as we remained in camp and dug up more wisdom nuggets, we learned to not be the type of person described here. Also, we need to not spend a lot of time with this type of person. As we consider these wisdom nuggets, associate with like-minded people that will encourage you and help you to grow. In the same way, encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue to dig for those nuggets of wisdom from Proverbs Chapter [6:20]-29.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 197 – Proverbs 6:6-11 Lessons for Daily Life #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 08:03:35 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 197 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs 6:6-11 Lessons for Daily Life #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 198 of our Trek, and for this week, we will stay at camp digging for nuggets of wisdom as we continue our exploration into the book of Proverbs, starting with Chapter 6. Yesterday we explored verses 1-5, and today we will explore verses 6-11. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Saturday Paula and I were able to finish up with a few Christmas decorations in the house which turned out simplistic but are a nice touch. The remainder of the day was spent working on financial transactions for our Arizona construction project. The project is significant in size, and we are catching up from a delay due to computer issues on the site. Although we initially had set aside the day for 2016 business planning, this project was certainly a top priority for Saturday. I am trying to learn the lessons from Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps...”

As we enjoy the time at camp and around the campfire today, let’s start digging for those precious nuggets of wisdom as we explore Proverbs Chapter 6:6-11. This chapter in Proverbs is referred to as…

Lessons for Daily Life

Today I will read this segment, and then we will dive deeper into our exploration.

⁶Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
Learn from their ways and become wise!
⁷Though they have no prince
or governor or ruler to make them work,
⁸they labor hard all summer,
gathering food for the winter.
⁹But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
When will you wake up?
¹⁰A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
¹¹then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Now let’s dive into the individual verses starting with 6-8.

As Christians, you should work at the tasks that God has given to you. You might have a job or work for yourself. You might stay at home and take care of your families. You might work for a church or other non-profit organization. Regardless of what you do, it is your ministry before God, and you should work on it with your full attention and do your very best. Whatever we do, we should not be lazy.

Whatever we do, we should not be lazy.

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Solomon writes about the work ethics of ants. If you have ever studied how ants work or had an ant farm when you were young, you understand how very hard they do work. Ants work together in groups with no discernable leader except the instinctive behavior God made them with. They are wise because they store food. They do not waste their time, and they are very industrious.

Dealing with lazy people is as old as creation. In 2 Thessalonians 3:10-13, some Christians refused to work. The church gave food to them. Paul told the church not to do this. “Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: ‘Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.’ Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.”

“Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”

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Paul obeyed this lesson himself. Daily, he spoke about God to the people. However, the church did not provide Paul’s wages. Paul deserved money because he spent time ministering God’s Word. Although Paul deserved money, he did not accept money from the church. Instead, he decided to work. He made tents. He earned enough money for himself, and also for other Christian workers. He worked very hard. Paul did this because Jesus taught the same as is written in Acts 20:3, “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

We also must work to help other people that truly are in need as James 2:14-17 states, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, ‘Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well’—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

These are some very strong arguments to work hard and do good to others.

Now let’s dig up verses 9-11.

⁹But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
When will you wake up?
¹⁰A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
¹¹then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Solomon continues emphasizing that we must not be lazy. When it is time to work, we must not sleep. In verse 9, Solomon asks the sleeper how long he will sleep. In verse 10, we hear what the sleeper thinks. He does not want to get up. However, he must wake. It is time to work. It is as if a thief is at the door. The sleeper must act responsibly. Otherwise, he is in great trouble. He might lose everything because of his laziness. As with all bad habits if we neglect our duties of the work that God has provided for us then we will be robbed of the rich and satisfying life that God intends for us.

A similar analogy is made to be alert and ready for Christ 2^nd coming. Since no one knows when that will be, we need to be working to build God’s kingdom each day and not be lazy and unprepared. 1 Thessalonians 5:4-8 states, “But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.”

Today, the wisdom nuggets encourage us to work hard and be industrious like the ants. We are not to be lazy or to love sleep. If we do, we will end up in poverty. In the same way, we are to be alert, ministering to others as we wait for Christ’s return. As we consider these wisdom nuggets, I ask you to be diligent in sharing Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family. Encourage them to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue to dig for those nuggets of wisdom from Proverbs Chapter 6 verses 12-19.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 196 – Proverbs 6:1-5 Lessons for Daily Life #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 13 Dec 2015 08:03:49 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 196 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Proverbs 6:1-5 Lessons for Daily Life #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 196 of our Trek, and yesterday we finished our hike to the summit of Rationalize Mountain as we learned to make better and more logical decisions ourselves and to assist others in making better decisions. Today and for this next week, we will remain in camp digging for nuggets of wisdom as we continue our exploration into the book of Proverbs, starting with Chapter 6. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Friday evening Paula and I had the privilege of watching a live performance of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” put on by the Intune School of Arts. The acting and singing were excellent. They also had a short gospel message at the end, which tied in well with the storyline of the play.

Today and throughout this next week, we will remain in camp and dig through Proverbs Chapter 6 for nuggets of wisdom. As if we were digging for real gold, the lessons learned may be difficult, and we will soon find out that all of us have dirty hands and mud caked under our fingernails. We will also learn, though, how we can wash that dirt away and be completely clean. Proverbs Chapter 6 is referred to as…

Lessons for Daily Life

Today we will dig through Verses 1-5, but let’s first look at Verses 1-2.

¹My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt
or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—
²if you have trapped yourself by your agreement
and are caught by what you said—

In this poem, Solomon compares our mistakes to a hunter’s trap. When a hunter works, he may build traps. He hides his traps so that animals will not see them. He hopes that the animals will fall into his traps. Then he can kill and eat the animals.

In our lives, our mistakes can be like traps. Perhaps we want to do the right thing. Perhaps our plans are good. But our best plans could fail. Then, like a trap, our plans can destroy us.

In our lives, our mistakes can be like traps.

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This passage specifically refers to co-signing on the debt for another person. In verse 1, Solomon’s son had good intentions. He wanted to help his friend because his friend did not have good credit to borrow money on his own. The son trusted the friend. The son tried to do the right thing, but in the end, the friend was unable to pay. In the agreement, Solomon’s son promised to pay if his friend could not. The lender now expects Solomon’s son to pay. The son’s plan failed, and now he is in danger.

Our own choices can become like traps, even when they seem harmless at first.

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Sometimes we place ourselves in danger. Our own choices can become like traps, even when they seem harmless at first. In today’s society, many people suffer from all sorts of addictions. This could be alcohol, dangerous drugs, pornography, sex outside of marriage, or even food. Originally, you just want to enjoy yourself, even if you realize that it is outside of God’s precepts. Once addicted to the substance or behavior, though, when you try to stop, you will fail. Now you must turn back to God and ask Him to help you. God is greater than all addictions, of course, and he can free you from those addictions. But we still may suffer some of the physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences. As you ask God to free you from the traps that you may find yourself in, keep in mind that He may work through the assistance of a doctor or counselor to help you.

We all do wrong things against God. This behavior is like a trap. We cannot free ourselves. Paul wrote in Romans 7:21-24, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” But there is an answer to this problem. God can free us. If we ask God, then he will forgive us. And he will help us to control our behavior. He will teach discipline to us. Paul continued in verse 25, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”

Now that we know that the answer is Jesus Christ, Paul continues to explain how we will be freed from these traps and addictions in Romans 8:1-2, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”

Let’s move on to Verse 3 as Solomon continues to teach his son with a possible solution for co-signing his friend’s debt.

³follow my advice and save yourself,
for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.
Now swallow your pride;
go and beg to have your name erased.

Be humble! The Bible warns us not to be proud. Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, “Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.'”

Also in James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”

If Solomon’s son was too proud to acknowledge his mistake, he could not escape. He is like an animal in a trap. He cannot free himself. He must ask for freedom. He must ask for help.

We have all done wrong things against God. We must be humble. We must ask God to forgive us. Only God can do this.

Now on to verse 4.

⁴Don’t put it off; do it now!
Don’t rest until you do.

If we desire to be free from the sins we commit and if we want freedom, then we must not hesitate, procrastinate, or be lazy. We must not delay until tomorrow. If we delay, then we might never take action.

God calls us to trust him now. Do not be like King Agrippa. Paul spoke to the king in Acts 26:28 about Jesus. Agrippa answered,“Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” He was not ready to trust God. Perhaps he was never ready to trust God.

Earlier, Paul spoke to a ruler called Felix in Acts 24:25, “As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming Day of Judgment, Felix became frightened. ‘Go away for now,’ he replied. ‘When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.’” Felix never trusted God. He waited. Although he spoke again to Paul, Felix never found the “convenient time” to trust in God.

Now on to Verse 5.

⁵Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,
like a bird fleeing from a net.

When we need to be freed from our actions that do not please God, we should act quickly, like an animal that runs to escape from a hunter.

Today the wisdom nuggets that we discovered showed us how easy it is to get trapped by behavior and habits that go against God’s precepts that are found in His Word. We must be vigilant to stay away from the traps of life, but if we do find ourselves in a trap, then we are to seek God to free us. As we consider these wisdom nuggets, please share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family. Encourage them to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue to dig for those nuggets of wisdom from Proverbs Chapter 6:6-11.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 195 – Rationalize or Rational Lies? Part 2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 12 Dec 2015 08:03:35 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 195 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Rationalize or Rational Lies? Part 2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 195 of our Trek, and yesterday we started our hike up Rationalize Mountain to determine some of the reasons why we rationalize all sorts of actions and behaviors in our lives. Today we will finish our hike to the summit as we learn to make better and more logical decisions ourselves and to assist others in making better decisions. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. If all goes according to our plan, we will spend most of Saturday laying out the groundwork and business plan for our new business segment. Starting in 2016 we will be creating a community of Christian podcasters called Christian Podcasting Network. We will start small, but during 2016, our plan is to grow the network to the level where we will be considered the authority and premier platform for podcasters who are Christ followers. This will include podcasts covering all areas of life and business. Some may be Christian themed podcasts while others will cover all areas of life and business from a Biblical worldview.

The remainder of our hike today takes us to the summit, and we have a lot of ground to cover on the trail called…

Rationalize or Rational Lies – Which Is It? #2

3. Making Rational Decisions

Here’s an interesting thought. Once you stop living under the illusion of being an entirely rational human being, it actually helps you to make more rational decisions!

When you realize emotions are driving your decisions, you can use that to your advantage. You realize that your feelings are an important part of the decision-making process. So how you feel about the decisions you make this week, this month, and this next year, especially from a moral and ethical standpoint, is much more important than satisfying your ego or self-image today. When making decisions, always consider the long term consequences physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. This will give you the strength to make rational decisions instead of rationalizing the decisions that you make.

When making decisions, always consider the long term consequences.

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Let’s look at two examples:

First, say you love donuts. Who doesn’t love a warm Krispy Kreme glazed donut? They taste so yummy as they literally melt in your mouth. Yet, after eating several of them, you notice they actually make you feel pretty bad afterward. I don’t mean bad as in “Oh, I shouldn’t have eaten that” bad. I mean actually, physically bad. Starting about half an hour after eating the donuts, you start feeling bloated, lethargic, and slightly irritable.

Although donuts make you feel great while eating them, you also rationally realized they make you feel bad for hours afterward, not even considering the health implications. When you think logically, you can decide in advance that it simply isn’t worth eating the donuts. You will even feel better financially for not spending money. So you can use logic to control your decisions.

To look at another example, consider this idea…I don’t think any of us like paying taxes, but they are needed for a civilized society to function and do result in many benefits for us. Most of us don’t feel like the government spends the tax revenue wisely. So when you are doing your taxes, do you rationalize cheating on your tax return or consider not filing at all? This is not only illegal, but it can bring much grief if you are ever audited. In this situation, you need to plan and make rational and wise financial decisions throughout the course of each year. There are many ways to minimize your taxes legally so that you do not pay more than you owe.

Plan and make rational and wise financial decisions throughout the course of each year.

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As a Christ Follower, I have to sadly admit, that those who profess to be Christians seem to be very prone to rationalize all sorts of behaviors in their own lives. We rationalize our behaviors while condemning and judging others for different but similar behaviors. Jesus addressed this issue in the good news according to Luke 6:41-43, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying, ‘Friend let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Awareness of when we are rationalizing our decisions based on our emotions is absolutely crucial if you want to grow personally. To make conscious changes to your life, you first need awareness. So…once you become aware of rationalizing, you can stop it and learn from your mistakes.

Let’s return to the example at the beginning of yesterday’s podcast, where a salesperson convinced you to buy a cool gadget, but once you got home, you realized it’s not really what you wanted. If you weren’t aware of rationalizing, you would quite likely fall victim to cognitive dissonance. That’s where you can’t hold two conflicting beliefs in your mind at the same time. In this case, I make rational decisions as one thought, and this gadget I bought is useless as the second.

If you hold tightly to the premise that you make fully rational decisions, you would have to rationalize buying the gadget. You would come up with a whole list of features it has to convince your conscious mind it was actually a good idea to buy it.

Once you understand that all humans are prone to rationalization, you don’t have to do that. You will realize you made an irrational decision based on your emotions. You will accept the fact that you bought a gadget that you don’t really need and should not be spending money on. Then you will make sure you don’t make the same mistake in the future. You just learned from your mistake!

4. Influence Others to Make Rational Decisions

When I talk about influencing others, I don’t mean it in a negative way.

I am focused on the positive impact that we should always have on others, in all areas of life. This is part of the legacy that we are living each day.

Just as with ourselves, others make decisions based on what they want. So when you try to have a positive impact on someone, remember:

People don’t make decisions based on what they need.
People don’t make decisions based on what you think they need.
People don’t make decisions based on what you think they should want.
People make decisions based on what they want.

People don't make decisions based on what they need, they make decisions on what they want.

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Just as with yourself, to impact others, you have to help them learn that all decisions have consequences. Lovingly help them to understand that when making decisions, they need to always consider the long term consequences. All decisions do impact us physically, emotionally, financially, and spiritually. Rationalization of bad or unwise decisions will limit their ability to make wise and rational choices in the future.

If you want to help someone make a positive change in his or her life, remember to meet him or her where he or she is and not in a judgmental way. Help the person to see the wisdom in making rational decisions, and frame it in a way they can understand.

Always remember, we are all on this trek of life together. We are all prone to rationalize the decisions that we make. Let us make sure that we remove the log from our own eye so we can see clearly to help others remove the speck from their eye.

On our Trek to the summit of Rationalize Mountain, we have learned much about the decisions that we make. Let’s apply this learning each day. One rational decision you can make today is to share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family. Encourage them to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we remain in camp for a week and resume digging for nuggets of wisdom in the book of Proverbs, continuing with chapter 6.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 194 – Rationalize or Rational Lies? Part 1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 08:03:21 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 194 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Rationalize or Rational Lies? Part 1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 194 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned the importance of collecting the dots on your trail of life so that you can connect the dots as you move forward in your trek of life. Today and tomorrow we are going to hike Rationalize Mountain and determine some of the reasons why we rationalize all sorts of actions and behaviors in our lives. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Paula and I are looking forward to a “date-night” on Friday as we were gifted tickets to a performance of Charles Dickens, The Christmas Carol. It is one of our favorite stories of the Christmas season.

Let’s begin our Trek for today to see how far we can hike, and then we will finish up the hike tomorrow. As we view Rationalize Mountain from the foothills, we start to come up with reasons why we just might not want to move forward. We might not want to face the fact that when we start to rationalize our actions in life, most of the time we are just telling ourselves “rational” lies to justify the actions that we take. So our Trek today will be called…

Rationalize or Rational Lies – which is it? #1

Are you rationalizing your decisions? Let me answer that for you real quick. Yes, you are. We all do. I do and so do you. Even the very first two humans Adam and Eve rationalized their choice in the Garden of Eden as is written in Genesis 3:11-13, “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

Let’s move forward on our hike and we will discover:

Why we humans rationalize our decisions
The difference between what we think influences our decisions, and what really influences our decisions
How being aware of this can help you make better decisions
How it can help you influence others by appealing to the right motives

1. Why We Rationalize

We humans rationalize our decisions. All of us. Every day. But I can show you how to spot when you’re rationalizing your decisions and how to discover the real reasons behind your decisions. Then, I will show you how to use this to start making rational decisions.

We rationalize to protect our egos.

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Let’s say you go to an electronics store and a salesperson talks you into buying the newest gadget that has dozens of features you don’t need. Then you get home, and someone asks you why you bought it. You might well answer, “Well it does this and that, and it has this really cool feature, and look how useful this little feature is!”

The problem is that you find out that you really don’t end up using many of those features ever again after the first time you try them. This shows you that you didn’t really buy the gadget for those features. You bought it because you had a rush of emotions and you really wanted that gadget at the store. And when someone points out you made a silly decision there, you rationalize with all the features to show you actually made a good decision. So there’s your first reason why we humans rationalize…

· We rationalize to protect our egos.

But that’s not the only reason. Another reason is that we like to think we act rationally. We like to think we make all our decisions based on logic.

If you’re thinking right now “I do make all my decision based on logic!” then this podcast may make you a little uncomfortable. I don’t expect you to immediately accept my premise. I’m just asking you to keep an open mind and consider what I have to say. And, as you’re listening to this, try to think of times in your life when what I’m saying might have been true.

In a moment, I’m going to show you that you don’t make all your decisions rationally, but also that it doesn’t mean you’re an irrational impulsive being fully controlled by your emotions. As with everything that’s human, the truth lies somewhere in between.

Let’s continue upwards on our trail as we consider another reason why we rationalize. As our example, let’s think about the argument between using a Windows-based PC or a MAC. Since we have been in the technology industry for over 30 years, we started in business at the birth of the personal computer era. The argument on whether a PC or MAC is the better computer is based on the individual, desires, and finances. The argument between those two choices continues every day. It used to be more distinct, but with so many web-based programs, the traditional arguments are fading. You weigh the pros and cons and then make a logical decision…Or did you rationalize again and make a decision actually based on emotion? The second reason we rationalize is…

· We like to maintain the self-image of logical, rational beings.

The decisions you make are closely tied to your self-image. I might be making you seriously uncomfortable there if you never considered this before. Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to immediately give up your self-image. I’m just asking you to keep an open mind and consider the possibility that I might be right. I’ll try to show you some compelling reasons in the rest of this podcast today and tomorrow. Then you can watch for it in your own life and decide if I’m right based on your own personal experience.

2. What We Think Influences Our Decisions vs. What Really Influences Our Decisions

Here are a few questions for you to consider:

Why are motorcycles owned mostly by men?
Why do men participate in team sports so much more than women?
Why are men more fascinated by technological gadgets while women are fascinated by clothing and shoes?

Here’s a hint. None of the answers are based on logic.

Take a few moments to consider those questions. While I don’t usually generalize, here are some answers to the questions above.

Men have a biologically hardwired need for the feeling of freedom, more so than women. Men appear to have a greater need for significance while women need security. Both are emotionally driven traits.
Men have a hardwired need to be more competitive and know our rank among other males. It’s about the whole alpha male – beta male hierarchy. In the past, we used to fight each other to find out who’s the dominant guy. Today, since we’re civilized, we use sports and other forms of competition instead. Once again, this is an emotion with little logic.
This is a little more difficult to determine, and you may not agree with me. My thoughts are that males may be more naturally curious about new devices and they desire to know how they work while women care much more how they look. There are always exceptions, but generally most men don’t have the fashion sense that women do.

Okay, even if you don’t fully agree with my answers above, here’s a realization I’d like you to take away…Not everything we do has a logical reason behind it. So what influences our decisions?

We like to feel good about ourselves. We like to feel important. We like to feel attractive. We like to feel loved. Notice a pattern there? Emotions drive most of our decisions.

Sure, you use perceived logic in carrying those needs out. You desire to buy cars, boats, clothing, and jewelry that are more expensive than you really need even if you go into debt to do so. Once you make the decision to purchase in your mind, you logically decide on the parameters that make the right decision, and logically decide how much you can afford to spend, and then you logically justify the purchase.

Emotions drive most of our decisions.

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The above paragraph might be a bit confusing. But that’s because our thought processes are pretty complicated. We are always mixing emotions and logic when making decisions. Just remember one thing. The first step is always made by emotions, never by logic.

On the first part of our hike up Rationalize Mountain we explored why we rationalize when making decisions. Tomorrow we will finish our hike as we explore how to make better decisions ourselves, and how we can help others make better decisions. One good decision is to share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue our hike up Rationalize Mountain.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 193 – Collecting and Connecting the Dots

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 10 Dec 2015 08:03:33 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 193 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Collecting and Connecting the Dots

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 193 of our Trek, and yesterday we hiked the “Ink It” Trail where we learned how to “Ink it when we think it.” Today we are going to collect the dots on our trail so that we can connect the dots as we move forward on our trek of life. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As I got up this morning at [5:30] as I usually do, I was really tired after a couple of nights of sleep that were way too short and a very busy workday yesterday. I was dragging a bit and not real enthused about a fast run on the treadmill…but I did push through and started on the first of two 5k maps that were next on my list of pre-programmed runs. As a side note, having Google Maps built into the treadmill through a wireless internet connection is really neat. I went ahead and set out at a fast pace. The front room where the treadmill is located in Home2 faces east, and as I looked out the window, I saw a sliver of moon and to the right of it, the bright and morning star. It was a beautiful picture. (Yes, I do realize that is actually the planet of Venus).

Seeing this was encouraging as I thought of how Christ is referred to as the morning star in 2 Peter 2:19, “Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” It certainly made running the remainder of the 10k easier and more enjoyable. I want to encourage you to look for those special moments that are part of each day. Those moments are happening all around us, so make it a habit to collect them as we see how they connect to our lives.

On today’s Trek, we want to make a habit of collecting the dots in life so that we can connect them to see how God is working through us each day. It is then that we will achieve true success and live the rich and satisfying life that we should. We will call our trek today…

Connecting the Dots

In 2011, Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer and Pixar gave a commencement address to the graduating class at Stanford University. He talked about creating passion, life, and death, and “connecting the dots.” The dots were events in his life, many challenging and many positive, which led to his many successes. He shared with the audience that being fired from Apple Computer, the computer company he founded, he was able to step back and develop the idea for Pixar Animation Studios. By achieving the great success at Pixar, he was eventually asked to come back to lead Apple Computer. This eventually led him to spearhead the launching of one of the most revolutionary products of the 21st century…the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. He explained that he felt that he would never have achieved his successes without his failures and setbacks. He was able to connect the dots to see how it all added up.

So I ask you, “Have you connected your dots?”

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Here are five reasons why taking the time to connect the dots will give you a roadmap for success in your life.

1. All dots are good.

Many times we face challenges in our lives that when we are in the middle of them they seem difficult, and making us look like and feel like failures. This is because we are focused on the imagined “downside” of the challenge. We lose focus on the good that can come out of the situation. Even in difficult times, always be looking for something that you can learn from them. A lesson learned is never negative if we apply what we learn to improve ourselves. So remember, all dots are good. It’s the way we look at them that determines whether they will show us a better way or just be black dots in our life with no discernable purpose.

2. Be willing to go to the next dot.

Due to past “negative” experiences, many times we avoid new challenges because we want to feel “safe.” How many times have you heard the following?

“I’m never dating again because of my past experiences with…”
“I don’t want to take on the new project because it is too high profile, and I might fail.”
“I don’t want the promotion because of what happened the last time…”

If we learn from our past experiences in life, it will make us even better prepared for new opportunities. On our trek of life, if we want to dig for the nuggets of wisdom as if they were gold, then we have to dig through a whole lot of mud to find them. In other words, we all need to experience the dirt under our fingernails and the sweat rolling down our face and back in life to know and appreciate the real opportunities that will help us daily to be creating our living legacy.

3. Accelerate the dots in your life.

It is so easy to trudge along in life making very little progress, but that is not what we were destined for. You can speed the amount of success by continuously learning. Continuously work on improving yourself in every area of your life. Focus on certain areas, and as you start to master those, then move to other areas of your life. As you practice what the Japanese refer to as Kaizen, which is the process of continuous improvement, then you will be prepared to open the windows of opportunity as you come to them.

One of the best ways to learn is by volunteering or being an apprentice to a skilled master. This may not provide immediate monetary gain, but the skills learned will be invaluable. As you learn you are collecting and then connecting the dots of life, and you will accelerate your progress.

4. Collect multiple dots with wisdom.

There are no real shortcuts in life, but we can speed the process of dot collection and connection by gaining wisdom. It is my hope that by listening and learning from the Wisdom-Trek episodes, your progress will speed up. We have heard about people who have “instant” success and then lose it all almost as fast. This happens when those people never acquired the wisdom needed to maintain their success. Take the time necessary to learn from the events in your life, but keep in mind the saying, “Smart people learn from their mistakes; truly wise people learn from other people’s mistakes.”

5. Go forward and connect the dots.

Take time to plan your future events and goals based on your past events. Analyze the positive outcomes from those events and use them to plan for the future. That is the secret to true success. So go forward, motivate yourself, connect the dots, and realize your roadmap to success.

So on our Trek today, we collected and then connected the dots for success. Keep in mind that the quickest way to gain the additional wisdom needed to speed this process can be found in God’s Word in verses like Psalms 119:105,“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” As you continue through each day collecting and connecting your dots, please share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we hike Rationalize Mountain.

If you would like to be added to our weekly email update and special publications from Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 192 – Productivity – Hiking the Ink It Trail

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 08:03:09 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 192 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Productivity – Hiking the Ink It Trail

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 192 of our Trek, and yesterday we climbed and conquered Alibi Mountain as we bypassed all of the “If Only” rabbit trails. Today we are going to hike the Ink It Trail where we will learn how to “Ink it when we think it.” If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. What a great time to be alive! Just to think that through our computers, we can communicate with anyone all over the world nearly instantaneously is amazing. The adoption of the internet worldwide, and especially mobile technology, is growing so rapidly. We must not overlook the opportunities that will allow us to impact others.

One area that I will be pursuing going into 2016 is to establish a community of podcasters that are Christ followers to provide them with a platform for services and support. This will be called The Christian Podcasting Network, and if you are interested in receiving additional information about it when we roll it out, email me at guthrie@venturecg.com. The impact that we can have in the faith community has a tremendous potential worldwide.

World-Wide Impact

One word of caution though, with so much information online we can become easily overloaded with more information than we can effectively process if we are not careful. That is why we must put into place a system to capture those great ideas so that we can implement them when the time is right. We can’t possibly act on all of our ideas, so capturing them is essential.

Sensory Overload

On today’s Trek, we want to dig up some nuggets of wisdom that I discovered from Laura Stack, who refers to herself as “The Productivity Pro.” Playing off her terminology, our hike today will be along the “Ink It” trail. On our hike for today we will learn one of the best ways of…

Increasing Productivity: If You Think It, Ink It!

John Steinbeck said:

Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.

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Laura Stack’s father had a saying he used to repeat often. He always carried around one of those little Mead spiral notebooks, which he liked to call “his brain,” and whenever an idea would strike him he’d write it down and say, “If you think it, ink it!”

Laura’s dad was correct. You can’t depend on your brain to remember everything, especially when you’re in the middle of another task. Nor is it a good idea to drop the task you’re working on and go wandering off after the new idea. Oh, you can do that…But if you make a habit of it, you’ll never finish anything, and you will waste hours in your day. No wonder so many people feel they are ADHD. With sensory overload today, it so easy to get distracted.

So, when you have a random thought that sounds good, get it down on paper (or electronics) ASAP. You can use a little notebook, a handheld device like a smartphone, a compact voice recorder, 3 x 5 index card, or a standardized planner—whatever works for you.

I personally use Evernote which is loaded on my phone, tablet, and all computers because it syncs the exact information everywhere. For about a year before I started the Wisdom-Trek podcast, I started compiling a list of topics for daily episodes. My list contains nearly 300 topics, with more being added as I check off the ones that I have already completed. This is all handled within Evernote. No matter what I am doing or where I am, I can record an idea or clip an article and put it in Evernote. This allows me to “Ink it when I think it.” Then my brain is available to continue working on the task at hand, and I don’t have to be concerned if I will remember it later.

Fishing for Ideas

It’s been said that ideas are like slippery little fish that you have to capture with a pencil, or else they’ll get away. And as the saying goes, “The dullest pencil (pixel on an electronic device) is keener than the sharpest mind.” So capture your great idea however you may, and get right back to your original task.

The dullest pencil is keener than the sharpest mind.

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Another great thing about recording your ideas is that when you do so, your brain will think you’ve done something about it and stop bugging you, so you can focus. Even if your idea is of the non-bugging kind, if you write it down, you don’t have to waste any energy trying to remember it later. It’s recorded right there in black and white. By “inking” it, you’ve made it real.

Fishing for Ideas

And oddly enough, writing down your ideas often seems to make you have more of them. That may simply be a function of the fact that you’re just not remembering them all when you don’t record them, but it could also be attributed to God’s divine guidance in our lives allowing our creativity to blossom. Think about how Jesus took the few loaves and fish and when he broke them down, they became much. Matthew 15:36-37 says, “Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food.”

By the time you review your notes, you may have forgotten the idea altogether, so you may just be pleasantly surprised by what you find. And what do you end up with when you’re done? Why, you have a little list of things to do…Now, why does that sound familiar? Yep, you got it. Your ideas (or at least, the best of them) end up on your to-do list so that you can focus your attention on them properly. And if you come up with another brilliant idea while you’re working on your new tasks, well, if you think it, ink it!

From Fish to Seeds

Now, I’ve compared ideas to slippery fish, which you have to capture, but once you’ve done that, they turn into something else. (And I’m not talking about fish sticks here). These ideas you’re struck with—whether while working on something else, completing your daily commute, or sleeping in the middle of the night—become seeds once you gather them in. They may never germinate, of course, and even if they’re viable, you may never use them. You can’t do everything you imagine because there’s just not enough time!

But if you carry those little idea seeds around with you like Johnny Appleseed, you may very well come across fertile soil in which they can sprout. That’s when you plant them in the ground and stand back so you can see what they’ll become. This reminds me of the principle of planting and harvesting that is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.”

Ideas are important for everyone. Even the most daring and ambitious of undertakings, from the Great Wall of China to the International Space Station, started as nothing more than an idea that someone eventually recorded. Once they did that, it went from meditation to action and changed the world.

So in our Trek of the Ink It trail, make it a habit when you think it, then ink all of your ideas. Don’t judge them, just record them. Then later, when you have time, you can keep the good and take action on them and set aside the ones that may not be feasible, at least in this season of life. Each day think of ways to impact your world. One way is to share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we explore how to collect and then connect the dots.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 191 – Conquering Alibi Mountain

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 08 Dec 2015 08:03:00 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 191 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Conquering Alibi Mountain

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 191 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned how to overcome the obstacles of conflict that may be blocking your trail to success. Today we are going to climb and conquer Alibi Mountain. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We traveled safely back to Indian Trail arriving late Sunday evening. As always, I am blessed to have Paula drive so that I am able to work on the Wisdom-Trek episodes. Our week is starting out busy as we had anticipated.

We were able to set up our outdoor silhouette Christmas Nativity set, which was made for us by a friend a few years ago. We are also decorating the house for Christmas. It is a little later than usual, but since we were at The Big House since before Thanksgiving, we did not have the prior opportunity. After discussing Christmas with our five grown children, we plan on having our family Christmas celebration on January 9^th at our home in Indian Trail. This will allow them to have their own celebrations with their children on Christmas. Since we travel between The Big House and Home2 so often and the fact that The Big House has additional on-going renovations, this was the best solution where everyone could be present. We are looking forward to our delayed celebration.

On today’s Trek, we want to climb and conquer Alibi Mountain, which is one of the most difficult hikes that we make in our lives. It is so easy to come up with excuses for why we are not able to do or accomplish certain things in life. In our hearts, though, we realize that it boils down to the fact that we don’t want to pay the price in time, energy, or resources to succeed at a certain task. We all do this, and none of us are exempt although there are certain individuals that are much better at coming up with convincing alibis.

It is so easy to come up with excuses for why we are not able to do or accomplish certain things in life. Just stop it!

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So let’s head out now to…

Conquering Alibi Mountain

People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common. They know all the reasons for failure and have what they believe to be valid alibis that are impossible to overcome. Very few realistic goals or ambitions are unachievable, except for in our minds. Now it is true that at 5’ 4” in height, it would be very difficult for me to become a quarterback in the NFL or a center in the NBA, but we are speaking of realistic opportunities that we have in life.

Our true choices that we have available for this season of life are somewhat controlled by choices that we have made in the past. But be very careful that you do not manufacture alibis that are not true. As we hike up Alibi Mountain, let us destroy all of the “If Only” rabbit trails that we find ourselves going down. I will read off each trail as we pass them, and then we can move beyond each one as we scale to success summit.

The “If Only” Rabbit Trails for not achieving in life are…

If only I had time…
If only times were better…
If only other people understood…
If only conditions around me were different…
If only I could live my life over again…
If only I did not fear what “they” would say…
If only I had been given a chance…
If only I were younger…
If only I were older…
If only I were thinner…
If only I were better looking…
If only I were in better health…
If only I had the talent that some people have…
If only I dared assert myself…
If only I had someone to help me…
If only I could just get started…
If only my talents were known…
If only I could just get a “break”…
If only I didn’t have so many worries…
If only I were sure of myself…
If only luck was not against me…
If only I didn’t have to work so hard…
If only I didn’t have the past…
If only other people would listen to me…
If only —and this is the greatest of them all—I had the courage to see myself as I really am…
If only…You fill in the blank with your best alibi.

Building alibis with which to explain away failure is a national pastime. The habit is as old as the human race and is fatal to success!

But we have a resource…the very creator of the universe that we can draw on to provide us with all that we need. Here are a few passages that may help…

Romans 8:15 – So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:38 – And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

1 John 4:18 – Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

2 Peter 1:3 – By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

Matthew 19:26 – Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

As we are approaching the summit of Alibi Mountain, we have passed all of the “If Only” Rabbit Trails. I would encourage you to pursue your dreams and carry on no matter what you face. Think about this as I read the inspirational poem titled…

“Don’t Quit”

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit—
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is odd with its twists and turns,
As everyone sometimes learns.
And many a person turns about
When an individual might have won
had he or she stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with yet another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than it seems that we can
To a faint and faltering woman or man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he or she might have captured the victor’s cup;
And one learned too late when the night came down,
How close he or she was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And when you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst, you mustn’t quit.

So in our trek of life, don’t quit, and you will soon conquer Alibi Mountain. As we reach the summit, our trail leads us to the rich and satisfying life God desires us to have. As you travel through each day, please share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we explore the Ink Trail and the concept of “Ink it when you think it.”

If you would like to be added to our weekly email update and special publications from Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 190 – Overcoming Conflict

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 08:03:17 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 190 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Overcoming Conflict

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 190 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored why it is wise to always discuss issues and not argue. Today on our trail to success, we will learn how to overcome the obstacles of conflict that may be blocking your trail. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Saturday I spent over 9 hours taking down acoustical ceiling tiles, trim, and wallpaper. It required a lot of going up and down on the ladder and removing hundreds of staples that were holding up the tiles using needle nose pliers. Fortunately, the wallpaper came off easily. To say that I was exhausted at the end of the day would be an understatement. The Marietta grandkids came over for the evening and assisted with some final wallpaper removal, and Paula and her mom were a big help picking up most of the tiles and wallpaper.

On Sunday, I spoke at the morning service at Putnam Congregational Church. The lesson was the 5 Principles of Planting and Harvesting, which compared farming to planting and harvesting in our own personal lives. If you would like to hear a similar lesson, listen to Day 15 of our Wisdom-Trek, which is the outline that I used for the lesson today.

After church, we finished packing up the car and headed to Home2 in Indian Trail, North Carolina. We will remain there until Christmas Eve when we will head back north again. We will be at Home2 for about 2 ½ weeks with much work and many activities already planned.

It is now time to head out on our Trek for today, and it has been reported that there are some major obstacles on our trail. The obstacles seem to be caused by conflicts that we are having with other people as well as conflicts that people are having with us. In both types of conflicts, we need to come up with a solution that will get us around or through these obstacles.

Overcome Conflicts Which Block Success

Anytime you are making ground and moving toward success, there will inevitably be the opportunity for conflict. That is just a fact of life. You put two people or more in a group, and there is potential for conflict. And conflict, improperly handled, can destroy your ability to continue on and achieve your goals.

This is true in many areas of life from home, to work, and even with school. It can happen in marriage, and it can happen to family members, friends, and business associates. And when conflict goes bad, success will be limited. The good news is that conflict, when handled properly, can be healthy and actually move you closer to success. Success is based on relationships and relationships offer the chance of conflict, so to get success, you must master conflict. With that in mind, here are some ideas for handling conflict.

When you are the one who is confronting the problem with someone else:

Don’t assume. Don’t assume the worst. Don’t assume that they meant what you think they did. Don’t assume they know any better. Don’t assume they did it on purpose. The fact is that most of the time our assumptions are incorrect and all our assumptions do is cause us to get into a deeper hole.
Ask questions. Since you can’t assume anything, you must begin your confrontation by finding out the facts as that person sees them. Some questions to ask include What was your intention in saying or doing that? (Maybe they had good but misguided intentions.), What were the thoughts behind those words or actions? (Maybe they actually have a well thought out position that you hadn’t thought of.), and Are you aware of how that might have been perceived? (Maybe they just missed how that would be seen. Everybody is entitled to blow it.).
Tell them how you perceive things, or how you feel, rather than what they did. It is never good to start out with telling somebody, “You did this!” Instead, you can say something like, “I feel like your action may have been better if you would have…” Or, “I think that the way that came across may have been…”
Deal with one issue at a time. If they battle back a bit, you may be tempted to say, “Well, that isn’t all! As a matter of fact, a number of us here think that you also need to work on…” If there is another issue, then deal with it at a separate time. Too many conflicts go around and around and don’t end up solving the original issue. Stick to one point and see it through to understanding.

When someone is confronting you:

Don’t take it personally. Worst-case scenario, you blew it. But that doesn’t make you a bad person. So don’t act like they have accused your character (unless they have, in which case you should try to get the conversation back to the facts). When we take things personally, we become even more protective and we tend to become defensive and in the end escalate the conflict even more.
Don’t counterattack. This gets back to dealing with one issue at a time. Don’t try to justify or hide from the conflict the person has with you by showing him or her their problems. If they have a problem, fine. But, talk about it later. Don’t muddy the waters with debate about who is better, or as the case may be, less guilty. As hard as it may be, let the conversation run its course until it is solved.
Ask for some time to give it objective reflection. One way to stop conflict from escalating is simply to ask for time to consider it. Most of the time when people confront us, we had no idea it was coming. Our natural tendency is to fight out of reaction. If we go and think about it, we can be objective and approach the situation objectively, or at least more so.
Set a time to get back with them and discuss the issue. Let the person know that you take their concern seriously and that you want to deal with it promptly. Set a time, no more than three days away, to get back together. You will keep from reacting, and they may even find that they had confronted too soon themselves.

Either way, here are three points that may help you over or through the obstacles of conflict that are on your trails of life:

Keep your eye on the big picture.
- 1 Peter 4:8 – Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.
Always respect the other person as a person.
- Colossians 3:12-14 – Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Be solution oriented.
- Romans 12:16 – Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Conflict doesn’t have to end in a bad way. In fact, it can cause you to develop a deeper and more trusting relationship with the person you have had a conflict with. So the next time you have to confront or you are being confronted, follow the advice above, and you will be much further along toward getting through your conflict in a positive way.

As we trek through life each day, overcome the obstacles of conflict which will block your trail to a rich and satisfying life. Be willing to work through all issues and focus on what is most important in life. As you travel each day, please share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we conquer Alibi Mountain.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 189 – Discuss, Never Argue

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 06 Dec 2015 08:03:59 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 189 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Discuss, Never Argue

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 189 of our Trek, and yesterday we studied The Science of Making Wise Decisions. Today we will explore why it is wise to always discuss issues and not argue. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. After meeting with our renovation contractor, we decided to go ahead and have the ceilings in the library, parlor and downstairs hallway/foyer all dry walled at the same time since it will save us the additional cost of mobilization and scheduling. Because of this, I will be working on Saturday to remove the acoustical ceiling tiles in the parlor and downstairs hallway/foyer. This was not part of our plan for this weekend, so I will have to work quickly to get it all completed. We will also be looking at replacing the windows in the library and parlor this spring. The original windows in the house are drafty and not as functional as they should be.

We are looking forward to the Marietta grandkids coming over Saturday evening, and I am sure they will love helping Gramps with additional renovations. I will leave the wallpaper for them to remove. It is quite old and comes off easily.

Let’s move on to our Trek for today as we set out on our trail to discover why it is wise and prudent to always discuss matters of differences and avoid arguing. When Paula and I were dating the year before being married, one ground rule that I set between us is that I would not argue with her. I wanted to set the guideline for our marriage and felt that as differences arose, then as intelligent and rational adults we could calmly discuss any issues that we may have. After over 36 years of marriage, I can say that we have kept that commitment and have never had any type of significant arguments between us. It is possible if you are committed to making it work.

It is wise and prudent to always discuss matters of differences and avoid arguing.

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Now onto our trail for today, which we will call…

Discuss, Never Argue

There are some personalities that can be labeled as argumentative and that shows in their behavior and relationships. Arguments can be avoided and a lot of heartaches prevented by being a little careful. The best way to win an argument is to avoid it. An argument is one thing you will never win. If you win, you lose; if you lose, you lose. If you win an argument but lose a good job, customer, friend, or marriage, what kind of victory is it? Pretty empty.

Arguments result from an inflated ego. Arguing is like fighting a losing battle. Even if one wins, the cost may be more than the victory is worth. Emotional battles leave a residual ill will, even if you win. In an argument, both people are trying to have the last word. The argument is nothing more than a battle of egos, which results in a yelling contest.

· How do you “Argue” With Your Spouse or Close Friend?

There should be no losers. Do you really want your spouse, whom you love, or friend to lose an argument with you? Think how constantly losing arguments with you plays on your spouse’s or friend’s self-esteem. Did you know spouses influence each other’s self-esteem more than any other factor during their married life? Arguments are usually started because one spouse feels that the other is messed up or wrong. The Bible has something to say about how to correct someone when you feel they are wrong.

The Bible teaches that love should be “slow to anger” and that love “covers a multitude of sins” and that we should not think we are better than others (including our spouse). As Jesus’s half-brother, James wrote in his letter in James [1:19]-20,

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

So when a married couple loves each other, they will not be quick to correct each other, especially when we approach it with a wrong attitude.

But what if your spouse is selfish and doesn’t seem to ever want to change and you feel you cannot overlook their selfishness any longer, how should you deal with your spouse? Galatians 6: 1 says, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”

And, Ephesians 5: 25 says, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her.”

These two verses teach us that when we feel our spouse (or really anyone) is wrong, we should be very humble and gentle with them and love them to the point of being willing to give our life for them, as Jesus did for the church. This is a prayer that I pray every morning that I would love Paula as Christ loved the church…It certainly has helped me to stay focused on our relationship.

As Christ Loves the Church

· Is anything really worth arguing about?

Ephesians 4:26 says, “And ‘don’t sin by letting anger control you.’ Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.”

The more arguments you win, the fewer friends you have. Even if you are right, is it worth arguing? The answer is pretty obvious, a big “No.” Does that mean one should never bring up a point when they disagree?

The more arguments you win, the fewer friends you have.

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One should but gently and tactfully by saying something neutral such as “based on my information…” If the other person is argumentative, even if you can prove him wrong, is it worth it? I don’t think so. Do you make your point a second time? You wouldn’t. Why? Because the argument is coming from a closed mind trying to prove who is right rather than what is right.

For example, say you are at a social gathering, and a good friend authoritatively says, “Guns are to blame for the recent upswing in violence in certain parts of the world.” You happen to know (or at least believe) that his information is incorrect, and it is a breakdown in families and social structure that is causing the increase in violence. So, you bring up your research and studies in Google that “prove” your point. Do you make your point? Maybe, but the other person could probably bring up numerous “studies” that prove that he is correct. So, what should you do at this point? Well, you could do one of four things…

Make your point again and start an argument.
Bring up your studies on your phone or tablet to prove your point.
Avoid it.
Discuss but don’t argue.

The right choice is number 3 or at best a calm number 4. This is the type of topic that you can easily find studies to prove whatever you want to. In the end, no one wins. As the old saying goes, “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

If you want to accomplish great things in life, you must be wise and practice discernment and maturity. Maturity means not getting entangled in unimportant things and petty arguments. All arguments will eventually become petty.

· What is the difference between an argument and a discussion?

An argument throws heat; a discussion throws light.
An argument stems from ego and a closed mind whereas a discussion comes from an open mind and a desire to learn and possibly change.
An argument is an exchange of ignorance whereas a discussion is an exchange of knowledge.
An argument is an expression of temper whereas a discussion is an expression of logic.
An argument tries to prove who is right whereas a discussion tries to prove what is right.

Make it a habit to avoid arguments at all cost. If a subject is worth debating, it is worth discussing. You never win an argument because everyone loses. That will end our discussion for today, but please share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we expand our trail from today and learn how not to let conflict keep you from success.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 188 – The Science of Making Wise Decisions

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 05 Dec 2015 08:03:09 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 188 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

The Science of Making Wise Decisions

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 188 of our Trek, and yesterday we hiked the trail of 10 Principles for Gaining Self-Confidence. Today we will study The Science of Making Wise Decisions. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are making some progress on the library. After removing the ceiling tiles, we have determined that the plaster ceiling that was under them is not suitable to finish, so we will need to have that ceiling dry-walled. Since I am not skilled in installing drywall, we have contacted our renovation contractor to see if he has time in his schedule. We were hoping to avoid the extra expense of the drywall, but it was not to be. These are the joys of renovating an older large home.

Library Ceiling

Our client work has been extremely brisk this week, but we are making progress. It is my hope that I will be able to do some 2016 planning on Saturday before having our grandkids in for the evening.

It is time to shift now, and make some decisions about our trek today. Every day of our trek of life is filled with decisions. If we make wise decisions, then the opportunities and choices for our lives are expanded. If we make unwise decisions, then our opportunities and choices for life are limited by those decisions. On today’s trek we will explore…

The Science of Making Wise Decisions

To think we go through our day, every day, making decision after decision without really thinking about how we do it. At least until something challenging pops up, and then we wring our hands and constantly repeat, “I just don’t know what to do.”

Even in those moments, we naturally seek out the opinions and advice of people we love and trust. But still, we hesitate, worry, and procrastinate, putting off the puzzling choice. We fear it will be the wrong choice. We fear the consequences of our perplexing decision. We worry about people getting hurt.

But, there is hope!

The Study of Making Wise Decisions

People actually study the process of decision making! They develop models for making decisions with algorithms, equations, and even games of chance (flipping a coin). However, most studies agree on the 6 C’s of decision making:

Construct
Compile
Collect
Compare
Consider
Commit

Yet, few take into consideration our access to the God of All – the very creator of the universe. Learn to make some big decisions using the 6 C’s plus a 7^th C, which is Christ!

The 7 C’s of Making Wise Decisions

We must take an active role in the decisions that we make to ensure that they are good and wise, but we also have to realize that our wisdom actually comes from God as is mentioned in Proverbs 16:1-4,

We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.

People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives.

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.

The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.

As we take the advice from the above passage, let us then weave it into our decision-making model:

Construct – Think of this as drawing a map. You want to know exactly what needs to be decided. Are you deciding to move or drive to a job site two hours from home? Be crystal clear about the choice you need to make.
Compile – Make a list of the requirements which must be met. For example, salary, time with family, and job satisfaction. The list will include both facts and figures (quantifiable) but also attitudes and opinions (unquantifiable) of all interested parties.
Collect – Collect information on alternatives to the decision you are facing. Consider options you have not explored that are relevant to the situation AND that meet the requirements from your compiled list. In the case of the job, you could consider turning it down, living away from home and renting during the week, waiting for the school year to be over before moving, etc.
Compare – Compare the alternatives to the major choice. Consider what makes one better than another. Examine each choice from all angles.
Consider – Think about all the possible positive and negative consequences of each choice. Ask what could go right or wrong for every idea on the table.
Commit – Make a decision and go for it.

As a Christ follower, we have a distinct advantage in decision making. That advantage comes in the form of prayer, communication, and counsel. Let’s change up a couple of these to take into account the wisdom that we can gain through God’s Word, which was manifested in Christ. The 7^th C of making wise decisions is the most important step.

Use all your worldly and spiritual resources to make decisions; God gave us a brain and free will for a reason. But remember Proverbs 16:9, and find peace in it…

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Consult with Christ

Consider with Prayer – Of course you could spend a lot of your time and even get stuck in the consideration stage wondering what could go wrong, or you can pray as is encouraged in Philippians 4:6…

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

You don’t have to continuously struggle with what-could-go-wrong. You will get the answers you seek when you pray.

Communicate – Consider seeking wise counsel as instructed by the Word of God. We are to communicate with those people in our lives that care the most for us. Can you imagine making a major decision without discussing it with your spouse or close friend? This whole process should be undertaken with your spouse or a close friend. Each of you will have a unique perspective on every one of the C’s of decision making. Additionally praying about it, together and individually, will lead to unity in the decision. God will speak to you both. It’s just good sense! Proverbs [16:20]-22 provides us with sound advice…

Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful.

The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive.

Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools

Counsel – Seeking the counsel of your spouse or friend is not the only wisdom you should pursue. Sage counsel and wisdom involve being fully informed. It’s also sometimes prudent to talk to a mentor, pastor, or a professional counselor. Get wisdom as Proverbs 16:16 says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!”

Control – Give it up! God asks us to seek Him. Matthew 7:8 says, “For everyone who asks, Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. He tells us when we ask we will get an answer, when we seek we will find, and when we knock the door will be opened.” Bottom line – God won’t leave you dangling. We may make our plans, but God controls the outcome. Proverbs 16:33 reminds, “We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.”

The 7 C’s of decision making provide sound guidelines that, if followed will allow us to make good and wise choices. Put these guidelines into practice for every decision that you make. Just as you have made a wise decision to listen to Wisdom-Trek each day, share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. We will look at why we should never argue but instead learn to discuss.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 187 – The 10 Principles of Self-Confidence

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 04 Dec 2015 08:03:50 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 187 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

The 10 Principles of Self-Confidence

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 187 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned the 10 habits to create a better day. Today we will expand this concept as we hike the trail of 10 Principles for Gaining Self-Confidence. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It was a bit of a windy day, and the large wind chimes provided us nature’s music throughout the entire day. Our workload continues very full this week, so it has left little time for focusing on our 2016 business plans so far. As the Christmas holiday approaches, we hope that we will see a bit of a slowdown, and we will take advantage of those opportunities. We will be watching our four Marietta grandkids on Saturday evening while Elizabeth and Nat attend his company Christmas dinner. I also have the privilege of speaking again at Putnam Congregational Church this Sunday, so I am preparing for that as well.

Time to head out on our trek for today as we hike the Self-Confidence trail and search for the 10 principles that we can apply to our lives that will allow us to gain confidence and esteem. Self-confidence is manifested as an opposite of arrogance, which is usually a result of low self-esteem.

As we begin today, consider this quote from Malcolm Forbes, “Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” This quote can be linked to a Bible verse that I have used a couple of times in the past week, which is Psalm 139:14, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” Another verse that should help us to gain confidence is Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

As we meditate on these two verses, it is not arrogance that we should gain but a humble thankfulness to God for who we are in His sight.

Let us focus today on…

The 10 Principles of Self-Confidence

1. The importance of self-confidence in our lives cannot be overstated.

It is, after all, a lack of self-confidence that causes our lives to be tossed to and fro by the sway of culture. From the very beginning, we see the harmful effects of low self-confidence on our decision-making process while the fear of rejection becomes an all too common presence in our lives. It causes many to adopt the values of the group and engage in otherwise undesired behavior.

Simply put, the need for love, belonging, and acceptance becomes stronger than the internal compass within us. And many unhealthy life choices begin to emerge.

In adolescence, this need for acceptance begins to show itself in substance-abuse, underage-drinking, dangerous sexual practices, or mischievous behavior. As we get older, some of these habits remain, but new ones also begin to emerge.

The desire to find acceptance by impressing those around me with my possessions begins to motivate aspects of my life. And whether it be a certain home-size, vehicle-model, fashion trend, or latest technology, many of our purchases are made with a simple desire to keep up with the neighbors and not be regarded as “falling behind.” Our need to impress and be accepted becomes more important than wise spending habits.

2. Self-confidence redirects our life.

It begins to realign our desires with the unique heart inside us. It allows us to reject the trends of a culture built on consumption. When it is present in our lives, we begin to believe that we exist for a greater purpose than shopping on Black Friday. The need to impress others with our belongings is replaced by an internal desire to follow our heart and soul and to embrace the desires deep in our souls is to reject the notion of shopping for acceptance.

3. Stop comparing yourself.

Reject the desire to compare yourself to others. When we compare ourselves to others, we always contrast the worst things we know about ourselves to the best things we know about others. The inevitable outcome always leaves us with feelings of inadequacy and despair. Become wiser. Tell yourself that you can’t possibly be making a fair comparison and reject the idea altogether.

4. Celebrate your uniqueness.

Your life was never meant to be lived like everyone else. You don’t look the same, you don’t sound the same, your talents aren’t the same, and your deep-held values are unique. Throwing that away just for the sake of being accepted by others is one of the cruelest things that you can ever do. And it will always prevent you from fully living your life. Instead, champion the things that make you unique and find confidence in them.

5. Focus on the positives.

Change your thinking. Focus less on the negatives and more on the positives. Stop dwelling on the negative messages of the past and begin centering yourself on the positive traits in your life today.

6. See past failures as learning opportunities.

We’ve all tried and failed at some point in our lives. Confident people look back at failures and view them as learning experiences. In that way, failures can actually provide greater self-confidence moving forward. Learn from your mistakes and try again. Remember that it’s not over when you lose, it’s over when you quit.

7. Help someone else.

One of the most important steps to finding self-confidence in your life is to give yourself to others. Serving another person almost always results in the healthy realization that you are important in this world, that you have something to offer, and that the world is more beautiful because of your presence. See a need around you? Whether it be a need for time, finances, or a listening ear, meet it today. And the life you change just may be your own.

8. Begin realizing a life goal.

Intentionally and specifically, begin working towards a life goal. Know that taking the first step is a momentum builder and can generate confidence in your life. There is a powerful difference between “I want to…” and “I’m beginning to…” So write the first page, run the first mile, or meet the first person. You know what you want to accomplish, and you know what the first step is. Stop telling yourself it’s out of reach and take the first step.

9. Accept your weaknesses.

While dwelling on our weaknesses leads to a lack of self-confidence, accepting them is an important step in developing it. First, it keeps us from unhealthy delusions of grandeur. It embraces that we are not perfect and forces us to live our lives in a healthy need for others. Secondly, it provides us with the foundation to accept failures when they arise. We are not caught off-guard when we fail. Instead, we are simply again reminded of our need for others to compliment our weaknesses.

10. Be known and loved.

There is no greater key to self-confidence than being intimately known and genuinely loved by another. Allowing another human being into the deepest depths of our heart is one of the single most difficult acts in the world today. But doing it (and being loved despite of it) breathes life into our soul and builds confidence in our inner-most being, and this confidence continues to grow as the commitment to each other deepens.

To be clear, the importance of self-confidence in our lives cannot be overstated. It provides the motivation to pursue our passions. It provides the foundation to reject the claims of a consumerist culture. And it provides the incentive to live the life you’ve always wanted to live.

Your capacity to love others is a manifestation of how much you love yourself. Galatians 5:14, “For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

The 10 Principles of Self-Confidence are universal. Review them and then practice them each day. As you gain confidence in yourself, share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we explore the basic rules for making good and wise decisions.

If you would like to be added to our weekly email update and special publications from Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 186 – 10 Habits to Create a Better Day, Every Day

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 08:03:15 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 186 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

10 Habits to Create a Better Day, Every Day

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 186 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored how success is achieved by giving to others. Today we will learn the 10 habits to have a better day. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. I had a steady work day today with much still to do, but I take it a day at a time. I have so many plans for going into 2016 and would like some dedicated time for planning, so I will have to block it out in our busy schedule. It has been a rainy and cool week here in Marietta, and I am thankful for a work environment where I can enjoy it without having to be out in it.

Let’s start out today as we continue our trek. Whether we are on an actual hike or just hiking through each day of life, there will be some days that are just difficult. On those days, it seems like we are trudging up a steep slope that is strewn with loose rocks and limbs where it is difficult to make any progress. Each of us has those days occasionally, but we do want to keep them as few as possible. How can we overcome the potential of having “bad days”? On our Trek for today, I will share 10 habits that will help you to create a better day today and every day.

So let’s get started on our hike of the…

10 Habits to Have a Better Day Every Day

Wake up 30 minutes early.

Get up 30 minutes before your usual time and take the first half hour for yourself. Once you get busy and into the day, there never seems to be the time for yourself. Take this time to plan to get the most from the day. Start by making this a habit each day and reserve this time for you. For this season of life, I get up at [5:30] each morning so that I can be dressed and ready to exercise at about [5:45]. I spend about 70 minutes exercising, most of which is running on the treadmill.
Read, listen, or watch something uplifting.

Make this a daily habit. Get out of starting the day with no mental food. A great day does not begin with the news or the paper. It begins with ideas or energy that will propel you through the day. What you first hear will stay with you throughout the day. During my time of exercise, I listen to encouraging podcasts, meditations, and Scripture readings. This helps significantly in setting my mind in the proper thought pattern early.
Eat a good breakfast to start you off right.

Get something good into your body to wake it up and get it going. Think about the energy you will need to perform. Every day we run a marathon. What would you need to eat and drink to win it? After a shower, I usually have a breakfast of a protein drink, some carrots, water, and coffee. If you do exercise in the morning, it is important that your breakfast contains protein to rebuild your muscles. Stay away from excessive carbs for breakfast as they will be detrimental to your energy levels.
Choose your winning attitude.

There are enough negative issues in the world to go wrong without sabotaging yourself. Your attitude is a choice you make. Don’t let it come between you and your success. Be careful to keep it positive all day long – the choice is truly yours.
Be aware of what others are telling you.

The people around us have a profound effect on how we get through life. Our closest friends and family are our greatest environmental influences. Make sure you have the best advisors you can find. Also, be very aware of your self-talk. You are a child of the King. Be humble and thankful. No one can ever take your place. You are one in over 7 billion.
Make the most of what you do.

When you get to your work, make it the best place to be. Most people go to work and never think about work while they are there. Focus on your contribution. What would it be like if you were not around? Strive to give 100% each and every day.
Always remember that people are listening.

Make a point of talking well of others. Wish others the best in life and mean it. What goes around does come around. Don’t talk negatively about anyone. Try to understand their circumstances. You never know what others are really going through. Practice being a support system for your friends and family. They need you.
Be honest and fair to others.

It does make a difference. What you give to others is usually what you get from others. Practice integrity that people can see and feel. Be aware of what you say. Learn to walk your talk at all times. The more people trust you, the more of their time they will trust to be with you.
Pace your energy to last all day.

Be careful of bursts of energy. Pace your energy throughout the day. If you get too crazy early in the day, you will reach a point of exhaustion before the day is over. By planning your entire day before you begin, you will have what you need. I can still hear my dad telling us boys to “look alive” as we at times were not working as much as we should have. Also, make sure you’re eating properly for all meals during the day, this will have a big impact on how much energy you have.
Get in bed early and study for the future.

Strive to learn something new each day and write it in a journal or notepad before going to bed. In today’s fast changing technology and work environment, you need constant study to keep up. Develop the habit of reading a work or personal development book before you go to sleep. Reading for only 30 minutes a day is like a year of college. You can’t succeed if you don’t read and study. Remember throughout your day that life is what you make it, day by day. Getting to bed on time to get the sleep that I need is still a work in process for me. There is always so much that I would like to do, so I have to realize that more sleep will make me more productive during the day.

From the time you wake up, until the time you go to sleep, practice having the best day ever by making deliberate choices. As you string together better days, it will add up to the rich and satisfying life that we all desire. Remember that God has made each day for us. It is our choice on how we live it. Psalms 118:24 tells us, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

The 10 habits to have a better day every day can be implemented by just about everyone. I challenge you to begin tomorrow to put them into practice and then make a commitment to string together 30 days in a row. At the end of one month, you will be on the trail to a rich and satisfying life. On each of those days take the opportunity to share Wisdom-Trek with your friends and family and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we discover 6 building blocks of self-esteem.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 185 – 7 Stepping Stones to Success

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 08:03:05 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 185 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

7 Stepping Stones to Success

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 185 of our Trek, and yesterday we stopped by the 12 Mile-Markers for building your character, which resulted in 6 character traits that you possess as a result. Today we will explore how success is achieved by giving to others. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. In addition to a full workload, today we were able to have Elizabeth and four of our grandchildren over. Elizabeth and Paula made split pea and ham soup with the ham that was left over from Thanksgiving. Homemade split pea soup is delicious.

On today’s Trek, we are hiking the trail of success. I think that everyone desires to be successful, but what many people do not grasp is that the trail to success is paved by helping others obtain what they desire from us. One of my virtual mentors, Zig Ziglar, said it best in his famous quote, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”

So let’s get started on our hike of the…

7 Stepping Stones to Success

A major part of the process of achieving success and living the kind of life that you dream of is to give. Many people think that to get what you want you have to take it. There is a universal truth, though, that the true trail to get what you want is to give. When you give, you get. What you plant, you will harvest. The Bible mentions this correlation numerous times such as in Galatians 6:7, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.”

If this is true, then what is it we must give? I’ll show you the way…

Give others your honesty. The world we live in has a simple rule that most follow: Lie when you have to. Unfortunately, this may make some people wealthy, but it make us humans poor. To achieve success is to become wealthy not only in money but in character. To be successful, truly successful, is to be able to attain your goals and keep your character at the same time

How about you? Are you honest in all things? The problem with little lies is they become big ones. Lies spin out of control. You get caught in one lie and you lie to get out of it, etc. In all things and at all times, give others your honesty.

Give others your respect. Most of the time we give people respect based on what they have done or what they have accomplished. We gauge whether or not they are “worthy” of it based on what we know of what they have achieved or who they know or are related to.

But I believe we should have a higher standard. We respect people not for what they have done or for who they are related to or for what they can do for us. Instead, we respect people for simply being themselves.

Give others your vulnerability. We are taught to “be strong.” And yes, we should be strong. But we have also embraced something that I think keeps us from having the kind of life that we long for. It is an idea that keeps us from experiencing the kind of relationships that would bring deep meaning to us. It is the idea of vulnerability.

“But Guthrie, make yourself vulnerable, and people will step all over you!” It is true that this will happen. But I have also seen that most people will be drawn to you. They will help you. They will open up to you. You see, we are all broken people inside. We all have secrets. Yet everyone plays the poser. When one lets down their veil, others soon follow, and we all win.

Give others your care. Too many people are running around this old earth not caring about others. The days of “Look Out for Number One” and “Winning Through Intimidation” are over! Let’s bring about a new day when we can care about others and succeed!

Take the time to show people you care. Listen to them. Empathize with them. Love them. Now, I don’t mean that you have to go around hugging everyone—that probably wouldn’t be accepted in some circles anyway—but we can take some time to step back from life and business and be human! And I have found that when we do so, our life and business succeeds as well!

Give others your passion. There is nothing this world needs more than passionate people. And people need passionate people. Living in this day and age can be tiring. The hustle and bustle of it all can wear you down and tire you out. Give your passion to others and fire them up.

Don’t just be humdrum—be excited. Give people all the energy you can muster up, and you will find that energy reciprocates. They will get energized and passionate. This in turn will fire you up more when you are already charged and get you going altogether when you don’t feel like moving at all!

Give others your experience. We all have areas that we excel in, and they are usually areas that we have experience in. One of the things we can do to make our lives more meaningful and be of utmost help to others is to show them the way through the experiences we have.

Sometimes it will be what they should do – shortcuts to take or people to meet. Sometimes it will be what they should not do – shortcuts not to take and people to stay away from! Whatever it is, we can be of service to others by giving them our experience, and ultimately, it will make us all better!

Give others your help. All in all, what we want to do is to help others. As mentioned earlier, Zig Ziglar says that if we will “help others get what they want, we will in turn get what we want.” If we want to be successful, we should consider ourselves servants of other people. What can we do to help them and make them better? This is the true path to greatness and success, not only in business but in life!

Jesus put it this way in the good news according to Luke 6:38, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

The principle of planting and harvesting is like the law of gravity, it is undeniable and unbreakable as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.”

So the stepping stones to success are giving to others. Are you willing to give to others? If it is done through the proper motives, the principles of planting and harvesting will prevail. Today take the opportunity to share Wisdom-Trek, with your friends and family and encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we discover 10 ways to have a better day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 184 – The 12 Markers + 6 Traits of Character

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 08:03:17 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 184 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

The 12 Markers + 6 Traits of Character

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 184 of our Trek, and yesterday we hiked the “Should Have, Would Have, Could Have” trail otherwise known as the Tyranny of the Should. For today’s trek, we will stop by the 12 Mile-Markers for building your character, which result in 6 character traits that you will possess as a result. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. It is starting out as a busy week as expected, but we have been able to accomplish a significant amount and also complete some planning for 2016.

Over the weekend, we moved our large wind chimes to the back corner of The Big House so we can enjoy them while working in our 2^nd-floor office. We are also enjoying the return of our Red Tail Hawk today. It appeared to be looking for some food, so the mice and chipmunks would do well to stay hidden.

When we go for a difficult hike, one of the resulting benefits is building persistent resolve to continue on, even when we may not feel like it. This in turn helps to build strong character. It is time now to set out on our Trek, as we will search for the 12-mile markers that will help us to build good character and then explore the resulting 6 character traits that we should all obtain.

12 Markers for Building Your Character

I possess the Right Motivation: I realize that in some capacity, everyone is a leader. As a leader, I am called to be an example-setter of high character to the people to whom I am responsible — whether they are my peers, children, employees, and/or constituents. No matter if it seems inefficient, inconvenient, or ineffective, I will build character because it is the right thing to do.
I possess an Accurate Mindset: My character flaws undermine my leadership but are correctable. Character is who I am; competency is what I do. I will no longer confuse the two. Character is not only attractive to me but is irresistible.
I possess the Freedom to Choose: I am 100% in control of my character and my response to others. I choose to be a leader of character. I regret my past character-poor choices. I will do all within my power to change. I will become more like the mentors and models I most admire.
I possess a Teachable Spirit: I am designed to be a life-long learner. I am teachable and have a strong bias to apply what I learn to who I am and what I do.
I possess an Optimistic Vision: A few might remember my competence, but virtually all will remember my legacy of character, good or poor. Many will exceed me in various competencies, but I will set my sight on building a reputation of uncommon character.
I possess a Clear Target: I know the “bulls-eye” of high character. I know exactly what character-ethics are and the corresponding behaviors I desire, even though I may struggle to achieve them consistently.
I possess the Right Tools: I have taken the time to assess and acquire the correct resources to support my character-building journey, including a list of defined character-ethics and a support system of like-minded leaders.
I possess a Sensitive Conscience: I may not always act on its every conviction, but I have a conscience that consistently generates a sense of great personal peace when I act in high character and appropriate guilt when I do not.
I possess the Ability to Find a Caring Mentor: My mentors know me personally, and we have agreed on a transparent, accountable, encouraging relationship as it relates to building character. My mentors help me to create and maintain the conditions and principles necessary to build my character. Our respective roles and expectations are defined and mutually understood.
I possess an Integrating Perspective: My goal is to operate out of one, unifying and aligning character identity. I will tirelessly work to reconcile all of my various relationships to conform to this single identity.
I possess a High View of Relationships: I value relationships, but I’m not perfect. I want to forgive those who make errors and be forgiven as well when I commit them. While this does not eliminate the consequences of committing wrongs (or omitting rights), it assures others that I earnestly value them.
I have Counted the Cost: If I start, there is no going back. I will be painfully exposed for what I am if I attempt to champion a double standard or refuse to confront chronically poor character of those in my charge and/or completely abandon my own pursuit of character.

Now that you have a firm grasp of the 12 measures of building character, let’s now explore the six traits that make up strong ethical character.

The best road to a better life is to be a better person, and all of us can be better. I like to refer to this as the six B-C’s of Character: conscience, courage, consideration, compassion, confidence, and control. Let’s look at each of these traits:

Be a person of conscience. Listen to the inner voice that helps you know right from wrong and urges you to do what is good and noble.
Be courageous. Confront the challenges and choices of your life forthrightly. Make the tough decisions that need to be made, and, above all, maintain your integrity by doing what you know to be right even when it costs more than you want to pay.
Be considerate. Be more deliberate, thoughtful, and attentive as to how your words and actions will affect others and reflect on your character. Think ahead so you can avoid undesirable and undesired consequences.
Be compassionate. Demonstrate a genuine concern for the well-being of others. Be kinder and more charitable. Strive to understand more and judge less.
Be confident in your capacity to overcome whatever difficulties come your way with integrity and dignity. Don’t underestimate your resiliency. Resolve to persist until you prevail.
Be in control of your emotions, appetites, and urges that tempt you to compromise your principles or sacrifice long-term goals for short-term indulgences.

Remember, your character is your destiny. Your integrity will lead you on the correct trails of life.

Proverbs 10:9, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.”

Proverbs: 20:7, “The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.”

Today on our trek we learned from the 12 mile-markers along our trail that helps us to build character and result in the 6 character traits of a person with integrity. Does your life reflect what we have learned? As you have the opportunity, continue to hike this trail to strengthen your character. Allow your character to be an example to your friends and family as you encourage them to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we explore the concept that you must give to others in order to reach your successful destination.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 183 – Should Have, Would Have, Could Have

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 08:03:54 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 183 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Should Have, Would Have, Could Have

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 183 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored the 25 nuggets or Proverbs for Abundant Living. Today we are going to hike the “Should Have, Would Have, Could Have” trail otherwise known as the Tyranny of the Should. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Sunday, we went to church with my Dad, who lives about an hour north of The Big House. We also took him out for lunch at Cracker Barrel, which is his favorite place to eat. Our daughter Elizabeth and her four children came over for the evening to help us consume some Thanksgiving leftovers, and the grandkids helped Gramps get started on the renovations in the library. This week will be a busy work week with client work and planning for 2016.

Have you ever had those times where you have felt or said, “I should have made a different choice or decision?” For example, your narrative may have gone like this…“I should have made a different decision, then I would have been in a better place. And, I could have so much more in life.” The trek that we will hike today is the “Should Have, Would Have, Could Have” trail, or as some may refer to it, The Tyranny or the Should of Trail.

Tyranny of the Should

Learn how to free yourself from the destructive, incessant pressure to be perfect.

Everyone lives with “shoulds.” One might say that Christianity and other faiths are a way of life built on shoulds, such as one should love others, one should keep themselves from bad practices, and one should give to charity. For many, their shoulds are experienced as positive and fulfilling. Meeting one’s moral obligations is a great source of pleasure. When we do the right thing, we feel good about ourselves and feel that life has meaning and purpose.

But there are others who do not experience shoulds in a positive way. They feel pressured and strangled by them. For such people, their inner shoulds are sources of great emotional suffering. Dr. Karen Horney named this experience, the “tyranny of the should.”

When we do the right thing, we feel good about ourselves and feel that life has meaning and purpose.

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Here are some examples of shoulds that can become problematic:

I should always feel happy.
I should not dislike anyone.
I should feel strong and in control.
I should have perfect clarity.
I should always be giving.
I should not make mistakes.
I should never get angry.
I should never waste time.
I should always feel productive.

Shoulds become tyrannical when they are experienced as making impossible demands that are impossible to meet. “You should never be weak,” is an impossible demand to meet. The “tyranny of the should” is experienced as a demand to be perfect and, therefore, feels like an order given by an oppressive dictator who ruthlessly demands perfection and nothing less. Shoulds are rigid, unyielding, and devoid of compassion for your limitations and weaknesses. You are never able to relax because the pressure to be perfect is unrelenting.

When shoulds are reinforced by social pressure, they become even more unbearable. Under the burden of these dictates, your behavior may become pressured, forced, and may even take on an obsessive quality. The hallmark of the experience if you are controlled by the tyranny of the should is that you feel driven, but you never feel like the driver of your life. There is a loss of personal agency, genuine creativity, and authenticity.

If this isn’t enough, shoulds are also experienced as punitive. Every should carries an implicit message that, “If you don’t do it perfectly, you are a bad person.” Thus feeling like a failure, you inevitably fall prey to self-hate and shame. If you loathe yourself, you feel depressed, hopeless, and sapped of vitality. Thankfully there is hope. Here are the five steps to destroy the Tyranny of the Should.

1. Become aware of your shoulds.

Make your list. When you begin to become aware of them, you will discover just how many there are, some obvious and others quite subtle. So listen very carefully.

2. Recognize that some shoulds are lies.

For example, you might hear yourself say that I should always feel happy. Is this true or false? It is certainly a lie because it is not humanly possible to be happy all the time and never be in a bad mood.

3. Identify the truth.

In this example, the truth would be, “It is okay to feel unhappy and be in a bad mood from time to time. No one is happy all the time.” Upon embracing the truth, you will feel a perceptible shift; a sense of liberation and a feeling of lightness. Now, how long you allow yourself to be stuck in that mood is a choice that you will need to make. When we find ourselves unhappy or angry, we need to make a mind shift so that we do not remain there long term. Make this mind shift by doing something positive for others.

“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith,” Galatians [6:10].

4. Recognize that you are not a bad person.

Just because you are not happy all the time doesn’t mean your are a bad person, that something is wrong with you, or that you have a psychological problem. To think so is a falsehood. We all fall prey to these feelings, but this does not mean that you have to be controlled by these emotions. Work on recognizing your feelings so that when they do manifest themselves, you are able to take action.

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it,” Psalm 1[39:14].

5. Accept yourself as a good person who is imperfect and limited.

No longer needing to be perfect, you can begin to discover and embrace the truth about yourself. Living as an imperfect, limited, and messy human being requires letting go of your idealized self-image. Embracing reality is often painful.

Becoming more grounded in your own true feelings and perceptions is a primary indication that you have begun to free yourself from the “tyranny of the should.” As the grip of this reign of terror loosens, you begin to feel more alive, becoming the driver of your life and no longer being driven.

“Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks,” 1 Timothy 4:4.

Today on our Trek we considered the “Should Have, Would Have, Could Have” trail as we learned the five steps to overcome The Tyranny of the Should. Consider what type of mind shift and changes you need to make in your life to live the rich and satisfying life that you should. As you have the opportunity, please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we hike the trails that will help us to build character.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 182 – 25 Proverbs for Abundant Living

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 08:03:06 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 182 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

25 Proverbs for Abundant Living

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 182 of our Trek, and yesterday we completed our three-part series on the Psalm of Thanksgiving – Psalms 100. Today we are going to look at a list of inspirational sayings starting with “In life…” that are Proverbs for Abundant Living. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We had a very blessed day on Thanksgiving with our kids Elizabeth and Barnabas over for an evening dinner along with their spouses Nat and Leesha and five of our six grandchildren. Our niece Rebekah and her husband Victor along with their two children were also in.

Friday morning we were able to be on site with a client to assist with the month end billing. On Friday afternoon, we finished up cleaning out the gutters, completed the little bit we had left on the leaf harvest, and hung up the Christmas Star on the front of the house. On Saturday, we reran some cable TV wire to the two front rooms and cleared everything out of the library, including two large built-in bookshelves so that we will be able to start the renovations this next week. On Sunday, we will be going to church with Dad and going out for dinner afterward. It has been a great Thanksgiving weekend with so much to be thankful for.

Let’s get started on our Trek today as we hike the trail of Abundant Living and look for the 25 proverbs that will provide direction and insight to our lives. We will call our trail today the…

Proverbs for Abundant Living

After three days of exploring the requirements of being a thankful servant in Psalms 100, which was some fairly deep study, I wanted to switch to an easier trail today and dig up some nuggets of wisdom that we can ponder and reflect on. As usual, I will also intertwine wisdom from the Bible into the points. Let us take a leisurely hike today as we look at a series of points that we should always integrate into our lives to create a living legacy each day.

In life we are to encourage and build up each other, not to discourage and tear down one another. (So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. 1 Thessalonians [5:11])
In life we are to add not subtract, to multiply not divide. (Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. Proverbs [9:11])
In life we are to leave an enduring impression, not a careless dent. (Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. Psalm 89:2)
In life we are to smooth out the rough roads along the journey, not create new potholes. (The valleys will be filled, and the mountains and hills made level. The curves will be straightened, and the rough places made smooth. Luke 3:5)
In life we are to sing a joyful song; not just drone a groan. (Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Psalm 66:1)
In life we are to add our harmonious strains to life’s symphony, not strain the symphony with clatter and clang. (Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians [3:14])
In life we are to soar on eagles’ wings, not to peck and cluck with our beaks in the dirt like chickens. (But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah [40:31])
In life we are to radiate light into unseen places, not permit unknown fears to dim our radiance. (Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalm 34:5)
In life we are to leap in faith, not to limp with doubt. (And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. Genesis 15:6)
In life we are to give freely of our time, our love, and our resources, not to cling on to them greedily. (Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. Proverbs [11:24])
In life we are to lift up others, not push them down. (We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. Romans 15:2)
In life we are to open our hands to those in need, not to clutch our hands in fists of distrust. (Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 1 Timothy [6:18])
In life we are to lend a helping hand to make loads lighter, not use heavy hands to hold others back. (Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2)
In life we are to be messengers of peace, signs of joy, not Chicken Little portents of gloom-and-doom. (And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. James [3:18])
In life we are to enjoy, to savor, to remember, to reflect, not to overlook, to forget, to ignore, to reject. (And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor. 2 Timothy 2:6)
In life we are to seek conscious awareness, not doze in the doldrums of half-awake. (For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. Psalm 26:3)
In life we are to dare mighty things, not to fear things gravely. (With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes. Psalm [60:12])
In life we are to show up, stand up, step forward and speak up, not to cringe in fear, choosing to sit down, or to step back, allowing the voices of silence to speak so loudly. (Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. Proverbs 31:9)
In life we are to exercise proper stewardship of earth’s resources, not pillage the heritage of future generations. (You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so Psalm 65:9)
In life we are to move forward through forgiveness, not grind to a halt mired in bitterness and resentment. (Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians [3:13])
In life we are to be wacky, weird, and wonderful in our own unique God-given way, not to be lemmings, stuck on life’s treadmill. (However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. Ephesians 4:7)
In life we are to reach, to stretch, and to soar, not to slink in fear, held back by mistrust and doubt. (That tree, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth. Daniel [4:22])
In life we are to realize, “I am a remarkable Somebody!”, not listen to other’s jabs such as, “You’re a Nobody, an Everybody, an Anybody.” (Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. Psalm 1[39:14])
In life we are to comprehend, “I am worthwhile,” not tremble with feelings of worthlessness. (For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7)
In life we are to create, to laugh, and to live life nobly, not to despair, to moan, or to live a life less. (And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. Ecclesiastes [5:19])

Today we took a leisurely hike along the Proverb Trail for Abundant Living. I would encourage you to review them, along with the connected verses. Ponder these nuggets and allow them to permeate your mind, and you will be living a rich and satisfying life. As you have the opportunity, please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we look the “Should of, Would of, Could of trail” in The Tyranny of the Should.

If you would like to be added to our weekly email update for Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 181 – A Thankful Servant Part 3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 28 Nov 2015 08:03:13 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 181 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

A Thankful Servant Part 3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 181 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at the second part of the Psalm of Thanksgiving, Psalm 100. Today we will explore part 3 of Psalms 100. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. If all goes according to plan and the weather cooperates, I should be able to finish up the final remains of the leaf harvest today. After this weekend, it will be time to start back in on the renovations in The Big House. The next room we are focusing on is the library. We will have furniture to move and the large bookshelves to clear out before the renovations begin. I will keep you posted on our progress.

On our Trek today, we will finish up this three-day Thanksgiving series as we learn to become a thankful servant through our study of the Psalm of Thanksgiving, which is Psalms 100. Our trail today is…

A Thankful Servant Part 3

Continuing on the section from yesterday’s Trek, we explored why your thank offerings must be intelligent. Intelligent worship also affirms God as Creator. Psalm 100:3 reminds, “He made us, and we are his.” This is a fact of which we are informed by the scriptures. It is also one with which every instinct of our nature agrees. Our own conscience also agrees with nature and the scriptures.

Have you ever seen a child startled when he is told for the first time that he is the special creation of God? Within every little mind, there dwells a God-given instinct that accepts the statement. It takes a public school 12 years to try to make them believe they are the offspring of primordial soup.

Since the Lord made us, He has all rights over us just as a human potter has a right to make out of his clay a vessel for what use he pleases. We are entirely at His disposal and should serve Him with all our hearts.

The sculptor with his chisel may develop amazing beauty, but there is no life. But we are far different from canvas or marble, for within us is the mystery of life, the divine spark. Like God himself, your soul can know and reason, believe and understand, and also love. God created you with incredible abilities and has exalted you as His highest creation, surely then, it is your obligation to love and serve Him.

An ancient chronicle tells of a powerful, regal, Saxon king, who, riding through a dense forest, came upon a little church. Inside the church was a priest saying prayers. The priest was pitiful, lame, and hump-backed. The commanding, rough Saxon king looked down on the deformed priest in disgust and despised him until he heard the priest chant these words of Psalm 100:3, “He made us, and we are his.” The king was instantly wounded by the powerful convicting arrows of God’s truth and blushed and owned his guilt.

If you aren’t the brightest, prettiest, or most talented, don’t complain, rather worship God. He has made us what we are, and God doesn’t make junk! If you enjoy great looks, intelligence, and health or ability, humble yourself and recognize that you are what you are by God’s grace.

Lastly, intelligent worship embraces Him as our Shepherd. Psalm 100:3, “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” To those of us who are in Christ, He has become to us the Good Shepherd! God has not left us like the neglectful ostrich that abandons her eggs, only to have them broken. He is watching over us every hour as a good shepherd who guards his flock. He exercises his unceasing care and providence over you!

Some say God has taken the universe like a watch, wound it up, and then put it under his pillow and gone to sleep, but that’s not so. God’s hand is involved in every part of His creation, and His hand is on every wheel of this world’s machinery. It is God’s powerful Word that animates all the laws of His universe and upholds his creation. Our Good Shepherd gently leads us into green pastures and gives us daily bread. He grants us breath for our heaving lungs and blood for our beating heart. Therefore, we are bound to give to the Great Shepherd of our soul our daily service and adore Him as the God who creates, keeps, and sustains us!

3. Your Thanks Must Acknowledge God’s Covenant Faithfulness

Psalm 100: 5 says, “For the LORD is good.” All that God does reflects his perfect nature and divine being, even His excellent goodness. By definition, God’s ways are always righteous and true. God’s own being is the standard of His Goodness. God certainly does not answer to His creatures, nor is there any law above God to which He must account. His goodness is reflected in the way He sustains even those who are His enemies. Even though people are ungrateful and hate God, they still benefit from His grace and goodness. As His people, we can rest knowing that He is working all things together for our good! “His unfailing love continues forever,” Psalm 100:5.

The highest expression of God’s faithfulness is displayed once and for all at the cross! Unfailing love is a covenant term. It speaks of God’s covenant loyalty. How much more faithful can God be to His people than to send His Son to die for them?

At the cross, God demonstrated His eternal loyalty to His covenant and His covenant people! If you are trusting in Jesus Christ, you can be absolutely sure that God will fulfill His covenant promises to you! The Good News is that any sinner can find forgiveness in this life because God is faithful to His covenant promises. His unfailing love continues forever. The sentence of death that came upon man in the Garden has been postponed. Now all those who call upon Jesus Christ will be saved to the praise of God’s merciful patience.

“…and his faithfulness continues to each generation,” Psalm 100:5. It is a great comfort to the Christian to know that God does not change. The truthfulness of God’s character makes His promise of mercy most certain. He will not and cannot change His mind about us! Regardless of all turmoil and trials of this life, we know that God is not a man that He should lie. God has and always will demonstrate His faithfulness to His people!

We have SO MUCH to be grateful for this Thanksgiving in Jesus Christ. No matter what our earthly circumstances, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus. That is why in Psalm 100:4 we can, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”

God has blessed America with prosperity that makes us the envy of the world. Even the poorest in America has much more than billions of people around the world. So by the power of the indwelling Spirit, let’s purpose to worship our Sovereign King, our Almighty Creator, and gracious Shepherd. With our voices let us, “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.” With our minds, let us meditate upon our awesome God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Good Shepherd.

Let us keep the spirit of Thanksgiving flowing from our minds, our hearts, and our lips continually each day.

As we continued our exploration of Psalm 100, the Psalm of Thanksgiving, we learned to be a Thankful Servant to the One from whom all blessings flow. As you have the opportunity, please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we look at the Proverbs for Abundant Living.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 180 – A Thankful Servant Part 2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 08:03:06 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 180 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

A Thankful Servant Part 2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 180 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at the first part of the Psalm of Thanksgiving, Psalm 100. Today we will explore part 2 of Psalms 100. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today is the day after Thanksgiving, and it is my hope that it was a blessed time of thankfulness for you. Let us not forget to be thankful every day.

We are continuing our Trek today and tomorrow as we explore how to become a thankful servant as we once again look closely at the Psalm of Thanksgiving, which is Psalms 100. Our trail for today is…

A Thankful Servant Part 2

Psalm 100:2 tells us to “Worship the Lord with gladness!” We come before God as a lowly but glad servant, offering up what are our logical and reasonable acts of worship.

The unspiritual man cannot understand this at all! For him to worship Christ seems foolish and a terrible imposition. Worshipping God is contrary to man’s proud, fallen nature. In the flesh, we stubbornly refuse to give God the worship and service He deserves. Man’s fallen nature begrudges service to anyone other than to themselves.

But, having been subdued by Christ’s overwhelming grace, we are radically transformed! Now, we want to serve God, even to the extent of what others may perceive as a loss. We do it gladly with a sense of joy and gladness.

A story that I read emphasizes this…Ten years ago, Nigerian Christians could expect a major attack against them about once every year by Muslims. Then the attacks began to occur monthly. In the past year, attacks have occurred nearly every other week. Today, simply attending church on Sunday puts a believer at risk, and those who actively tell Muslims about Christ are at greater risk still. Evangelist Johnson was seriously injured in a bomb explosion on his way to a Christian meeting. But Johnson exemplifies the persevering spirit of Nigerian believers. While many of these Christians could leave, they feel called to reach their Muslim neighbors. As Johnson says, “If I didn’t love my work, if I didn’t love Jesus, I would give up.”

Christians gladly serve and suffer because they know they have been saved by God’s own suffering servant Jesus! Serving God is not always easy by any means and may cost you dearly in some parts of the world. But true and lasting joy comes from serving King Jesus and sensing His delight. A Christian is one who serves with genuine humility, mixed with unspeakable joy! 1 Peter 1:8 says, “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”

The Psalm continues and urges us to “Come before him, singing with joy.” He is the Great King of all the earth, the infinite and Holy Creator of the universe, and you are commanded to appear before him. But, when you come, come with a voice of victory, a shout of triumph and a joyous song! There is no moping in the King’s presence for to see him is to love him and rejoice in Him. Psalm 100:4 states, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Imagine receiving an invitation to meet someone that you have admired all your life. Who would that be? Maybe it’s a sports hero, a military leader, a captain of industry, or an admired political or spiritual leader? How would you prepare yourself for the meeting? What would your demeanor be as you come to pay your respects? Now multiply that by infinity! God deserves infinitely more respect and thanks than any person in your life. Psalm 35:10 says, “With every bone in my body I will praise him: ‘Lord, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?’”

Is our Holy, Triune God the absolute delight of your life? Our worship ought to reflect a humble, heartfelt, childlike love, mixed with awe and respect! Are you embarrassed to be known as a passionate worshipper of Christ?

As always, we need to be wise and careful not to judge another person’s worship! In 2 Samuel 6, we read the account of David, a man after God’s own heart, who danced before the LORD with all his might as the ark of the covenant was being brought into Jerusalem. David’s wife, Michal, saw him dancing and “she was filled contempt for him.” She even belittled him saying, “’How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!’ So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.”

Be a worshipper like David, not a barren critic like Michal.

2. Your Thank Offerings Must be Intelligent

Psalm 100:3 states, “Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

Matthew Henry said, “Ignorance is not the mother of devotion, but it is the mother of superstition. True knowledge is the mother and the nurse of piety.”

Intelligent worship recognizes the obvious. Satan will do his best to keep you from seeing the truth about God. He will get you debating about incidental things as he did the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. They loved to argue about the precise tithing of your garden, the width of the border on your garments, whether you worship on one hill or another…As the clouds cover the glorious peaks of the Alps, so we often are left to debate the lower things.

The glorious truth of the nature of God is obscured in the mind that has not been illuminated by the Holy Spirit. Yahweh is to be worshiped simply because “He Is God.” He is the true and living, omnipotent Lord of the universe. In Hebrew the word for God, “Elohim,” is comprehended as the highest, most weighty, most righteous reasons for a man to yield up his entire life to the divine obedience. Yet, the proud unbeliever, whom the Bible calls a fool, refuses to acknowledge God! Romans 1:21 says, “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.”

Pharaoh is the prime exemplar of all the foolish enemies of God. Moses, an old man who had no recognized earthly power, came to Pharaoh, the king of the superpower of that day saying, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go…'” Pharaoh didn’t fully appreciate the spiritual basis on which Moses was acting. They each stood their ground… “’Is that so?’ retorted Pharaoh. ‘And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.’”

We all know how that conflict eventually ended. Egypt was devastated with plagues and was plundered by the departing Israelites. Pharaoh died with his army in the depths of the Red Sea. This is a prophetic picture of the absolute victory which will surely come in all conflicts God has with his rebellious creatures. Be smart, recognize the obvious.

As we continue this week of Thanksgiving, let us acknowledge that the Lord is God! Happy Thanksgiving!

As we continue our exploration of Psalm 100, which is the Psalm of Thanksgiving, we are learning to be a thankful servant to the One from whom all blessings flow. As you have the opportunity, please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we look at the Psalm of Thanksgiving in Psalms 100 part 3.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 179 – A Thankful Servant Part 1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 08:03:11 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 179 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

A Thankful Servant Part 1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 179 of our Trek, and yesterday we climbed the five steps to a Thankful Thanksgiving. Today and for the next two days, we will look at the Psalm of Thanksgiving, Psalm 100. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Today is a special day in the United States, one of the most special days of all year. It is Thanksgiving Day. This is a day to watch parades, enjoy a delicious meal, fellowship with our family and friends, and watch football or other fun activities.

As a Christ follower, it is also a day when we give thanks to God from whom all blessing flow. On our Trek today and the next two days, let us learn to become a thankful servant as we look closely at the Psalm of Thanksgiving, which is Psalms 100.

A Thankful Servant Part 1

We all love to hear the story of the Pilgrims. In 1620, a ship full of 102 religious refugees and 30 crew members, set sail for Virginia. The Christians longed to build a community to the greater glory of God. But, having been blown off course, they landed on Cape Cod.

Coming ashore at Plymouth Rock they established a settlement and prepared as best they could for their first winter. Short on supplies and even with the aid of native Indians, just half the Pilgrims survived the bitter freeze. Only three couples that began their voyage together were spared the ravages of death in their family.

In the light of such bitter hardship and disappointment, what would be their disposition towards life and God? After all, they came to America precisely because they were convinced it was God’s will. They wanted to worship God without the interference of the state and to get their children away from the worldliness of Europe. But, rather than feeling sorry for themselves in the face of loss and succumbing to cynicism or fleeing back to Europe, they celebrated what has become known as the ideal American holiday, Thanksgiving. This simple act of faith is one of the most tenacious expressions of true spirituality in our history!

The observance of Thanksgiving comes directly out of the Old Testament tradition of Feast Days. A thank offering was prescribed in the Law of Moses as a special burnt offering for deliverance granted or blessings received. In the Old Testament we have a beautiful expression of thanksgiving that serves as a window into which we will peer to see the spirit of true, thankful worship of God.

Psalms 100 is the only Psalm entitled, “A Psalm of Thanksgiving.” The Psalm is written from the perspective of a worshipper who has come to the temple in order to present their thank offering. Psalm 100 is the pinnacle of praise in a series of Psalms that exalts the Covenant Lord of Israel as the great king of all the earth.

Imagine yourself back in Old Testament days coming to the temple, with your family to offer your thank offering. You enter into the outer court of the temple, and in front of you is the brazen altar. You feel the radiant heat from its fire and smell the savory aroma of its sacrifices. As you present your gift to the priest, he asks you, “What has God done for you for which you are thankful?” On this Thanksgiving, what are the reasons for which you have come to praise God?

Psalm 100 gives us instruction in our thanksgiving.

1. Your Thank Offerings Must Be Passionate

Psalm 100:1-2 says, “Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness.”

In many churches, we are expected to be quiet and somber, but that is not what this verse would indicate when we are giving thanks to the one true God.

But what would make you shout today? The original Hebrew for this shout with joy is such a visceral act. We are commanded here to lift up our voices as in a war-cry or an alarm of battle. It is also an expression of our approval of our Lord.

This is the same word used in Israel’s first battle in the Holy Land at Jericho. There Joshua calls upon the Israelites to lift up a shout, and when they do, the walls of Jericho come falling down.

Now we gather to worship one greater than Joshua even, Jesus Christ! He has overcome the worldly city of man and has called us forth to follow in his triumph and procession as we make our way to our eternal heavenly home!

We see the same type of shout after David defeated Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:52, “Then the men of Israel and Judah gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron.”

Now we gather to worship one greater than David even, Jesus Christ! He has defeated all our spiritual Goliaths – sin, death, hell, and the grave – and gives all who trust him eternal life. Like the roar of the stadium at a football game when the championship team takes the field, we worship our victorious Christ.

We read about shouts of praise again when Israel had returned to the Promised Land after 70 years of exile in Babylon.They started to rebuild their city and the temple in which to worship God. After many years and great difficulties they finally finished building the foundation of the temple. Ezra 3:10-11 reads, “When the builders completed the foundation of the Lord’s Temple, the priests put on their robes and took their places to blow their trumpets. And the Levites, descendants of Asaph, clashed their cymbals to praise the Lord, just as King David had prescribed. With praise and thanks, they sang this song to the Lord: ‘He is so good! His faithful love for Israel endures forever!’ Then all the people gave a great shout, praising the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s Temple had been laid.”

Today we gather to worship one greater than the temple even, Jesus Christ. Jesus was all the Temple had pointed to. He was the fulfillment of the sacrifices, the priesthood, and, most importantly, he was God Himself dwelling with His people. Now he is your chief cornerstone and has fashioned you into a holy temple in the Lord and makes you the eternal dwelling place of God by the Spirit.

“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!” Jehovah is Lord of all the earth, he’s not just the covenant God of Israel. This command extends to all lands and anticipates the certainty of Christ’s dominion over all things! Colossians 1:16 reminds, “for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see — such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.”

As we enjoy this special celebration, let us shout in celebration, “Happy Thanksgiving!”

As we begin our exploration of Psalm 100, which is the Psalm of Thanksgiving, we are learning to be a thankful servant to the One from whom all blessings flow. As you have opportunity, please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we look at the Psalm of Thanksgiving in Psalms 100 part 2.

If you would like to be added to our weekly email update for Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone ,and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 178 – 5 Steps to a Thankful Thanksgiving

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 08:03:52 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 178 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

5 Steps to a Thankful Thanksgiving

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 178 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored Thanksgiving through the Bible as we focused on some key verses. Today we want to climb the five steps to a thankful Thanksgiving. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. With our client workload a little less this week, it is our hope to start putting some structure into our plans going into 2016. We see several areas of opportunity but want to make sure to focus on the wise opportunities for this season of life. As with many of the decisions that we make in our lives, it is not the choice between a good or bad option. Those are clear, but it is choosing the wisest option among several possible good options. The more you focus on making wise choices, the more you will realize just how very important it is.

Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, and as such, we have been focusing on Thanksgiving all week. We have learned much through these nuggets of wisdom and thankfulness, so today we want to climb the 5 steps to have a thankful Thanksgiving.

5 Steps to a Thankful Thanksgiving

If your home is like most, your Thanksgiving Day will be very busy, with either traveling to where you want to go or preparing your home to have others over for the day. Either way, that can be very hectic and emotionally trying, which doesn’t lend itself to preparing your heart to be reflective and thankful.

This means all the more that if we want to be the kind of people who are characterized by thankfulness, then we must make sure that we focus on it, not just on Thanksgiving Day but at all times during the year.

Here are a few key steps as well as some thoughts that are simple and practical to apply that you can use right away in your quest to become more thankful.

1. Time

Set aside time regularly to be quiet and to reflect. We live in the fastest paced time ever. From the moment we awake to the moment we collapse into bed, we have the opportunity to go at full speed and never slow down. If we schedule time every day during which we can be quiet and reflect, we will free our hearts and minds up from the tyranny of the urgent and rushed.

Psalms 119:15, “I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.”

2. Thought

Give thought to the many blessings that you have. Living in a consumer culture, most of us are fully aware of what we do not have and how we absolutely must have “it.” But how often do we reflect upon that which we already have? Take some time each day and think of one or two things that you have that you may typically take for granted, and then take a moment and give thanks for those.

Psalms 85:12, “Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.”

3. Generosity

Be generous toward those with less and not envious of those with more. We tend to look at others who may be wealthier than ourselves and think, “I sure wish I had what he does.” That kind of thinking breeds envy and jealousy rather than contentment. What can we do to break that cycle? I would suggest being generous to those who are less fortunate than yourself. Go to work at a food bank. This should not just be during the holidays — everybody works there then — but on a regular basis during the year. That will remind you of how good you really have it.

Psalms 112:19, “They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor.”

4. Ask

Ask a friend what they are thankful for. The next time you are at lunch with a friend, ask him or her what they are most thankful for. You will be amazed at the answers you receive, and you will create a meaningful bond with your friends as you focus on this powerful question.

1 Thessalonians 2:8, “We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.”

5. Acknowledge

Lastly, tell those you love how thankful you are for having them in your life. So many times we neglect to take the time to craft the words to express to those closest to us what their presence in our lives means to us. Take the opportunity of Thanksgiving Day to write them a note or sometime during the day put your hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes, and tell them. Let them know what they mean to you, and in return, you’ll begin to create the possibility of deeper, richer, more fulfilling relationships with those you love.

Ephesians 5:20, “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Of course, we should do what we can to make the most of the day we call Thanksgiving, but wouldn’t it be a shame if the only time we reflected on our blessings was that one Thursday in November? And the answer is, of course! So let’s do our best to be aware of the many great gifts that we have each and every day of the year. As we do so, we will see our hearts soar, and our minds will experience more and more peace as we regularly remember and remain aware of our good fortune.

Now that we have climbed the five steps for a thankful Thanksgiving, let us put them into practice each day. If you are thankful for the nuggets of wisdom that I share with you each day, please encourage your friends and family to join us and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we look at the Psalm of Thanksgiving, which is Psalms 100.

If you would like to be added to our weekly email update for Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 177 – 4 Essentials of Thanksgiving

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 08:03:01 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 177 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

4 Essentials of Thanksgiving

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 177 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored the concept of “Thanksgiving or Thanks-living, What Is the Difference?” Today we will explore the four essentials of Thanksgiving. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

Thanksgiving Essentials

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We drove up to Marietta late on Friday, and after sleeping in a bit on Saturday, we were able to spend the remainder of the day on the leaf harvest. It was a cool but sunny day, so it was a perfect day to be outside. Fortunately, Paula and I were able to pick up all of the leaves that were remaining on the property. My brother Jack had already picked up the leaves on his property which is all connected, so that enabled us to complete our task just as it was getting too dark to see clearly. It also started to rain just as I was parking the mower for the night. Even Paula’s mom who is 82 helped out with the blower, getting the leaves away from the house so I could pick them up with the mower and vacuum.

After I clean out the gutters and blow off the roofs next weekend, I will quickly run over the lawn once more to pick up any remaining leaves. It feels good to have the leaf harvest nearly completed for another year. We are thankful for the good health to be very active as well as the beauty that the trees bring to our property.

Leaf Harvest at The Big House

It is a cool week in Marietta with temperatures in the 30’s, and it is nice to be able to work indoors as I am able to enjoy the view from our 2^nd story office with large windows overlooking the property. We are looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving later this week with two of our children and five of our six grandchildren along with a niece, her husband, and their two young children. We have many blessings and so much to be grateful for.

It is time to head out on our Trek for today, and as we hike through each day, our focus and thoughts turn to the various aspects of Thanksgiving. As such, I thought that it would be appropriate to reflect on.

4 Essentials of Thanksgiving

As we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States this Thursday, I began to wonder what the Bible says about “Thanksgiving.” Thankfulness plays an important part in the Scripture. In fact, some form of thanks is mentioned over 150 times. I knew that the Bible references thankfulness often, but I was curious about the specifics. Let’s explore a few of the many aspects of Thanksgiving found in scripture.

1. Good Deeds Produce Thanksgiving

Jesus died upon the cross to purify for Himself, a group of people zealous for good deeds as listed in Titus 2:14, “He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”

As Jesus’s people, we work diligently in our Lord’s kingdom to do the good works God prepared beforehand as written in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

As we do the Lord’s work, we affect the lives of others. The result is Thanksgiving directed toward God.

Matthew 5:16 reminds us that people in the world see our good works and glorify God. – “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
2 Corinthians 9:11 states that good deeds directed toward our brethren produce thanksgiving to God. – “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.”

As we go through our day-to-day walk, letting our light shine as God’s children and doing the good deeds He has ordained, it causes others to glorify God and give thanks.

2. Thanksgiving Extended in Prayer

When we pray, expressing our concerns to God, we should also take the time to express our thankfulness.

Philippians 4:6 reminds us that we tell God our problems, making our requests known to Him with thanksgiving. – “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
We are devoted to prayer, staying alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving as suggested in Colossians 4:2. – “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
We rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks to God as encouraged in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. – “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

3. Thanksgiving Is Given in Heaven

We don’t know a lot about heaven, often making us wonder what it will be like. One thing we do know is occurring in heaven is Thanksgiving.

Revelations 11:17 states that the angels in heaven give thanks to God. – “And they said, ‘We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign.'”
When we get to heaven, we will give thanks to God for salvation, as those who were washed in the blood of the Lamb as found in Revelations 7:11-12. – “And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.’”

If we’re not thankful in our prayers upon the earth, it’s doubtful we’ll live in heaven, where we’ll be busy offering thanks to God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

4. Every Day is Thanksgiving, for Christians

As we experience God’s goodness in our lives and offer thanks to Him, we could say that every day is a day of thanksgiving. We don’t feast upon turkey in observance of a secular holiday every day , but we offer our thanks to God in prayer, reflecting our thankfulness in everything we say and do.

The result of our thankful lives, doing the good works God has ordained, is that it produces thanksgiving to God.
The effect of things we do upon the earth is far reaching, even reaching the throne of God.

Whatever you do in the bustle of day-to-day life, remember to give thanks. And live in such a way that others, who watch you and experience God’s goodness from your hands, can’t help but pause and offer up a prayer to express their thanks. In these ways, God will be glorified and receive the thanks He deserves.

A thankful life is a prayerful life. A life void of prayer is an unthankful life. Let us practice the principles in the Bible we looked at today and be thankful in all situations. As you seek to be thankful, also encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we look at the 5 steps to a Thankful Thanksgiving.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 176 – Thanksgiving or Thanks-Living?

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 08:03:26 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 176 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Thanksgiving or Thanks-Living?

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 176 of our Trek, and yesterday we shared additional details about the Blessings of the First Thanksgiving. Today we want to explore the concept of Thanksgiving or Thanks-living to determine what the difference is. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This episode will air on Monday, and we are rapidly coming up on Thanksgiving this week. We still have much work and preparations that need to be completed before Thursday, but it is always such a special time of year. We have so much to be thankful for. We are thankful that we can once again celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends at The Big House. God has been gracious to allow us to be caretakers of this family heritage, and we are pleased that it can be shared by so many.

It is time to head out on our Trek for today. As we hike, we have time to remember all the blessings in our own lives, and we want to consider these two questions:

Do our lives only show thankfulness and gratitude during special times or seasons?
Do our lives reveal that thankfulness and gratitude are part of the very fabric of who we are?

Thanksgiving or Thanks-living

Our speech is a great revealer of what is in our hearts. It is from the abundance of the heart or mind that the mouth speaks. Jesus put it in these terms in Matthew 12:33-37, “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

You may be able to fake it for a while, but sooner or later what is in your heart or mind will come out when you speak.

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Jesus said again in Matthew 15:8, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” We can say we are thankful, but our attitude and action will give us away. To quote Jesus for a third time in Matthew 12:37 he says, “The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” If we are truly thankful in our hearts, it will be reflected in how we live. Our Thanksgiving will become thanks-living.

Thanks-living is about attitude. Zig Ziglar is quoted saying, “Attitude determines your altitude.” I believe that is true in our spiritual and natural life. I know some gifted and talented people who seem to stay perpetually grounded and go nowhere simply because they have rotten attitudes.

The Bible is full of people who lived a life of thanks-living. This attitude helped David endure years on the run, sleeping in caves and the wilderness, while being hunted like an animal to be slaughtered by Saul. Instead of becoming a victim or an old sour puss, David allowed God to use all this to make him into one of the greatest kings to ever walk the earth.

Thanks-living is not living in denial. It is not the same as denying the pain of a situation or pretending that everything is fine when it really is not. Thanks-living is being able to be thankful in spite of our circumstances because we choose to look at our life and circumstances through the filter of God’s love and goodness. Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Thessalonica 5:18, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Thanks-living is about how we treat other people. David wrote in Psalms 16:9, “No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.” Peter quotes the same verse with a twist to it in Acts 2:25, “King David said this about him: I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.”

Our tongue, or what we say, is our glory or our downfall. The word “glory” literally means weight or honor. It means to honor, to give honor, and to impart value. That is what our words are for.

We are to establish, nurture, and protect relationships with our words like Proverbs 15:23 tells us, “Everyone enjoys a fitting reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!” Also in Proverbs 15:4 we read, “Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Ephesians 4:29 puts it this way, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Then in Ephesians 4:15 we see, “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

That is what thanks-living looks like.

Thanks-living is also about receiving and giving. Jesus was quoted in Acts 20:35, “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” A life of thanks-living revolves around what we have received. Being daily conscious of all Christ has already given us, focusing on what God is doing rather than what He is not doing will cause our hearts to overflow with generosity.

Ann Voskamp captures this so well in this quote:

“Thanksgiving only becomes thanks-living when joy in the blessings given from above overflows into the blessings given all around. Thanksgiving only becomes thanks-living when the thanks for His vertical, coming-down grace is expressed as a horizontal, reaching-out grace. Thanksgiving only becomes thanks-living when thanksgiving to God overflows into a joy of giving.”

May our Thanksgiving truly become thanks-living.

With the lessons learned on our hike today, let us turn our occasional Thanksgiving into daily Thanks-Living. One way to do this is to encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue our trek and focus on how wise it is to be thankful in a series of short, inspiring stories and concepts.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 175 – The First Thanksgiving

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 22 Nov 2015 08:03:34 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 175 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

The First Thanksgiving

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 175 of our Trek, and yesterday we located the 7-mile markers to boost your gratitude. Today I will share additional details around the Blessings of the First Thanksgiving. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This episode is being released the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and if things go according to our plan, we should have most of the leaves harvested. I will update you with those details once it is accomplished.

The sinusitis or cold that I have been battling for over a week now is finally starting to wane although it has really zapped my energy this week, which is unusual. I spoke with my brother Jack today, and his family has had the same type of cold. He also mentioned that it has really drained him of energy also. It is good to know that soon I will be back to normal, or at least normal for me.

It is time to head out on our trek for today. As we hike, it is a time to remember all the blessings in our own lives and discover how the first Thanksgiving Day was established. I will share this story with you so that we can remember it, gain wisdom from it, and apply it to creating our living legacy. Our story today is…

Remember the Blessings of the First Thanksgiving

This week Americans across the country will sit down and devour their turkey dinner with all the trimmings, including pumpkin pie. Some will bow their heads and say a humble “thank you” to God for their blessings of the year while others will just dive in and eat. Regardless of your family’s practice, most people agree that this is one of our country’s most popular and enjoyable holidays. But how many of us talk about the history of this particular holiday that makes it so unique? Let’s do that right now!

Thanksgiving is our oldest national holiday and is the only holiday in the United States decreed by a joint resolution of both houses of Congress and yearly proclamations by our presidents. Each proclamation has expressed gratitude to God, making Thanksgiving the only holiday of a religious nature that seems to be politically correct today. Thanksgiving is a holiday that can be celebrated without religious reservation by Jews, Christians (Roman Catholics and Protestants of all denominations), Muslims, or, for that matter, followers of any religion practiced in the United States. While a few other countries have similar celebrations, Thanksgiving as we know it is a holiday observed only in the United States. It truly is unique.

Thanksgiving is a time for all of us to give thanks to our creator for His bountiful provisions.

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From our earliest days in school, we have heard the story of that first Thanksgiving. Having arrived in the United States after a very difficult sea voyage that took much longer than expected, a group of 102 people (44 men and 58 women and children) made their way to shore. It was on Dec. 21, 1620, and the bitter cold of winter had already set in.

They took shelter for the winter in a makeshift building that the men had gone ashore and built during the previous weeks. They had intended to land in Jamestown, VA, where friends and relatives were expecting them and had made arrangements for getting them settled. But because of ship repairs and problems of navigation that resulted in their being considerably off course and spending several extra weeks trying to find Virginia, the ship finally dropped anchor for the winter at Plymouth, Mass., far north of their intended destination. These settlers had no place to stay or people to assist them.

It was a grueling winter, and, although accounts differ slightly, apparently during that first winter 49 people died – 22 men and a combination of 27 women and children. So when spring came, there were only 53 of the original group remaining, 22 men and a mixture of 31 women and children of different ages.

Not only had the weather and sickness made the winter difficult to undergo, but different people had come to America for different reasons, leading to disagreements. Some were pilgrims seeking religious freedom, some were explorers seeking new frontiers, others had gone astray and were seeking to avoid the long arm of English law, and some were just looking for a new beginning in life.

The sea captain and his crew had remained on the ship during the winter, and when the worst of the winter was over and it was safe to sail back to Europe, the captain offered to take any or all of his original passengers back to England. You would think that, under the circumstances, there would have been at least a few who would have, perhaps reluctantly, taken him up on the opportunity to return home. Instead, everyone decided to remain in Plymouth. And in spite of their different backgrounds, they worked together to survive and to succeed.

These early settlers made friends with the Native Americans who helped them get through that first winter, and during the following spring and summer, the Native Americans helped them plant and harvest crops. Everything seemed to go well, and when fall came, they had a bountiful harvest.

In November of 1621 this small community, in spite of the hardships that had been endured, set aside three days to celebrate the blessings of the past year, especially the bountiful harvest. We refer to these people as the Pilgrims.

Each year, when we celebrate our national day of Thanksgiving, we commemorate those three days when the Pilgrims joined by about 90 of their Native American friends, found different ways of expressing their gratitude to God.

After that first Thanksgiving, different colonies and states periodically observed a Thanksgiving of their own for one reason or another. It was not until 1789 that there was a presidential proclamation making Thanksgiving a national day of celebration for our country. It was in that year that George Washington declared a national day of Thanksgiving in honor of the new constitution.

In 1795, Washington declared another national day of Thanksgiving out of gratitude for the overall welfare of our young country. And during the 1800s, several individual states paused to thank God on special occasions.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation declaring that there should be a national day of Thanksgiving on the last day of November. Although there was no law requiring a national day of Thanksgiving, every president since Lincoln declared a national day of Thanksgiving in the fall of the year. Except for a few early deviations, every president after Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as the date of Thanksgiving.

On Dec. 26, 1941, a law passed by both houses of the United States Congress and signed by President Roosevelt settled the matter; it set the fourth Thursday of November as a federal legal holiday of Thanksgiving to be observed annually from then on.

So, this week, when you are observing Thanksgiving with your family or friends, take some time to remember the rich history of this very popular holiday and focus on your blessings of the past year. This has always been the purpose of our Thanksgiving holiday.

Even if you have personally had a difficult year, just remember that in spite of the terrible hardships the original Pilgrims suffered, they found reasons enough to be thankful to celebrate for three days. And since then, there have been years of war, famine, dust bowls, depression, and so forth, yet our nation has always found reasons to celebrate Thanksgiving. We can all find reasons to be thankful this year.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Church in Ephesus in Chapter 6 verse 20,“And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

King David wrote in Psalms 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Let us remember the story of Thanksgiving and then establish your own stories of Thanksgiving to be shared with your family. Encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue our trek and focus on how wise it is to be thankful in a series of short, inspiring stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 174 – 7 Ways to Boost Your Gratitude

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 21 Nov 2015 08:03:41 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 174 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

7 Ways to Boost Your Gratitude

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 174 of our Trek, and yesterday we hiked on the trails of unleashing gratitude in your life. Today as we hike on our trail, we will search for the 7-mile markers to boost your gratitude. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. By the time this episode is released, we will be back at The Big House for a couple of weeks. In addition to a smaller family Thanksgiving celebration, we will be headlong in the leaf harvest. Most of the leaves have fallen, and the ground is covered quite thick with leaves. With about three acres of open area to collect from, that is a lot of leaves. On Wednesday this past week, we were able to spend an evening out with my sister Rebecca, which is one of the monthly blessings that I look forward to as we always enjoy the time reminiscing and sharing God’s blessings in our lives. Rebecca is a marvelous piano player, and as I approached her door to let her know we had arrived, the beautiful playing of the old hymn “Count Your Blessings” was flowing from her fingertips. One of the best ways to boost your gratitude is to count your blessings and name them one by one. It is then you will see that your life is full.

So let’s get started on our trek in our exploration for the…

7 Mile Markers to Boost Your Gratitude

It is the season to be grateful. After all, the dictionary defines the word “thanksgiving” as “the expression of gratitude.”

Gratitude refers to feeling thankfulness and appreciation for people, places, and events. An attitude of gratitude can really change your life. As Willie Nelson once said, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

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How do you boost your attitude of gratitude?

Okay, I will admit, there are times when we just don’t feel very thankful. Sometimes life deals us a bad hand, which may be completely out of our control. But how we play that hand is what counts. Let’s hike our trail today and look for the seven mile markers to help you boost your gratitude. I will let you in on a little secret here…Most of these take very little time and absolutely no money! I want to challenge you to make a point to try any one (or more) of these today to improve your attitude of gratitude.

1. Say thank you more frequently.

Thank everyone around you, from the people who serve you or those who simply exist in your life. No need to wait until someone does something huge for you. Just the mere fact that your spouse or friend is in your life can warrant a “thank you.”

More than just saying it, it is also important that you really feel it. President John F. Kennedy put it this way, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”

We focus so much on saying “thank you,” in our society (especially with children) that sometimes we don’t make the connection between the words and the genuine, heartfelt gratitude they should convey. Thanksgiving Day is a wonderful reminder for all of us to take some time to thank the people in our lives for all those intangible gifts they give us every day – gifts of compassion, friendship, laughter, support, and love. So much to be thankful for!

Make sure when you do thank someone you also experience the sense of appreciation for them.

2. Be present.

Many of us are well versed at juggling dozens of different thoughts in our heads at once. It is tough to feel true gratitude when your attention is divided. Take the time to really focus on the person you are with or the event that is happening at the moment. Stop, even if just for a moment, to concentrate on how much you appreciate a sunny day, the food you are eating, or the person sitting next to you.

3. Write a letter of thanks.

Identify someone who has impacted your life, perhaps an elementary school teacher, an old friend, or a family member. Write that individual a letter explaining why they are so important to you, what you have learned from them, and how they have affected your life. This is not the time to be reserved; really share your heart in the letter. Simply the act of conceptualizing and writing this letter can boost your feelings of gratitude.

4. Schedule “gratitude moments.”

We all get so busy with life that even our best intentions do not always come to fruition. To help incorporate more gratitude into your day life, schedule at least a few minutes each day to focus on gratitude.

For some people, doing this first thing in the morning is optimal because it starts their day on a positive note and helps them bring gratitude into rest of their day. At the end of the day before bed can also be a terrific time to focus on what you appreciated about your day. It is a nice way to review what happened and go to bed on a positive note and can even help you get a better night of sleep.

Another option is to actually schedule gratitude time as if it were an appointment. I find that I am actually happier and more productive as a result of a quick gratitude break.

5. Have a “happy” meal.

I’m not talking about the kind of happy meal that comes with French fries and a plastic toy but rather the kind that offers the gift of gratitude. Sit down with family and/or friends for a “happy” meal. Take turns talking about each person and what you appreciate about them. Offer specific examples, such as, “I really appreciate that you took the time to call me after my big presentation, even though you were busy with your work.” This mind shift helps you and those around you feel more connected and loved.

6. Avoid complaining or passing judgment for an entire day.

When we judge and criticize others (and even ourselves), we cannot truly experience gratitude. Being nonjudgmental can be difficult for most people as we often think in judgmental ways without realizing it. Take control of your thoughts and notice the benefits to you and those around you. Once you have become proficient at this, challenge yourself with the 21-day gratitude challenge – No judgment, gossip or criticizing for 21 days!

7. Start a gratitude journal.

Write out things each day that you appreciate. Don’t feel like the things you write in your journal need to be big or life changing. Even being grateful for something seemingly simple or small, like the sun shining, counts too!

If you are struggling with someone or something in your life, make sure that at least one of your daily journal entries is related to that person or situation. Most of us are better at identifying things we don’t like about ourselves or things we should do better, rather than the good things, which leaves us with low self-esteem and greater stress. Challenge yourself to identify at least one thing you appreciate about yourself each day. This is not being egocentric; it is being kind to yourself. That kindness will not only be a benefit to you but also those around you. After all, the happier you are, the more likely people in your life will be happier, too.

And a bonus tip…Let us never forget the one that we owe all thanks to as is mentioned several times in the book of Psalms, such as in 118:1, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”

I want to challenge you today to try at least one of these tips and report back in the comments of our journal page for Day 174. What was the experience like?

Boosting your gratitude takes very little time and does not cost anything. Have you had your gratitude boost for today? One way to encourage your friends and family is to invite them to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue our trek and focus on how wise it is to be thankful in a series of short, inspiring stories.

If you would like to be added to our weekly email update for Wisdom-Trek, just text the word Wisdom to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 173 – 4 Steps to Unleash Gratitude in Your Life

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 08:03:24 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 173 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

4 Steps to Unleash Gratitude in Your Life

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 173 of our Trek, and yesterday we hiked on the trails of gratitude and thanksgiving through a series of inspirational stories for our trek of life. Today and for the next week, we will continue this hike on the trails of gratitude and thanksgiving. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As we continue our focus on the season of Thanksgiving, regardless of how difficult life may or may not have been during this past year, each of us has much to be thankful for. The best way to maintain an attitude of gratitude is to make a gratitude list and review it daily to focus on those blessings that we have each day. It’s the best way to start each day.

On today’s trek, we want to head down memory lane and learn how to…

Unleash Gratitude in Your Life!

I have many wonderful memories of Thanksgiving on the Farm. Mom always prepared a huge turkey with all the trimmings and side dishes. I have continued that tradition with hosting family Thanksgivings at The Big House for many years. During my trek of life, I had a mom who loved us and taught all 10 of us to cook. I especially enjoyed the times in the kitchen that we spent together as she taught me the love of cooking. One of my favorite memories is mom and I making fruit cakes. It was one baking event that just mom and I did together.

It’s been over 16 years since mom lost her battle with cancer, but I am so thankful for the 68 years of life that she was granted. She lived life to the fullest. While it would be wonderful if she were still with us to impact our lives and the lives of her grandchildren and now great-grandchildren, in a very real way she is through the impact that we can make each day. All who knew and loved her are reminded and thankful for all the great moments they shared. The laughter, the lessons, and the wisdom that she shared with me is invaluable. What I have learned is that she is not in my past but in my future. I celebrate her life and blessing of mentorship that she shared.

During this next week in the United States, everybody is getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I enjoy spending time with my family, sitting around the table and enjoying good food and the incredible opportunity to express gratitude for all the many blessings in my life. Thanksgiving is not something that should be restricted to a day, though. Thanksgiving is a lifestyle that anybody can cultivate. Gratitude is one of my favorite things in the whole world. Here are a few lessons on how you can unleash gratitude in your life.

1. Gratitude is one of the most important habits you can ever develop.

As a business person, church leader, gramps, dad, and husband, I have been privileged to influence and encourage many throughout the world to have a greater impact on their world. Many people wonder and desire to learn how to be happy and successful. However, many don’t immediately realize that the first lesson they must learn is in gratitude. This may be puzzling at first, but I know that no other force but gratitude will empower you for true joy and success in life.

For many years, I have made a conscious decision to keep a list of what I am grateful for. I then review that list first thing every morning and thank God for each blessing on the list. There are seasons and circumstances that change, so I edit and update the list as it is ever evolving with the seasons. This exercise in gratitude has changed my life. Not only do I find myself being more appreciative, but I also find myself with greater joy and success in every area of my life. Gratitude is a practice that will forever transform your life.

2. Gratitude will destroy the root of pride in your life.

The great thing about gratitude is that it humbles the heart. So many times we are being controlled and directed by our ambitions. We live in a very self-seeking and self-absorbed culture. I have been guilty of this as well. However, as I practiced gratitude, I lost the, me, myself and I mentality. I embraced a selfless mentality and became more focused on serving others. Gratitude forces us to mature. Gratitude is learning how to appreciate everything that arises in your life. You lose the “I” mindset and you develop a “we” mindset. No other force but gratitude can soften and open the human heart to unconditional love. Gratitude checks the ego and destroys pride in our lives.

3. Gratitude makes every moment in your life special.

During the holiday season, I reflect on Mom and how she always made the holidays extra special more and more. I do miss her and especially the impact that she had on so many. I am grateful for the impact that she continues to have through subsequent generations of family. I am grateful for the times that I was able to share with my mom. I am grateful for the memories, the lessons, the laughter, and the tears that we shared. Gratitude is powerful because it empowers us. Gratitude is what causes the events that happen in our lives to produce a revolution. Gratitude has become such a part of my life that I have learned to be thankful for even the simple things. Some days or seasons are sunny and warm while others are cloudy and cold. However, I have learned to be thankful for both, and they are both important and serve a purpose, and so it is with our trek of life. When you can be thankful for every moment in your life, you can make the most of your life. We shift from being ungrateful, uncaring, and unfulfilled to grateful, giving, and grounded human beings. Gratitude does a work in the heart.

4. Gratitude enriches your life.

You have heard me say this before. We are all on a trek in our lives. We are on the trek to become the best versions of ourselves. No other force will empower you to become your best self but gratitude. The more grateful you are, the more you discover what it means to live an authentic life. As human beings, we all have a core desire for contentment. Our culture encourages covetousness; however, when you live a heart-centered life, your goal is contentment. When you become proficient in the practice of gratitude, you will contend for contentment in your life. Contentment is reaching the place in life where nothing has the power to move you. Contentment is refusing to allow anything to distract you and change the direction of your life. Contentment produces joy and causes you to live in the center of your calling. Contentment is finding perfect peace and certainty in every season of your life.

As the Apostle Paul taught his protégé Timothy in his first letter in Chapter 6 verses 6 through 8…

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”

Gratitude is a habit that everyone can learn. Gratitude will destroy the root of pride in your life and allow every moment to be special as it enriches your life. As you learn each day, you are responsible for sharing with others. So, encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we continue our Trek and focus on how wise it is to be thankful in a series of short, inspiring stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 172 – 3 Trails of Gratitude

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 08:03:36 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 172 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

3 Trails of Gratitude

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 172 of our Trek. Yesterday we asked the question, “Are you affecting or infecting others that you impact?” Starting today and for the next week, we will hike on the trails of gratitude and thanksgiving through a series of inspirational stories for our trek of life. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. While I enjoy all seasons of the year, fall seems to be extra special for me. It may be from growing up on an apple orchard when we would pick apples and make fresh apple cider and apple butter in the huge copper pot over an open fire. It may also be that the crisp fall air carries with it a fresh relief after the hot and humid days of summer.

Growing up in a family of 10 children with loving parents, for me fall also meant a huge Thanksgiving feast and then on to Christmas. Both holidays hold a very special meaning for me. As we trek through life, let us always be thankful for the bountiful blessings that we have. Let us also remember the birth of Christ who provides us with a rich and satisfying life on earth and eternal life.

Even if you do not live in the United States, where we celebrate Thanksgiving in November, take this time to share in our celebration of thanks and gratitude.

Let’s hike three trails of gratitude today, which we will title…

Gratitude Stories

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the following gratitude stories might be helpful to you. They all fall under the theme of 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Of course, this verse doesn’t mean that everything that happens to us is God’s will. It’s not God’s will that we lose our jobs or get a diagnosis of cancer, or that our children make poor choices. What this verse does say is that it’s God’s will for us to be thankful people in all circumstances, even in hard times — especially in hard times.

Consider these three trails.

1. Robinson Crusoe

When Robinson Crusoe was wrecked on his lonely island, he drew two columns and listed the good and bad of his situation. He was cast on a desolate island, but he was still alive. He was divided from humanity, but he was not starving. He had no clothes, but he was in a warm climate and didn’t need them. He had no means of defense but saw no wild beasts which threatened him. He had no one to talk to, but the destroyed ship was near the shore and he could get out of it all the things necessary for his basic survival. He concluded, therefore, that no condition in the world was so miserable that one could not find something to be grateful for.

2. John Claypool, Part 1

When the late John Claypool lost his ten-year-old daughter to leukemia, gratitude was the only way he survived. He tells about that experience in his profound book, Tracks of a Fellow Struggler. After his daughter’s death, John walked down three different paths. The first path was to say, “Well, it was just God’s will. I have to accept it.” But that was not helpful. He could not believe that God willed ten-year-old girls to die of leukemia. A second path was to try to find an intellectual answer as to why this happened. He tried to make sense of it. But that didn’t work either. His daughter’s death didn’t make any sense. Finally, John walked the path of gratitude. He realized that life is a gift. We are not entitled to it. That we have any life at all is a pure gift and pure grace. Therefore, John chose to be thankful for the ten good years they had together rather than being consumed with resentment for the years he did not have with her. This path of gratitude wasn’t easy, but it was the only path which offered any help.

3. John Claypool, Part 2

Dr. John Claypool often spoke about the importance of choosing to be grateful. His personal experience allowed him to pen one of his many renditions of the story on Thanksgiving Day:

“Those of you who know a great deal about the past will undoubtedly agree with me that often history turns on slender hinges. What I mean is that events that seem at the time to be very small turn out to have tremendous consequences. This is certainly the case in the earliest days of our country’s formation.”

“The story begins in the summer of 1620 when one hundred twenty-five eager Christian folk set out from Southhampton, England, hoping to come to the new world and establish a faith community. They were on two leased ships, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. But as they made their journey around the southern tip of England, the Speedwell developed problems so they both had to pull into Plymouth. There it was determined that the Speedwell was not able to cross the Atlantic. So twenty of the original group gave up and went back home. One hundred five crowded onto the Mayflower and set out well behind schedule hoping to get to the colony of Virginia in time enough to build some shelter before the winter came.”

“Navigation in the seventeenth century was a very primitive affair so it took them a lot longer to cross than they had expected, plus they were blown hundreds of miles off course without realizing it. They didn’t see land until the last part of November and what they saw was not Virginia at all but New England. They had hoped to get there before the winter set in but that was not the case. They went ashore. They were not able to build very substantial shelters and as a result disease began to sweep through the little community.”

“Before the spring came to break the terrible cold, exactly half of the original group that had set out from Plymouth were in unmarked graves because they had been devastated by so much disease. It was at that point that what was left of the crew of the Mayflower started to go back to England and the whole group wondered whether or not they should just give up and go back with them. But courage overcame despair and so they decided to stay. At that point their fortunes turned. The Indians were wonderfully hospitable. They shared with them their land, and they taught these pilgrims how to plant and how to cultivate. That summer they built very substantial housing, and they were able, when the harvest came in, to be amazed at the fertility of this new country.”

“These were religious folk, and so when the first anniversary of their being in the new world began to loom on the horizon, they wanted to devise some kind of ritual to acknowledge this significant event. Not surprisingly, the first suggestion was that they have a day of mourning. Every family had lost at least one person, many had lost several members of the family. They argued that the best way to commemorate their time there was to remember those who had sacrificed their lives.”

“There was another group that said, ‘Yes, we have lost a great deal, we have undergone great tragedy and grief, but we also have much to be thankful for. The Indians had been wonderful, the land here is wonderfully fertile, and we have survived. Why don’t we make that first anniversary a day of thanksgiving rather than a day of mourning?’ ”

“Well, the record is that a debate went back and forth between the mourning party and the Thanksgiving party. And as you know, because of a national holiday that we still recognize the last of November, it was the Thanksgiving party that actually prevailed. So the first anniversary of these hearty people was a day in which they expressed profound gratitude for all the things that were going for them.”

“Historians have said that that simple decision to opt for gratitude rather than mourning may have been the most significant factor in giving those people the energy and the courage to meet the challenges that were yet to come. Truth be told, whenever we face ambiguous situations with things going for us and things going against us, I would suggest that gratitude is the most creative thing we can possibly do because it puts us in touch with the positive energies that are at work in our lives. It gives us a way of having confidence, and it gives us a way of having hope for the days that lie ahead.”

As Thanksgiving approaches, take the time to reflect on all the blessings in your life. And, encourage your friends and family to the join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Between now and Thanksgiving Day, we will focus on how wise it is to be thankful in a series of short, inspiring stories.

The journal for today’s Trek can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 171 – Do You Affect or Infect Others?

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 08:03:07 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 171 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Do You Affect or Infect Others?

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 171 of our Trek, and yesterday we finished exploring the 5 trails needed to get over yourself so you can trek on in life. Today we will ask the question, “Are you affecting or infecting others that you impact?” If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our workload continues briskly, but we continue on our trek, one step at a time. If we do not stop, I know we will reach our destination. My voice is starting to get a bit stronger, but I hope my raspy voice has not been too distracting this past week. It has been years since I have had any type of sinusitis or cold like has hit me pretty hard this past week. I am on the back side of it now, though, so hopefully my voice will improve each day.

Do You Affect or Infect Others?

Words, words, words! In my opinion, when we talk about the connection between attitude and behavior, there are two words that come to mind, “affect” and “infect.” My first reaction is to think of “affect” as a positive verb and “infect” as a negative verb, but I guess they can be both.

According to www.dictionary.com:

af•fect – verb (used with object) – 1. to act on; produce an effect or change in; 2. to impress the mind or move the feelings of; 3. (of pain, disease, etc.) to attack or lay hold of.

in•fect – verb (used with object) – 1. to affect or contaminate (a person, organ, wound, etc.) with disease-producing germs; 3. to taint or contaminate with something that affects quality, character, or condition unfavorably; 4. to corrupt or affect morally; 5. to imbue with some pernicious belief, opinion, etc.

I love this quote attributed to, Eleanor Roosevelt, “Every one of us every day has choices to make about the kind of person we are and what we wish to become. You can decide to be someone who brings people together, or you can fall prey to those who wish to divide us. You can be someone who educates yourself, or you can believe that being negative is clever and being cynical is fashionable. You have a choice.”

How true…Which one are you? What would your family, friends, and/or work colleagues say about you?

If you have listened to many episodes of Wisdom-Trek or read the daily journals, you’ve heard me say over and over, “Attitude is a choice!” It’s a split second choice, 24/7/365!

We have the power to affect or infect our own lives, a situation, our relationships, and our workplaces in a positive or negative way every day.

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As we begin winding down yet another year of ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, let’s take a few moments to be thankful for all the good in our lives rather than focusing on the negative.

By making a conscious choice to be a “power surge” rather than a “power drain,” we can open ourselves to have a positive “affect” (influence) on ourselves and others regardless of the conditions around us. We can even “infect” our world in a positive way – spread the positive attitude virus, look for the good, and trust for the right results. How freeing this thinking is! What an uplifting, renewing way to live!

“So it is, life is actually made up of our choices. We are the sum total of them, and if we hold to an attitude of love and thanksgiving for all the good things within our grasp we may have what all ambitious people long for — success,” Maya Angelou.

What about you? Have you have been infected with the disease of a negative attitude and mindset through those you associate with or because you have not filtered out the garbage that is entering into your mind? If so, fortunately for you, then I do have a cure.

“Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic.’ This is a most searching and true diagnosis. Gratitude can be a vaccine that can prevent the invasion of a disgruntled attitude. As antitoxins prevent the disastrous effects of certain poisons and diseases, thanksgiving destroys the poison of fault-finding and grumbling. When trouble has smitten us, a spirit of thanksgiving is a soothing antiseptic,” John Henry Jowett.

Frederick Buechner says, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

What a wonderful reminder to take the time to think about what God is doing for us. Too often we focus just on the horrid things – evil, terrorist attacks, hurricanes, floods, devastation, and famine.

Instead, let’s prepare our minds for this season of Thanksgiving. Take time every day to verbalize or write all you are thankful for. Doing so will revitalize your soul.

1. Begin with Thanksgiving.

Psalm 100:4 tells us to give thanks to God,

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Thank Him for His patience and forgiveness.
Thank Him for the privilege of coming into His presence.
Thank Him for what He has done in and through your life in the last year.
Take time to list what God has done for you.
Be specific.
Think through every area of your life.

2. List what God has done.

Thank Him for His patience and forgiveness.
Thank Him for the privilege of coming into His presence.
Thank Him for what He has done in and through your life in the last year.

3. Become still before the Lord.

Psalm [46:10] says,

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”

Consider who God is.
Praise Him for His attributes.
Rejoice in your fellowship with Him and that He delights in you.
Read passages of scripture and pray them back to God.
Sing to the Lord.

As Thanksgiving approaches, take the time to reflect on all the blessings in your life. Keep in mind the opportunity you have to change the world through your attitude, talents, and gifts. In my world, everything starts with the ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE! The life lessons that we learn each day are valuable to everyone we meet. So, encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Between now and Thanksgiving Day, we will focus on how wise it is to be thankful in a series of short, inspiring stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 170 – 5 Trails to Hike to Get Over Yourself #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 08:03:17 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 170 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

5 Trails to Hike to Get Over Yourself #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 170 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored trails 1-3 of the 5 trails needed to get over yourself so you can trek on in life. Today we will complete trails 4 and 5. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

5 Trails to Get Over Yourself

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. After a relaxing, but productive weekend, the work week is full with activities that we need to wrap up before heading back to Marietta at the end of this week. Leaf harvest will keep us busy for a few days when we return to the Big House. We will remain in Marietta through the 1^st week of December. The days, months, and years are rapidly passing us by. I have to continually remind myself to slow down and enjoy the journey.

5 Trails Hiked to Getting Over Yourself So You Can Trek On With Your Life

Let’s review the introduction from yesterday’s exploration of trails 1 -3 to refresh your memory. If you did not trek with us yesterday, please listen to Day 169 before proceeding with us today so that you will experience the entire trek that we are taking.

Have you ever noticed that life just happens? It just does. And yet we spend so much time trying to control what happens in our lives, micro-managing how it happens and then telling everyone else what they should do to control and manage their lives that often we miss the point of what we are actually experiencing in ours.

The question is why do we expend so much energy trying to control things we really have no control over. At the end of the day, isn’t it just exhausting?

The question is why do we expend so much energy trying to control things we really have no control over.

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Life is actually quite simple. We have two choices in any given situation, circumstance, or event. We can be a victim and believe that things are happening to us, that we have no control over our situation, and blame others for the injury we have suffered. Or, we can start taking responsibility for our own lives, our own thoughts, our own words, and our own actions and decide that regardless of the injury, we are going to choose to live life on our own terms, powerfully.

In our society, we are supported, encouraged, and even rewarded for being victims. And yet, does being a victim ever feel good? Not usually. Being a victim tends to make us feel weak, vulnerable, and powerless. And these feelings in turn can lead to depression, frustration, and uncertainty.

The difference between taking responsibility for ourselves when life throws us a curve ball versus being a victim of a situation is that we become far better equipped spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and many times even physically. We stop allowing energy vampires to suck the life out of us, and rather than feeling powerless, depressed, and frustrated, we are able to experience our situation as an opportunity to test our superpowers of strength, positivity, clarity, and focus.

If you are sick and tired of feeling frustrated, drained, like you just can’t get a break, and are ready to get over yourself and on with your life, here are a few guidelines for living life on your own terms.

Yesterday we hiked the first three trails which were:

1. Stop blaming everyone else.

2. Your life is your responsibility.

3. Things are not always as they seem.

Today we will hike the final two trails.

4. Acknowledge your feelings.

Feelings are simple, really. We like things that make us feel good – love, affection, romance, acknowledgment…We don’t like things that make us feel bad – frustration, anger, sadness, hurt…

Of course, if we didn’t know what one felt like, how would we recognize the other? How could we know if we were in a good mood if we didn’t know what it felt like to be angry or upset? We deny he feelings we don’t like, stuffing or rationalizing them away. We do anything we can to avoid really acknowledging them and hope that it limits our discomfort.

Here’s the thing. Feelings, pain, and discomfort (physical, mental or emotional) are like a little kid pulling on your pant leg to get your attention.

If you have kids, you understand. If you don’t, go spend a day with a 3 or 4 year old.

When a child wants your attention, they do not really care what is going on in the rest of your life at the moment. They are not maliciously trying to upset you or irritate you. They are attempting to bring your awareness to a situation that needs attention.

Once you give them your full, undivided attention, they feel acknowledged and heard and move on to greater adventures with more fun until the next time.

Feelings are exactly like that! They are designed to increase our awareness of our experiences and help us determine how we want to live our lives. Acknowledge them as they come up and remember, tears are nothing but a little bit of water that is a release of those emotions.

1 John 3:19-21 encourages, “Our actions will show that we belong to the truth so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.”

5. Say what you mean.

In challenging situations, are you more concerned with wanting to be “nice” than saying what you’re really thinking? Are you afraid if you say what you really mean someone else might be offended, hurt, or feel discounted?

Saying what you mean doesn’t mean you’re a jerk and being nice doesn’t necessarily require saying more. When we default what we’re really thinking and feeling for the sake of being nice to others, we compromise ourselves. (Come on, be honest. we’ve all had those moments after a situation when we’ve kicked ourselves and come up with at least 3 responses of what we should have said).

Try this. Take a current situation you have challenges in communicating. Write out what you want to say. Now see if you can write that same explanation or communication out in 10 words or less.

Eliminate the fluff and get to the heart of the matter. It may be a little challenging at first, but the more you practice, the better you will get.

Life is what we choose to make of it, and often we must be willing to get over ourselves in order to get on with the business of truly living our lives.

Proverbs 17:27 reminds, “A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.”

The trails that we hiked yesterday and today are very rough trails to navigate. We have to encounter situations about ourselves that are not easy. We need the endurance to carry on, even if we do not feel like it. It will allow us to grow and mature so that we can reach our full God-given abilities. The life lessons that we learn each day are valuable to everyone we meet. So, encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we discover the difference between infecting or affecting others that we impact.

Also, we have a new service available. If you would like to be added to our weekly email update for Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spreaker, SoundCloud, Stitcher, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 169 – 5 Trails to Hike to Get Over Yourself #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 08:03:43 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 169 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

5 Trails to Hike to Get Over Yourself #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 169 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored verses 15-23 of Proverbs Chapter 5. Today we are heading back out to the trails as we look for the 5 trails to getting over yourself so we can trek on in life. We will hike on trails 1-3 today. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

5 Trails to Hike

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last week seemed to zip by too quickly, but we did have a great time with Kip on Saturday picking out materials for his quilt that Granny will be making for him. On Sunday, we had a good time of fellowship and worship at our local church. This is the first time we have been in Charlotte for the weekend for nearly two months, so it was a great time to be back.

5 Trails Hiked to Getting Over Yourself So You Can Trek On With Your Life

Have you ever noticed that life just happens? It just does. And yet we spend so much time trying to control what happens in our lives, micro-managing how it happens, and then telling everyone else what they should do to control and manage their lives that we often miss the point of what we are actually experiencing in ours.

The question is why do we expend so much energy trying to control things we really have no control over. At the end of the day, isn’t it just exhausting?

Life is actually quite simple. We have two choices in any given situation, circumstance, or event. We can be a victim and believe that things are happening to us that we have no control over our situation and blame others for the injury we have suffered. Or, we can start taking responsibility for our own lives, our own thoughts, our own words, and our own actions and decide that regardless of the injury, we are going to choose to live life on our own terms, powerfully.

Being a victim tends to make us feel weak, vulnerable, and powerless.

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The difference between taking responsibility for ourselves when life throws us a curve ball versus being a victim of a situation is that we become far better equipped spiritually, mentally, emotionally and many times even physically. We stop allowing energy vampires to suck the life out of us, and rather than feeling powerless, depressed, and frustrated, we are able to experience our situation as an opportunity to test our superpowers of strength, positivity, clarity, and focus.

1. Stop blaming everyone else.

Seriously, stop it. Stop giving your power away and blaming others for what is, or is not, happening in your life. Your life is not anybody else’s fault, and people are not doing anything to you. This reminds me of the old Bob Newhart episode clip where his diagnoses for all his patient issues was “Stop It.” You can view the clip here if you wish to watch it.

What you are experiencing is not somebody else’s fault. They may have had a hand in creating an uncomfortable experience, but YOU are the one who gets to decide how it goes from there.

Something better than Bob Newhart’s treatment though can be found in Colossians 3:13, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

2. Your life is your responsibility.

How do you feel about your life right now? Are you frustrated with work? Do bad things frequently happen to you? Is physical or emotional pain keeping you from fully enjoying each day? Are you overwhelmed with so much to do that you procrastinate doing any of it? Well, what are you doing about it?

Larry Winget put it this way, “Stop expecting the world to rescue you. The Lone Ranger is not coming.”

There is no magic pill or knight in shining armor on a white horse coming to take you away or make all of the discomfort disappear. YOU are your own hero. Want control of your life? Then take the responsibility for it.

How you feel and what you think is reflected in how you speak (in the words that you use) and manifests itself in your world around you. Own your feelings, be truthful with yourself, and be willing to face reality squarely in the face so that you may make decisions that empower you and bring you joy.

If you lack joy and peace in your life, take responsibility for your actions and also call on God as is mentioned in Lamentations 5:21, “Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had!”

3. Things are not always as they seem.

No matter how much we think we know, we don’t really know everything. We all base our experiences on our own perceptions which have been colored through our own lens of past events and observations and may or may not be the full truth of any situation. This is called our paradigm. We perceive the world through the filters we have planted in our minds.

In Communion with God, Neale Donald Walsch writes, “Please temporarily give up any previous notions you have about God & Life…it is not about abandoning them forever but of merely setting them aside for the moment….to allow for the possibility that there may be something you do not know. The knowing of which could change everything.”

While we spend most of our lives accumulating knowledge so that we can determine our values and beliefs and live accordingly, the truth is that there is an entire world of experiences that exist beyond our knowing.

Everything happens for a reason – even if we do not know what the reason is at the time. That reason may be based on the decisions that you have previously made, which could be good or bad. But past decisions do not control the future forever. Keep an open mind and be willing to allow for that which you do not know. Sometimes the truth is far better than you ever could have imagined.

Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”

Tomorrow we will hike the two remaining trails, which are the trails of:

4. Acknowledge your feelings.

5. Say what you mean.

The trails that we are hiking today and tomorrow are rough trails. We have to encounter situations about ourselves that are not easy. We need the endurance to carry on, even if we do not feel like it. It will allow us to grow and mature so that we can reach our full God-given abilities. The life lessons that we learn each day are valuable to everyone we meet. So, encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, as we finish up this trek with trails 4 and 5.

Also, we have a new service available. If you would like to be added to our weekly email update for Wisdom-Trek, just text the word “Wisdom” to 44222 on your phone, and you will receive a message asking for your email address. It is very quick and easy to do.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 168 – Proverbs 5:15-23 Making Wise Choices #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 08:03:48 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 168 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs [5:15]-23 Making Wise Choices #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 168 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored verses 7-14 of Proverbs chapter 5. We will remain at camp for today as we finish up the 5^th chapter of Proverbs before heading back out on the trails. If you miss any of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This past week has been a productive week for us, and we accomplished a significant amount of work. I have been struggling somewhat with either severe allergies or a cold, which probably has been evident in the quality of my voice on our daily trek’s this week. I trust that this has not been too distracting and that the lessons we are learning are still effective.

This episode is being released on Sunday this week. Paula and I plan to take our grandson Kip with us on Saturday to Mary Jo’s, which is a fabric outlet in Gastonia, North Carolina. Granny wants Kip to help her select the materials that she will use for his planned quilt that she will be making. I also enjoy spending the time with Paula and helping her decide on material selection for her on-going quilt projects. She is very talented with quilting and cross stitch.

For today, though, we want to spend one more day around our campfire as we explore the remaining verses in Proverbs Chapter 5. Just like a campfire can be extremely enjoyable when it is kept within the confines of its designated parameters, so the physical relationship between a husband and wife will bring much joy and pleasure when it is kept within the boundaries set out by God in His Word. The Bible is so full of practical wisdom for life, especially in the book of Proverbs. This includes what makes for a proper and fulfilling physical relationship within a marriage. I realize that not everyone has been as fortunate within a marriage relationship as Paula and I have for over 36 years now, but it is never too late to make a new beginning.

Let’s look at what Solomon recommends to his sons when it comes to the proper physical relationship between a husband and wife. For today’s Trek, we will explore verses 15-23 of the 5^th chapter of Proverbs. I trust that some of the candid language used in this passage will be taken in the light that it was written and not tainted by any secular views. There is nothing more pure or holy than the appropriate physical relationship between a husband and wife within the boundary of marriage. Let us start with verses 15-17.

¹⁵Drink water from your own well—
share your love only with your wife.
¹⁶Why spill the water of your springs in the streets,
having sex with just anyone?
¹⁷You should reserve it for yourselves.
Never share it with strangers.

Here Solomon uses the analogy of the physical relationship in marriage and compares it to water. In dry countries, which is the setting for which the book of Proverbs was written, water is valuable. Clean water is very precious. You should not waste water. It should not flow into the streets. It should not pour out, into the town. Your family and your animals should drink it. You should water your crops. Use it wisely!

Think about your own life in the same way. You should use your strength wisely. If you follow your base physical and emotional desires, you will waste your energy on something that is not yours to have. You should have sex with only your husband or wife and not with anyone else. Our lives belong to God. God has shown us how we should live. Out of our love for God, we should obey His instructions. Our lives are always enriched when we do. The physical relationship is compared to your own wells which belong only to you (verse 15), so a husband and wife belong together.

¹⁸Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
¹⁹She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts satisfy you always.
May you always be captivated by her love.
²⁰Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,
or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?

Marriage is God’s gift. A husband and wife should give themselves to each other. They should enjoy their marriage in all aspects – physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. They should love each other. They attract each other, and this is good.

²¹For the Lord sees clearly what a man does,
examining every path he takes.

Perhaps, like David, we do some wrong things in secret (2 Samuel Chapters 11 and 12). A woman might tempt a man or the other way around. They might think that nobody knows. They are wrong because God knows. He sees our secret actions. He knows everything that we do in private. Like David, if we have done wrong things, we should turn to God. David’s prayer in Psalm 51 will help us to understand why we must ask God to forgive us.

²²An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
they are ropes that catch and hold him.
²³He will die for lack of self-control;
he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

The evil man is foolish and not wise. He thinks that he is free, but his evil behavior will make him into a slave. He can hide his actions from other people, but he cannot hide from God. In Numbers 32:23 Moses wrote, “But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” This man’s evil behavior will destroy him. This man should invite God into his life. This man needs to ask God to forgive him. God will save the evil man, but only if the man trusts God.

As we reflected around our campfire today, we used the analogy that the best campfire is one that is contained within it preset parameters. In the same way, the physical relationship between a husband and wife must be kept within God’s guidelines for a proper marriage. I realize that many have made choices in the past that are warned about in Proverbs 5, and there is nothing that we can do about the past. We can start today, though, and make a brand new future – one that is in line with God’s precepts.

The life lessons that we learn each day are valuable to everyone we meet. So, encourage your friends and family to the join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we head back out on the trail in search for hidden gems and treasures that are found in making wise choices. These choices made each day will allow us to create the living legacy that we desire.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 167 – Proverbs 5:7-14 Making Wise Choices #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 08:03:01 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 167 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs 5:7-14 Making Wise Choices #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 167 of our Trek, and yesterday explored the first six verses of Proverbs Chapter 5. We will remain at camp for a couple more days as we explore the remaining verses of Proverbs Chapter 5. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek episodes, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As we sojourn through each day of life, it is good to take time each day and reflect on all the blessings we have in our lives. Even if you are going through a difficult time, there are still many things in life that you can be thankful for. One way that I keep this focus is every morning when I get up, the first thing that I do is to read and pray through a list of items for which I am thankful. As new items come to mind, I add them to my list, and any items that may no longer be relevant I remove. Starting each day with my gratitude list helps to set the tone for my entire day.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have discovered that as we sit around the campfire and the night wears on, the stories shared become more personal in nature. Today we will dig for more of these personal wisdom nuggets found in Proverbs Chapter 5. Solomon continues to warn his children with strong words about the dangers of stepping outside of God’s precepts for marriage and relationships. While this passage cautions about an inappropriate sexual relationship, it can also be applied to others areas of life when we choose to ignore the guidelines that are set out in Scripture. While we may not fully understand all the reasons, principles, and precepts that God has established in His Word, by faith we can trust that it is because of God’s love for us that he has established these boundaries in our lives.

The next few chapters of Proverbs deal with some of the weaknesses we have as humans, and since God chose to leave them in His love letter to us, we will cover them as well as we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are contained in the verses.

Since the beginning of recorded history, humans have struggled with keeping God’s commands, especially when it comes to appropriate physical relationships, but it also applies to all relationships that we have. Sometimes we may think it is more than we can handle, but Paul addressed this in his 1^st letter to the church in Corinth in Chapter 10 verse 13 where he wrote, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

Of course, it is up to us to choose the steps that lead up to that temptation. Just like the campfire that burns brightly before us at our camp, the closer we get to the fire and the more we play with the burning wood, we will likely get burnt by the very embers that we are playing with.

The overall subject in Proverbs Chapter 5 is avoiding immoral women although the same principle applies in avoiding immoral men also. If you missed yesterday’s Wisdom-Trek, it would be best if you listened to it first so that you will be familiar with the story before today’s passage.

Let’s continue and look at verses 7-14.

⁷So now, my sons, listen to me.
Never stray from what I am about to say:
⁸Stay away from her!
Don’t go near the door of her house!

Solomon advises that his sons should not even meet the married woman. Solomon’s son must be very careful. He should not enter her house. He should not even walk near her door. As with our campfire, if you don’t want to get burnt, don’t play with fire.

If the son walks near her door, then he might enter. If he enters, he might listen to her. Her speech is attractive (verse 3). She will tempt him. If he listens to her, he will desire to have sex with her.

Solomon’s father, David, had a similar experience (2 Samuel 11-12). From a distance, he saw a beautiful married woman Bathsheba. She was having a bath naked on the roof of her house, which was common. Since King David’s palace was higher, he could see over to her roof, but he did not look away. If he had looked away, he would have avoided many troubles.

Instead, David watched the woman. He sent a servant to call her. She was a married woman, but she came to David. David talked with her. They had sex. They even had a baby together. David tried to hide his actions. He even caused the woman’s husband to die in battle. Then David married Bathsheba.

God knew what David had done. The baby, who would have been David’s youngest son, died as a direct result of the choices David made. After this, David turned to God. David asked God to forgive him. His prayer is in Psalm 51. Later, David and Bathsheba had another son. This second son was Solomon, who wrote the Book of Proverbs. We can see why Solomon had such strong cautionary language with his children, he knew the plight all too well.

⁹If you do, you will lose your honor
and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
¹⁰Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.

A man should not waste his time and resources with another man’s wife. He should use his resources wisely. We must all be careful with our God-given resources. We should use our resources for good things, not for evil things.

Our reputation and integrity are valuable. Our time is valuable. Our resources are valuable.

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¹¹In the end, you will groan in anguish
when disease consumes your body.
¹²You will say, “How I hated discipline!
If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
¹³Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?
Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
¹⁴I have come to the brink of utter ruin,
and now I must face public disgrace.”

These verses teach us the result if we live for our desires. In the end, our wrong desires and choices will ruin us. They will bring us to despair.

Solomon warns his son. He explains what will happen to a foolish son. The son will become an old man one day. Then the son will ask himself what his life achieved. He will see that he achieved nothing. He ruined his life because he did not serve God. Instead, the foolish son served his emotions and desires. He wasted his energy and resources on merciless people (verse 9). His resources brought wealth to another man’s home (verse 10).

We need to build our lives on a solid foundation as described in Matthew 7:24-27, ²⁴“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Let us build our lives in God’s way.

As we reflect around our campfire today, we clearly see that there are consequences for the choices that we make in life. If we are unwise in our choices, the results will not be pleasant. If we choose wisely, the results will be built on a solid foundation. These life lessons are valuable to everyone we meet, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will continue on with Solomon’s teaching about wisdom in Proverbs 5.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 166 – Proverbs 5:1-6 Making Wise Choices #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 08:03:54 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 166 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs 5:1-6 Making Wise Choices #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 166 of our Trek, and yesterday we finished our exploration of Proverbs 4. We will remain at camp for a few more days as we explore Proverbs chapter 5. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is good to be back to somewhat of a routine this week. Being a disciplined person, I tend to like a structured schedule that allows me to get up at the same time each day for exercise and meditation. I find that I am able to accomplish much more when my schedule is set. I have been recording the Wisdom-Trek podcast early in the morning over the past few weeks, which seems to be working out well in my schedule as well. If I sound a bit raspy this week, it is due to allergies or a cold that seemed to flare up after returning from the cruise. It appears to be clearing up, so hopefully I will be over it soon.

In my hiking experiences, I have discovered that as the night wears on and we’re sitting around the campfire the stories shared become more personal in nature. So it is with the Bible, and especially in Proverbs. God does not sugar coat the subject discussed. Woven within scriptures we see the good, the bad, and the ugly of people’s lives. Even with all of the advances in information, technology, and medicine, people and societies have not changed all that much over the millenniums of human existence.

The next few chapters of Proverbs deal with some of the weaknesses we have as humans, and since God chose to leave them in His love letter to us, we will cover them as well as we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are contained in the verses.

Just as the smoke from the campfire can drift into our eyes, temporarily blinding us and making our lives uncomfortable, there are times when we are blinded by desires and temptations in our lives which end up making our lives very uncomfortable. The question for today is “Do you stay in the same place allowing the smoke to continue to blind you, or will you take action and make the needed changes to avoid smoke getting in your eyes?” By God’s grace, regardless of past situations, we do not need to remain in the smoke.

The overall subject in Proverb chapter 5 is avoiding immoral women although the same principle applies in avoiding immoral men also.

As with part of the previous chapter, we see that chapter 5 is a poem. The poem has two subjects:

A married woman tempts a man who is not her husband.
Evil practices are like this woman because sometimes these things attract us. But evil practices offend God. We must obey God, and refuse to continue those evil practices or habits.

Solomon discusses both subjects at the same time. This is similar to Proverbs [2:16]-19. The actions of the woman show us how evil ideas can attract us.

¹ My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen carefully to my wise counsel.
²Then you will show discernment,
and your lips will express what you’ve learned.

Solomon begins his lesson in the usual way. He reminds us why we need wisdom and knowledge. With wisdom and knowledge, we can avoid danger like what is described in the following verses.

³For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,
and her mouth is smoother than oil.

A married woman attracts a young man. She seems so beautiful. When he kisses her, her lips seem to taste like honey. When he listens to her, her words are so attractive. He does not think about the woman’s husband. He does not think about God’s precepts. He does not even think about the results of his actions. He only thinks about her.

Sometimes evil ideas attract us. These ideas might seem sweet and pleasant. Sometimes it seems easy to do the wrong thing, and it seems hard to do the right thing.

We should not do evil things. We should say, ‘This offends God. It might hurt other people. It could place me in danger.’ The devil offered bread to Jesus when Jesus was hungry (Matthew 4:1-4). Jesus refused. He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Always be on guard, especially when you are tired or worn out physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We also must refuse to do evil things.

⁴But in the end she is as bitter as poison,
as dangerous as a double-edged sword.

Evil ideas may seem attractive, but they are really terrible. When the man kissed the woman, in his mind, even her lips tasted sweet. Later the taste in his mouth will be bitter. Later he will know the results of his actions. At first, the woman’s speech was attractive. Later, she will be like a sword. She will attack him and hurt him. Stepping outside of God’s plan for sex and marriage is like drinking a sweet poison. It seems so great when you are drinking it, but in the end, it will make you deathly ill.

Evil practices are often like this. Evil behavior always causes pain and trouble. The devil uses evil ideas to try to destroy us.

Stepping outside of God’s plan for sex and marriage is like drinking a sweet poison.

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⁵Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.

If our behavior is evil, then the end result, is death. Solomon’s son might die if he follows the married woman. Solomon does not say how his son could die. It may not be physical death that is mentioned here, although it could be. This death is a spiritual and moral death. It would certainly mean death for this person’s integrity and reputation.

Occasionally, evil actions lead straight to death. Usually, the process is slower, step by step. Every evil action brings death nearer because our evil behavior takes us away from God. We can only receive true life if we trust God.

When the Bible speaks about death, often this does not mean the death of our bodies. Often the Bible means the death of our spirits. Romans 8:11 tells us, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” The result of our evil actions is death. But, God brings life to our bodies and spirits by his Holy Spirit.

The result of our evil actions is death. But God brings life to our bodies and spirits by his Holy Spirit.

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⁶For she cares nothing about the path to life.
She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

Again, the verse compares life to a journey or trek. Sometimes a person, like this woman, refuses to hear God’s law. The woman lives in the way that she chooses. She does not care about what is right or good. She lives by her emotions and physical desires. She has forgotten God. She does not know where her life will lead. She does not even know that her actions are wrong. She stumbles headlong down a narrow and rocky trail.

We have heard God’s law. We know what is wise. We must trust God. We must not copy people like this woman, whether it is a sexual sin or any other type of evil behavior.

As we reflect around our campfire today, we can see how easily we can plunge into evil choices, leaving us unfulfilled and wasting our precious time and energy on something that has no eternal benefit. These life lessons are valuable to everyone we meet, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will continue on with Solomon’s teaching about wisdom.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 165 – Proverbs 4:18-27 Wisdom Provides Light

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 08:03:59 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 165 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs [4:18]-27 Wisdom Provides Light

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 165 of our Trek, and yesterday we reviewed verses 10-17 of the 4^th chapter of Proverbs. Today we are going to remain at camp and finish our exploration of Proverbs 4. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a joy to have our grandson Kip over for the day. At 3 1/2 he is very inquisitive, full of detailed conversations, and loves to listen to Gramp’s Wisdom-Treks on his way to pre-school each morning. What are you teaching your children or grandchildren? Are you guiding them on the path of wisdom?

As with our trek of life, we have many trails that we can take each day. We will remain in camp for today, and as we reflect around the campfire let’s continue our exploration of wisdom that is found in Proverbs chapter 4. Let these truths penetrate deep into our minds so that they will change the way we think, which will change the course of our lives. In doing so, we will be able to take the wise and correct trails each day.

Proverbs [4:18]-27

Verses 18 and 19 are written in a short poem fashion and this is what they say:

¹⁸The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.
¹⁹But the way of the wicked is like total darkness.
They have no idea what they are stumbling over.

This is a beautiful short poem. It contrasts a good man and an evil man. Sometimes people think that everyone is the same. Some people say that everyone is good. The Bible does not say this. The Bible says that we all have turned from God. We must turn back to him. Only God can make us good.

The good man has a good life. He does not yet know everything that God wants to teach him. He has not yet received all the gifts that God will give to him. His life is like a man who walks at dawn. At dawn, there is only a little light. But the light will soon become brighter. And soon the good man will know God better.

The evil man has the opposite fate. He is like a man who hikes on a dark path. A trek during the dark of night is dangerous. A hiker cannot see in the darkness. Without any lights, the hiker will trip and fall. In the same way, the evil man is in great danger. He will suffer because of his evil behavior.

Many people, who are not Christians, want God in their lives. They know that they are in danger. They are like someone who travels at night. Christians should provide the light for them. We should share the light that God has given to us. God will help those who ask him. When these people first trust God, they will know little about God. In time, they will know more as they live God’s way. We won’t fully know God until we are in heaven. A path becomes brighter as the day begins. As they know more, they will trust God more.

²⁰My child, pay attention to what I say.
    Listen carefully to my words.
²¹Don’t lose sight of them.
    Let them penetrate deep into your heart,
²²for they bring life to those who find them
    and healing to their whole body.

These verses show us the subject of this passage. Each chapter of Proverbs 1-7 begins in a similar style. Here the subject is health. Wisdom is like a medicine because wisdom improves our lives and benefits every part of our bodies. Unlike medicine, wisdom does not heal our bodies. Wisdom heals our spirits. Wisdom leads us to God.

²³Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.

Remember in the Bible, the words heart and mind can usually be interchanged. It is what we are internal. We should be careful about our thoughts. We should love good things and hate evil things.

²⁴Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.

James 3:1-12 explains this verse. James compares our tongues to a fire. We will look at verses 7-12 here.

People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

Our words can be powerful. We can use words to say good things. But we can use words to say evil things, too. Our mouths can praise God, but they can curse other people. We must be careful about our words.

²⁵Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

We look forward when we follow God. We should not look away from him. We should be steadfast in our resolve to follow God. As Jesus says in Luke 9:62, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

²⁶Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
²⁷Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.

Again, this compares life to a journey. We will live “a rich and satisfying life” if we obey God. The wisdom trail is the best route for a journey. If we serve God, then we will help other people. We will be like a mail person who brings good news as it says in Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”

As we reflected around our campfire today, we saw how wisdom is like a light for our paths, medicine for our soul, a guard on our hearts/minds, and a muzzle on our speech. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable. Encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will continue at camp as we discover the wisdom nuggets contained in Proverbs Chapter 5.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 164 – Proverbs 4:10-17 Life Is Like a Journey for Wisdom

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 08:03:50 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 164 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs [4:10]-17 Life is Like a Journey for Wisdom

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 164 of our Trek, and yesterday we covered the first nine verses of the 4^th chapter in Proverbs. For the next few days, we are going to remain at camp as we continue to explore Proverbs 4. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The fall weather has set in with cooler temperatures. With being away for over a week, we have a substantial workload to complete but are very excited and grateful to be busy and have the ability to complete the work.

We also have the opportunity to watch our grandson Kip or Harold Guthrie Chamberlain, V, as he is off from his pre-school for Veteran’s Day and his parents have to work. The blessing of working from our homes is that we can include these special moments as part of our daily routine.

For today, let’s gather back around the campfire as we continue our exploration for wisdom that is found in Proverbs Chapter 4. Take a moment right now and imagine that we are listening to the crackling of the burning wood of the campfire. If you listen closely, it sounds almost as if someone is whispering in your ear, and this is how the wisdom nuggets in the book of Proverbs are revealed to us. As we allow them to permeate our minds, they will provide insight, discernment, and understanding. This insight will help us on our daily trek through life, and as we digest these nuggets each day, they will help us to create our living legacy for life.

Proverbs [4:10]-17

This passage returns to the idea that life is like a journey.

¹⁰My child, listen to me and do as I say,
and you will have a long, good life.

If we plan our journeys wisely, then we are safer. We can avoid many dangers. In the same way, if we are wise, then our lives will be safer.

¹¹I will teach you wisdom’s ways
and lead you in straight paths.

We shall not walk alone. Wisdom will be our guide and our guard. Remember that this whole book is about God’s wisdom! God protects us when we live our lives in his way. Jesus said in the good news according to Matthew 6:28-34, “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

God cares for us. He will provide what we need for each day. He will lead us to our home in heaven.

¹²When you walk, you won’t be held back;
when you run, you won’t stumble.

The people who trust in God will become stronger. They will be so strong that they will be like the eagle. As Isaiah [40:31], one of my favorite verses, states,

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

¹³Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go.
Guard them, for they are the key to life.

We must guard the good things that God has given to us. Sometimes evil things might seem attractive. We might remember our behavior before we knew God. We might see an evil action, and we might want to do the same. Jesus tells us in Mark 14:38, “Keep watch and pray so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

We must guard the good things that God has given to us.

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¹⁴Don’t do as the wicked do,
and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
¹⁵Don’t even think about it; don’t go that way.
Turn away and keep moving.

Solomon emphasizes his words. We should not behave like evil people. We should not listen to their advice. Their advice is never wise. We must not do the same things that evil people do. Their behavior is never wise. If we copy their actions, then we are in great danger.

¹⁶For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day.
They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.

As Solomon emphasizes the lesson, he uses humor. He tells us to imagine the evil person. This person is very evil. So, he cannot even sleep until he has done an evil action. At midnight, he gets up. He has still not done his evil action. He struggles to think an evil thought. The time is very late, but this man must act now. He cannot even sleep until he has completed his evil task.

The story shows us that evil thinking is powerful. Evil thinking will control us, like dangerous drugs or alcohol. We can become like slaves, to our evil actions. God can set us free, but we must turn to him.

¹⁷They eat the food of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence!

Solomon continues his joke. The evil person has woken. He is eating a meal. We are looking at his food. We expect to find bread or meat or vegetables. The evil man is eating none of these. This man does not want food. Instead, he chooses evil behavior. He does not think that food will make him strong. Instead, he thinks that his evil actions will make him strong. He wants to do evil things, more than he desires his food. He thinks that evil things are essential for his life.

This evil man does not think that he needs milk or water or wine. He supposes that he can manage without these things. He does not want something to drink. Instead, he thinks that cruelty is essential for his life. He wants cruelty, more than he wants a drink. This is how addictions in our lives manifest themselves. They control our thoughts and control our lives.

Control your thoughts, and you can control your life.

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As we reflected around our campfire today, life is compared to a trek. If we take the wrong paths or if we think the wrong thoughts, then our lives will be controlled by the choices we make. We will become addicted to these behaviors, and they will negatively impact all areas of our lives. Let us not take these paths in our lives. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to the join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will remain in camp as we continue with our investigation in Proverbs 4.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 163 – Proverbs 4:1-9 Teaching Wisdom

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 08:03:19 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 163 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs 4:1-9 Teaching Wisdom

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 163 of our Trek. Yesterday we discovered how Life is Like a Word Well Spoken, or in other words, we need to understand how important our words are every day. Today we are going to return to camp for a few days, sit around the campfire, and discuss the 4^th chapter of Proverbs. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We have returned from the Podcasters Paradise cruise, and I have to say, it was one of the best and most valuable conferences that we have ever attended. The small group of podcasters and the high caliber speakers along with the cruise venue really made it a great week. We made new friends, and we have returned with a renewed vigor to make Wisdom-Trek even more impactful and have solidified plans for our next step within the podcasting community. I will be announcing those plans over the next few weeks as we begin to finalize some of the details. Keep listening each day for additional details.

After such a busy trek over this past 10 days where we compared life to various topics, we will remain at camp for the next few days as we dig for more wisdom nuggets that are contained in the book of Proverbs chapter 4. Regardless of your spiritual persuasion, the book of Proverbs contains such great nuggets of wisdom that they can be applied to everyone’s life. As we sit around the campfire today, we drink in the crisp fall air and the smell of the burning wood, which sets the environment for reflection and contemplation. It is absolutely necessary that we take time in our lives, even on a daily basis, for reflection and contemplation. These are the times when we become creative and energized to make an impact on the lives of others.

Proverbs 4:1-9

As we start digging into the 4^th chapter of Proverbs, it is important to know that the first 9 verses of this chapter in the original Hebrew language were in the form of a poem. This poem is not just about Solomon’s family. It is about all families. As parents, we are responsible for teaching our children. Even as grandparents, we can have a significant impact on our grandchildren. This is training that needs to be passed down through each generation. As your children and grandchildren grow older, they are responsible for their own children.

Solomon’s family was Israel’s royal family. In the poem, the father does not teach about being a king or royalty. He does not speak about wealth and money. He does not explain how to lead the nation. For this father, only one thing matters. His children must learn wisdom.

We can teach our children about many things. We must not forget to teach them wisdom. This is the most important lesson of all.

Let’s start with verses 1 & 2.

¹My children, listen when your father corrects you.
Pay attention and learn good judgment,
²for I am giving you good guidance.
Don’t turn away from my instructions.

The poem begins with commands to listen. The father will teach a valuable lesson to his children.

³For I, too, was once my father’s son,
tenderly loved as my mother’s only child.

The advice did not begin with the father, who is writing the poem. The father learned this lesson from his own father. The lesson is good because it is ancient. Grandfather followed this advice. And he saw that it was good advice. This is why he taught it to the children’s father. The father has lived by this advice too. So now he teaches it to his own children.

The words of verse 3 speak about the father’s childhood. These words suggest a loving home. The father was grandmother’s only child, so he was close to her. Grandfather taught his lessons with love to his little child.

⁴My father taught me,
“Take my words to heart.
Follow my commands, and you will live.

The grandfather began his lessons in the same way as the poet. The grandfather also emphasized that the lesson was important.

Today, many people say that things are important. A salesman will say that his advice is important. This is because the salesman wants us to buy his products. We can doubt salesmen and politicians. But, we must not doubt God’s word. The Book of Proverbs repeats its advice because wisdom really is important.

⁵Get wisdom; develop good judgment.
Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you.
Love her, and she will guard you.

At last, we hear the advice. This is the lesson that grandfather taught. We must learn to be wise. As in earlier chapters, he compares wisdom to a woman. Wisdom, like a woman, deserves our love. Like a woman, she will protect you if you love her.

⁷Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!
And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.

Wisdom is better than everything else. It is better than money. It is better than beauty. It is better than health. Wisdom is worth more than everything that you own. Remember that these words come from Israel’s royal family. They had great wealth. But wisdom is more important than wealth.

⁸If you prize wisdom, she will make you great.
Embrace her, and she will honor you.

As in verse 6, the poet compares wisdom to a woman. In verse 6, the poet tells us to love Wisdom. In verse 8, he tells us to embrace her. We should get closer and closer to Wisdom. We shall benefit if we do so. Wisdom will lift us higher and give honor to us. Like a woman, wisdom looks after those who love her.

⁹She will place a lovely wreath on your head;
she will present you with a beautiful crown.”

At the end of this poem, the royal family speaks about a crown. This crown is not a gold crown or a silver crown. It is a crown for a king, but a poor person can wear a crown, too. Wisdom gives honor to us. This gift is like a beautiful crown.

In the introduction to this poem, we saw that it was about every family. This poem was not just about Israel’s royal family. Every family can teach wisdom. Every person can trust God and learn to be wise. We can all wear wisdom’s crown. Jesus said in the good news according to John 12:26, “Anyone, who wants to serve me must follow me because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.”

As we reflected around our campfire today, as parents and grandparents, we now understand better that we have the awesome responsibility to teach our children and grandchildren wisdom and the value that it brings to our lives. We must also instill within them to continue through all generations to do the same. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will remain in camp as we continue on with our investigation in Proverbs 4.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 162 – Life Is Like a Word Well Spoken

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 08:03:36 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 162 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life Is Like a Word Well Spoken

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 162 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at why life is like a whirlwind. Today we are presenting our final short wisdom story for now, and tomorrow we will stay at camp and continue our commentary on the Book of Proverbs with Chapter 4. I hope that you have enjoyed these stories, and if you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This episode will be released on Monday when Paula, and I will be in Ft. Myers, Florida to visit Paula’s aunt for a few days. Tomorrow we will head back to Charlotte for about two weeks.

Today we will hike on the Word Well Spoken Trail where we will explore the power of our words.

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like a Word Well Spoken

We may not all be created equal in every attribute, but we all have several things in common.

So, what are these things?

Of course, Our Time…
All of us have the same amount of seconds, minutes, and hours in a day to do with as we desire.

And there is Individual Power…
We also have individual power although some may think not because they live in countries where they are ruled by a strict dictator or military government. But, even these people have power.

Can time and power combine in your words?
The time you take and the power of your individual words – how you say them, what words you choose to use, and when to speak these words – make a difference. These words can be ones that ridicule, make fun, or chastise, or ones that encourage, praise, or demonstrate kindness, as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

A Story Of Time and Power of Words

I recall a story told to me about a man who used to commute to work daily on a train. Once disembarking the train, he always walked the short distance to his office building along with all the other throngs of people hurrying on their way to their work.

Each morning, he passed an older man who was always at the same spot with a cup in hand hoping to get a bit of change from those who passed by. For most people, this person was someone to be ignored as if he didn’t exist, a person with whom they didn’t want to be bothered.

Invariably, though, this man would always say good morning to him and bid him have a good day. The stranger would smile back, say good morning and remain on station until all the commuters had gone on their way.

Occasionally, my friend would drop a dollar or two in his cup on his way by as he said hello.

This behavior went on for several years until one day, his last day on the job before retirement, the man stopped for a few moments to speak with the one whom some would consider a beggar.

He told the man that he would no longer be passing by because this was his last day on the job.

The man took his hand and shook it warmly saying that he had always looked forward to seeing his friend pass his way and not because he dropped a few dollars in his cup.

He said he would miss my friend because he was one of the few people out of thousands who passed him daily who ever said hello and was the only one who ever bid him have a good day.

The man also said that his warm words always brightened his day and helped him to continue despite being ignored by thousands of others who saw him daily.

The Message Is Clear

We all have power in words, and it doesn’t mean, at all, that the most basic of greetings and recognition have no impact.

In fact, all our words have an impact, and so often we do not recognize that some can be devastating to another, cause others to give up, or help encourage.

Remember your power when you speak for you have more influence than you think. Your words may be the encouragement that someone desperately needs. Take the time. Sometimes it is only a matter of seconds! You may be surprised the difference you will make in someone’s life.

As Proverbs 25:11 tells us, “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.”

Today we looked at why our Life is Like a Word Well Spoken and how powerful even the smallest of words can be. They can change a person’s life forever. We do not need to be blown and tossed if we plan, prepare, and focus. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will remain in camp and learn more from Proverbs chapter 4.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, Google Play, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 161 – Life Is Like a Whirlwind

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 08 Nov 2015 08:03:40 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 161 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life Is Like a Whirlwind

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 161 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at why life is like a mouse. Today and throughout this week, we will be presenting a series of short wisdom stories. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is being released on Sunday, and Paula and I are in Ft. Myers, Florida, to visit Paula’s aunt for a few days. Beginning Tuesday I will start back focusing on each day’s podcast as we will remain at camp for a few days as we dive back into the commentary on the book of Proverbs.

Ft. Myers Florida

Today we will hike on the Whirlwind Trail where we determine the importance of prioritizing the most important tasks each day.

The Trail of the Whirlwind

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like a Whirlwind

Run, run, run, and then run some more. It is so easy to be in a hurry today darting from one thing to another gaining little ground in any one thing. For a lot of us, our lives are a whirlwind of activity with household tasks, work, all of the messages on our latest technological device that seems to be attached to our hip, and piled up work to catch up on. It never seems to stop.

Determine your priorities and focus on them, Eileen McDargh.

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In the past, you probably heard about establishing priorities and labeling these Priority A, B, and C where A is the most important and had to be done right away. It seems that most of us have forgotten this rule. However, recently, I watched a video online and was reacquainted with the absolute necessity of establishing priorities and not allowing oneself to become distracted by the myriad of information coming at us at full bore. The real challenge is to be able to control the extraneous demands coming to us demanding our attention.

But, when it is all said and done, there are reasons to set priorities on a daily basis. If you do not, you will see yourself flitting like a hummingbird from flower to flower or a project or demand and on to the next without getting anything marked off the major to do list.

An example of planning and prioritizing is found in Proverbs 24:27, “Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.”

If you haven’t set your daily priorities for quite some time, maybe a suggestion or two would be welcome.

The easiest and simplest of ways and still one of the most effective is to start to record your major priorities for the day on your calendar. This can be done on your iPad, iPhone, tablet, or any other electronic device, but some prefer to record it on a physical calendar with a pen. Whichever way works best for you, it is best to put it into place immediately. Some science seems to indicate that initially using a physical calendar and pen lets your brain understand the connection you are making, and it is this conscious connection that makes your note more effective.

The real challenge comes next, and that is to remove or ignore all other events, issues, or demands for your time or attention that could knock you off your track. This is not to say, however, that there might not come along a much more urgent request from a superior. If this happens, you obviously must attend to it, and the request becomes your focus. However, what was left uncompleted before the new request must be put back on the top of the list as soon as your requested action is complete.

The Apostle Peter instructs us to prepare even our minds in Chapter 1 verse 13, “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.”

Focus is the key to accomplishing what is necessary. It’s an easy word to spell. It contains only five letters, but it is probably one of the most powerful words there are to move forward with confidence and expected results. One definition for focus that comes from a fellow podcaster and friend is: Follow One Course Until Success. As much as possible, prioritize and stay on task.

Today we looked at why our Life is Like a Whirlwind, but we do have control of the outcome. We do not need to be blown and tossed if we plan, prepare, and focus. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. For the next few days, we will explore some more short wisdom stories.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 160 – Life Is Like a Mouse

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 07 Nov 2015 08:03:00 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 160 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life Is Like a Mouse

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 160 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at why life is like a storm. For the next three days, we are presenting a series of short wisdom stories. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. This episode is being released on Saturday as Paula and I are returning from our 7-day podcasting cruise. After we disembark, we will be traveling to Ft. Myer, Florida, to visit Paula’s aunt for a few days. This week while we are out at sea I will have a series of podcasts covering short stories about wisdom without a lot of additional commentary. Once we get back from the cruise, we will remain at camp for a few days as we dive back into the commentary on the book of Proverbs.

Today we will hike on the Mouse Trail as we see that even the smallest act of kindness can have a huge impact.

The Mouse Trail

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like a Mouse

There are times in life when we don’t take action because we feel the act of kindness is too little or that it wouldn’t make a difference. However, sometimes the smallest gesture can make a huge impact on someone’s life.

There are many different ways we can show kindness to others, and it doesn't have to be in a big way.

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The simplest of things may make the difference. A smile, a door being held open, a handwritten note, a kind word…The list can go on and on.

I was recently reading some of Aesop’s fables and came across the story of The Lion and The Mouse. While this story has been around for a long time, it still has wisdom in its words. Below is the story.

One day a Lion was asleep when a little Mouse began running up and down his back. This soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him.

“Please don’t,” cried the little Mouse. “Forgive me this time, I shall never forget it. Who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?”

The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him that he lifted up his paw and let him go.

Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, he pulled with all his might, but the ropes were too strong. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him, and with his sharp little teeth gnawed away the ropes, setting the Lion free.

“You once laughed at me,” said the Mouse. You thought I was too little to do you a good turn. But see, you owe your life to a poor little mouse.”

While you may think the story is far-fetched, the point I found in reading the story is not the size of the action that is important, but the difference that a small action made. Small acts of kindness make a difference in ways you may not realize!

Do you have opportunities to give small acts of kindness? Some people might think that they do not have a chance to show another person a small measure of kindness, but these opportunities are everywhere you go through the day. For example, if you ride on a bus, have you ever said good morning to the bus driver, or do you just ignore him or her and proceed to your seat? A simple good morning or good afternoon tells the person that you acknowledge them, and it is even an acknowledgment that can help to brighten a day.

If you drive a car anywhere, do you let someone enter into to traffic, or do you just keep driving inching along and ignoring the other driver? Stopping and waving the other driver into traffic ahead of you is a small gesture of kindness that may influence this driver to do the same for someone else later.

When you go to the supermarket or grocery store, do you hold the door open for a young woman pushing her baby in a stroller, or do you just dart ahead through the door without stopping?

When you are at work, do you say good morning to your colleagues, or do you just go about your business without acknowledging their presence?

Or, how about those people you meet on the street that ask for money or who are peddling various goods? Do you ignore them or give them no acknowledgment that they are also human and have feelings?

Proverbs 3:3 instructs us to “Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.”
Also Colossians 3:11-13 encourages us, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

Today we looked at why our Life is Like a Mouse and that even the smallest acts of kindness are very important both to us and those who are the recipients of our kindness. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. For the next few days, we will explore some more short wisdom stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 159 – Life Is Like a Storm

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 08:03:05 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 159 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life Is Like a Storm

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 159 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at why life is like money. Today and throughout this week, we will be presenting a series of short wisdom stories. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is being released on Friday as Paula and I are on our 7-day podcasting cruise. This week while we are out at sea I have a series of podcasts covering short stories about wisdom without a lot of additional commentaries. Once we get back from the cruise, we will remain at camp for a few days as we dive back into the commentary on the book of Proverbs.

Today we will hike on the Stormy Trail as we see that in every life a little, or a lot of rain will fall. Some of it may even be in the middle of very heavy storms.

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like a Storm

The day starts with the glory of the warming sunrise in the east as the mists of the night are slowly thrown back to their own beginnings. The silent warmth of the sun seeps slowly through the window as the birds are bouncing from branch to branch while high in the sky is seen the majestic eagle gliding smoothly on the updrafts created by the warming earth.

Does each day start with sunshine penetrating the deep of the night, and does your heart warm to the sights and sounds of nature around you? Does this sound too good to be true?

If your life is constantly full of sunshine where each day is transformed into beauty and each worldly gift is yours to use, then you are one of a few. To the rest of us, an idyllic world only exists in our fantasies. This is not to say, however, that we might not experience a day of warmth, sunshine, and beauty. It is only to say that within each life, rain must fall and this rain is in reality the pain, sorrow, disappointment, difficulties, and struggle of the true road of life.

Not too many years ago, I happened to meet a businessman who had started with nothing and was able to build a small fortune. It seemed that everything he touched turned to gold. It wasn’t really a gold-laden path he chose. It was more that he chose his ventures well and put in tremendous effort. He had a good life by most people’s standards; he also had a wonderful family and his son and daughter were the “apples” of his life. The children were blessed with a loving family, everything they needed, and were both moving along into fantastic careers of their own.

If you were to view the household from the viewpoint of a stranger looking in, their total life couldn’t have been better. But, within each life, there are struggles or turmoil unseen. In his case, while all appeared well, there was a looming family problem with his daughter. His daughter met a very controlling man who constantly mentally influenced her to the point she didn’t want anything to do with her family at all. She had moved in with him and the distance between her family grew further and further apart.

Her father became more and more frustrated and hurt at the same time. He had tried to reconnect with her to no avail. He was at a complete loss of what to do to try and get his daughter to even speak to him. His life was slowly falling apart. It no longer mattered to him about his career, his business, and his ability to be able to make things better. Into each life, rain must fall.

As months passed, his world was crumbling – his mind totally focused on his daughter. What was once a home filled with warmth and sunshine became one of total depression, moodiness, and darkness.

The sad situation continued for over a year. But, out of the blue one Saturday morning, the front door opened. There she was – standing alone with her suitcase in her hand. He had heard the door open and went to see who was there. As he turned the corner from the kitchen, he stopped and saw it was his daughter with her suitcase. Without a word, he approached her and hugged her as she welcomed her father into her arms. As he told me later, they didn’t speak a word for many minutes as they continued their warm embrace.

To this day, he is not sure exactly what happened with her relationship. She never spoke much about why she left only to say she slowly realized that she was more of a person than one given to the absolute control of another. She realized that her real life was more about how she had been raised not what someone else dictated to her.

Not every situation in life is reversed, as was this situation. But, if you are a parent, hope never dies. Life has its own way of throwing rain on us, but even rain stops. The real secret to life is to understand that we all must face and deal with rain. There is no protection; there is no stopping life from dealing a hand even a hand we do not want. Even so, keep your head above water. Keep to your core beliefs. Keep looking for the sun because it is there.

In a way, this story reminds me of the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15 in which the son had come to his senses and returned home after squandering all his money. The father had the right to be very upset, but instead he said in verses 23 and 24, “And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. So the party began.”

I would recommend that you read the entire story. It is a fascinating one. The son’s value was never diminished, and after the rainy storm, the sun (and son) returned.

Today we looked at why our Life is Like a Storm and that a little rain must fall into every life. For some of us that does come in the form of violent storms, but the sun will always shine even after the worst storms. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to the join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. For the next few days, we will explore some more short wisdom stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 158 – Life Is Like Money

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 08:03:55 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 158 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life Is Like Money

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 158 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at why life is like a triangle. Today and throughout this week, we will be presenting a series of short wisdom stories. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is being released on Thursday as Paula and I are on our 7-day podcasting cruise. This week while we are out at sea, I have a series of podcasts covering short stories about wisdom without a lot of additional commentary. Once we get back from the cruise, we will remain at camp for a few days as we dive back into the commentary on the book of Proverbs.

Today we will hike on the Money Trail as we see that the value of life is not diminished regardless of its condition.

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like Money

You probably wonder what life is like money relates to? It is not about having a significant amount of money, and it isn’t about having a great big bank account so you can do whatever you want either.

Value Beyond Crumpled And Wrinkled

Instead, life is like money because, barring destroying it with fire, it always has value no matter how crumpled it is, how used it is, or if it is stained with coffee or magic marker or crayons used by a child thinking it is something to draw on.

Life is something like money in that you still have value no matter how many times you have been downtrodden or how often you have failed in your attempts to excel at a certain sport or how many times you have failed to succeed in starting a successful business.

Who You Are Matters More

The bright spot here is that your value does not come from what you have or what you own or how many homes you have around the world or any of these materialistic things. Your value is who you are not what you have.

Value Behind Bars

Even if someone is in prison for committing crimes against humanity, it does not lessen their value at all. To me, it doesn’t matter what criminal activity brings a person to prison. Instead, it is more about the value of the person within.

For a lot of prisoners, even when they are released, they wear the stigma of being a convict for the rest of their lives because they saw no value in themselves.

Failure Does Not Diminish Value

Many people who have failed often devalue themselves thinking that their failure demonstrated that they should never think of having more than they have had in the past.
Unfortunately, these types of people do not learn the most valuable lesson there is and that is failures are your best teacher.

The point is to learn from mistakes, take out what was done right, and then incorporate that planning and thinking into the next business or life event. I remember the story of a guy who started a small pre-cooked meal business hoping to move away from his current job that they loathed.

When this business did not produce the results he wanted, he just plain and simple gave up trying or even thinking of another business he could start that would move him to where he wanted to be. Would you say that this person devalued their ability to succeed?

Seeing Beyond the Present

On the other hand, I know many people who started out in business on a very small scale, and while their first few years did not produce a huge profit and actually barely covered their costs, they kept at it learning from mistakes and moving forward with better products and services until they succeeded.

Most friends wanted to move beyond working for someone else and learned that determination and the “stick to it” strategy paid off even though times were tough. In this case, they valued themselves and their abilities and saw beyond their current situation even though success came only in very small increments.

Real Value Established Through Living to the Fullest

The value is in the person; the value is in the quest to move beyond that which comes easy; the value is who they are through hard times; and the value is also who you become when you surpass your own expectations. Do you want to be more like money?

Even if you are still unconvinced of your value after this, realize that in God’s sight you are more valuable than any other part of creation. Luke 12:6-7 tells us, “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

Tying back into yesterday’s lesson on worry Luke 12:23-25 tells us, “For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

Today we looked at why our Life is Like Money in that the value remains, regardless of its current condition. While we all should strive to improve to bring more value to others that does not change our value as a person. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. For the next few days, we will explore some more short wisdom stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 157 – Life Is Like a Triangle

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 08:03:59 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 157 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life Is Like a Triangle

Thank you for joining us for our 7 days a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 157 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at why life is like a milk bottle. Today and throughout this week, we will be presenting a series of short wisdom stories. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is being released on Wednesday as Paula and I are on our 7-day podcasting cruise. This week while we are out at sea, I have a series of podcasts covering short stories about wisdom without a lot of additional commentaries scheduled. Once we get back from the cruise, we will remain at camp for a few days as we dive back into the commentary on the book of Proverbs.

Today we will hike on the Triangle Trail and see three bits of wisdom that will help us through each day of life.

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like a Triangle

I like to spend time with and study older people whom I consider to be my wise mentors. My parents were wise in many areas of life, and my Granny and Gramps were considered as wise. I also study Jim Rohn and Zig Ziglar to glean wisdom from them. All of these people faced challenges that we all face one way or the other. They have seen successes and many happy times throughout their lives, but they have also seen times of struggle and sorrow.

As I was preparing for today’s podcast, I settled on three nuggets of wisdom to share. I consider them an important triangle of practical wisdom for everyday life.

These nuggets have nothing to do with saving money or working hard, but these three important wisdom nuggets will provide the rich and satisfying life that we all seek to obtain.

What are they? Well, here is what I would like to share with you today…

1. Make each new day count by helping someone or just making someone smile.

Part of this personal philosophy is all about giving from within so that another person is happier for the fact that they spent time with you and know you. This strength to make someone happy comes from your own sense of well-being and happiness. So, to help someone or make them smile, you must have a sense of giving to others, which in turn is given back to you through their thanks or through their simple smile back to you. Life is not about receiving at all times; it is a combination of being thankful for what you have as blessings and sharing those blessings with others who need a little fraction of what you have. Luke 6:31 reminds us to, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

2. Don’t dwell on life’s troubles. Think of the good times.

Everybody has troubles in life. No one is immune. But, troubles are no different than the bad weather in that bad weather affects everyone but passes sooner or later. When there is bad weather, the best thing to overcome its doom and gloom is to remember all the good weather you have experienced in the past and recall all those fun and enjoyable things that you did to appreciate the beauty of the day. For example, a simple walk in the park watching and listening to all the sounds and sights or an enjoyable picnic by the side of a babbling brook where peace and tranquility surrounded you.

In Matthew 5:44-45 Jesus told us, “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.”

3. Don’t worry about things you can’t do anything about.

Worry is one of the most debilitating and useless of all emotions. Worry is not about the ability or the decision to control or to do something positive. It is all about a self-centered behavior that leads to nothing except to cause a person stress. When issues that you can do something about confront you, that is a totally different matter. If we have control over a situation, we should not worry but rather create a solution. But, there are many things in life we have no control over and worry does nothing except causes stress and even illness. One of the best Bible passages that Jesus taught about worry is Matthew [6:25]-34,

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Today we looked at why our Life is Like a Triangle and if we practice these 3 simple precepts, we will live a rich and satisfying life. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. For the next few days, we will explore some more short wisdom stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 156 – Life Is Like a Milk Bottle

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 08:03:56 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 156 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life Is Like a Milk Bottle

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 156 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at why life is like a black dot. Today and throughout this next week, we will be presenting a series of short wisdom stories. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is being released on Tuesday as Paula and I are on our 7-day podcasting cruise. This week while we are out at sea, I have a series of podcasts covering short stories about wisdom without a lot of additional commentaries. Once we get back from the cruise, we will remain at camp for a few days as we dive back into the commentary on the book of Proverbs.

Today we will hike on the Milk Bottle Trail and see how our lives are shaped by the environment that we allow ourselves to be confined to.

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like a Milk Bottle

My parents would always encourage us to set goals and work hard to achieve them. They would tell us not to be a follower and not to set limits on what we could achieve. They truly believed that there were no limits and that you could achieve whatever you wanted.

There are no limits. You can achieve whatever you want.

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This reminds me of the following story about a radish and a milk bottle. It’s a story that I have never forgotten.

A Farmer’s Lesson In Life

A farmer won a first prize at the country fair for his huge radish that was the exact shape and size of a quart milk bottle. Many were curious as to how the farmer was able to grow this radish that was the exact shape of a milk bottle.

Finally, one gentleman went up to the farmer and asked the question. The farmer replied, “It was easy. I got the seed growing and then I put it into the milk bottle. It had nowhere else to go.”

You can use this story as an analogy to life. Our lives are shaped by the kind of surroundings we place ourselves in, the people that we allow to influence us, and the goals we give ourselves.

These Are Key Ingredients

If we only dream and take no action, then we get no further. But if we plan, set a goal, and take action then our life takes a different shape.

The important parts of goal setting go way beyond just writing down a goal statement and thinking that somehow your goal will be reached.

To write a goal is only a minor part of the way forward. The rest of the elements of how to reach that goal must also be stated clearly and with a definite timeframe for each step.

This means that you must develop a detailed plan of action in which each action step is detailed on what you must do, when and how you must do it, and how much time it will take. If you do not make your plan detailed in this way and set specific target dates for completion, you will simply not be creating any expectation or urgency in your mind that helps keep you moving.

But what about the bumps along the path? Sometimes, even when you are following your action plan, you will run into a snag. Snags are not uncommon, and you should realize this before you even get started.

These snags, though, should be viewed only as little inconveniences; these inconveniences are meant for you to resolve and move forward again.

These little problems are those that most people cannot overcome because they simply quit, using the excuse that their goal was never meant to be.

Show that you are different. Show that you have the dedication and resolve to keep going, and you will demonstrate to yourself and everyone around you that you are dedicated to accomplishing that which you have set out in your goal statement.

Do Not Go It Alone

The fact that you know that there will always be minor roadblocks is a good reason to solicit the guidance and help of a mentor.

This mentor is a person who has a positive attitude, is very skilled at always looking and finding solutions to issues and problems, and may also be someone who has experienced similar issues along their way to accomplishing their goals.

I cannot stress finding the right mentor or mentors enough. I trust that I can fill the role as one of your mentors in life. If you ever have a need to discuss any issues with me directly, please email me at guthrie@venturecg.com, and I will get back with you on a timely basis.

Goals and actions can help us accomplish more in a year than what some people will accomplish in a lifetime. To prove this point, read the biographies of successful people, and you will see that goals and actions did, in fact, play a big role in their success.

In summary, don’t put yourself in a bottle. In other words, move out of what is comfortable and secure if you want to move forward. Also, don’t allow others to try and force you into their bottle. Instead, follow the encouraging words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Church in Rome in Chapter 12 verse 2, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Today we looked at why our Life is Like a Milk Bottle and why we need to be cautious of being confined in an environment that will not allow us to grow to our God-given potential. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to the join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. For the next few days, we will explore some more short wisdom stories.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 155 – Life Is Like a Black Dot

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 08:03:03 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 155 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life Is Like a Black Dot

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 155 of our Trek, and yesterday we looked at why life is like a bank account. Today and throughout this next week, we will be presenting a series of short wisdom stories. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is being released on Monday as Paula and I are on our 7 day podcasting cruise. While we are out at sea this week, I will have a series of podcasts covering short stories about wisdom without a lot of additional commentary. Once we get back from the cruise, we will remain at camp for a few days as we dive back into the commentary on the book of Proverbs.

Today we will hike on two similar trails, both dealing with how we view our world.

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like a Black Dot

One day a professor entered his classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They all waited anxiously at their desks for the exam to begin.

The professor handed out the exams with the text facing down as usual. Once he handed them all out, he asked the students to turn over the papers.

To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions – just a black dot in the center of the paper. The professor, seeing the expression on everyone’s faces, told them the following, “I want you to write about what you see there.” The students, confused, got started on the inexplicable task.

At the end of the class, the professor took all the exams and started reading each one of them out loud in front of all the students.

All of them, with no exception, defined the black dot, trying to explain its position in the center of the sheet. After all had been read, the classroom silent, the professor started to explain…

“I’m not going to grade you on this. I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot, and the same thing happens in our lives. However, we insist on focusing only on the black dot – the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend…The dark spots are very small when compared to everything we have in our lives, but they are the ones that pollute our minds. Take your eyes away from the black dots in your lives. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you. Be happy and live a life filled with love!”

Ephesians 5:1-2, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

Philippians 4:8, “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Changing Our Vision

There was a very wealthy man who was bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted many physicians and was being treated by several. He did not stop consulting a galaxy of medical experts. He consumed heavy loads of drugs and underwent hundreds of injections, but the ache persisted with more vigor than before.

At last, a monk who was supposed to be an expert in treating such patients was called for by the suffering man. The monk understood his problem and said that for sometime he should concentrate only on green colors and not let his eyes fall on any other colors. It was a strange prescription, but he was desperate and decided to try it.

The millionaire got together a group of painters and purchased barrels of green paint and directed that every object upon which his eye was likely to fall be painted green just as the monk had directed. When the monk came to visit him after few days, the millionaire’s servants ran with buckets of green paint and poured it on him since he was in red dress, lest their master see any other color and his eye ache would come back.

Hearing this, the monk laughed and said, “If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth just a few dollars, you could have saved these walls and trees and pots and all other articles and also could have saved a large share of his fortune. You cannot paint the world green.”

Let us change our vision and the world will appear accordingly. It is foolish to shape the world. Let us shape ourselves first.

Today we looked at Life is Like a Black Dot and Changing our Vision. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to the join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. For the next few days, we will explore some more short wisdom stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 154 – Life is Like a Bank Account

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 08:03:19 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 154 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Like a Bank Account

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 154 of our Trek. Yesterday we hiked the 4 trails to destroy bad habits, and starting today and throughout this next week, we will be presenting a series of short wisdom stories. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is being released on Sunday as Paula and I are boarding the ship for our 7 day podcasting cruise. This week while we are out at sea I will have a series of podcasts covering short stories about wisdom without a lot of additional commentary. Once we get back from the cruise, we will remain at camp for a few days as we dive back into the commentary on the book of Proverbs.

Today’s story is…

Life Is Like a Bank Account

Imagine you have a bank account, and the bank deposits your account each morning with $86,400. This account carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every dollar to spend or invest, of course!

Well, everyone has such a bank. Its name is Time. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the records of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.

There is no going back. There is no drawing against “tomorrow.” Therefore, there is never not enough time or too much time. How we invest our time is decided by us alone and nobody else. It is always a choice that we make. It is never the case of us not having enough time to do things, but the case of whether we want to do it.

You are personally responsible for being wise with the resources given to you each day, and the most precious of these resources is time. As long as you are alive the full day, every person on earth has the same amount of time to invest each day.

You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness, and success! The clock is running!! Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who just missed a train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask someone who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal at the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with. And remember time waits for no one.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it’s called the present.

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We would do well to also consult the Bible for investing the 86,400 seconds that we have each day.

Colossians 4:5-6,“Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”

Psalms 90:12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

James 4:13-17, “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.‘ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”

Today we looked at the true value of time and the lessons that can be learned from investing our time wisely. The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to the join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. For the next few days, we will explore some more short wisdom stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 153 – 4 D’s That Will Destroy Bad Habits

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 07:03:40 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 153 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

4 D’s That Will Destroy Bad Habits

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 153 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the 9 principles for a lasting legacy and today we will hike the 4 trails to destroy bad habits. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is releasing on Saturday as Paula and I are heading to Ft. Lauderdale in preparation for a 7 day podcasting cruise on Sunday. The week that we are out at sea I will have a series of podcasts covering short wisdom stories.

Since we have 4 short trails to trek today, let’s get started right away by breaking camp and heading onto the trail. The trails today are very difficult, just like breaking bad habits is very difficult in our lives. When we start habits that are not good for us, we do not realize at the time or understand the inherent difficulty in changing old and persistent habits. But that does not mean that it is impossible.

The only way that habits begin to change is when we begin to change our perceptions. Most people are not successful in changing bad habits or addictions quickly. For most of us change comes as an evolutionary process of almost imperceptible changes. We just keep nudging ourselves in the right direction by forming one or two better habits. Changing habits permanently requires 4 distinct but interlocking steps. It is like the interlocking Lego blocks that connect to each other to build the steps to success. You must connect them together and in the proper order.

The Four D’s to Break Bad Habits

Emotions are the most powerful forces inside us. Under the power of emotions, human beings can perform the most heroic (as well as barbaric) acts. To a great degree, civilization itself can be defined as the intelligent channeling of human emotion. Emotions are fuel and the mind is the pilot, which together propel the ship of civilized progress.

There are four basic emotions or building blocks that can trigger the most incredible activity. The day that you channel these emotions to fuel your desire is the day you’ll turn your life around and overcome bad habits that are destroying you.

1. Disgust with Yourself

One does not usually equate the word “disgust” with positive action. And yet, properly channeled, disgust can change a person’s life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, “I’ve had it!”

Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when you say, “Enough is enough.”

You have had it with mediocrity. You have had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. You decide you are not going to live like this anymore. Call it what you will. It may be the “I’ve had it” day, the “never again” day, the “enough is enough” day…Whatever you call it, it’s powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust!

2. Decision Time – You Must Choose

Most of us need to be pushed to the wall to make decisions. Once you reach this point, you have to deal with the conflicting emotions that come with making them. We have reached a fork in the trail. Now this fork can be a two-prong, three-prong or even a four-prong fork. No wonder that decision-making can create knots in stomachs, keep you awake in the middle of the night, or make you break out in a cold sweat.

Making life-changing decisions can be likened to internal civil war. Conflicting armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons, battle each other for supremacy of your minds. And your resulting decisions, whether bold or timid, well thought out or impulsive, can either set the course of action or blind it. I don’t have much advice to give you about decision-making except this:

Whatever you do, don’t camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It’s far better to make a wrong decision than to not make one at all. Each of us must confront our emotional turmoil and sort out our feelings.

3. Desire That Won’t Be Extinguished

How do you gain desire? I don’t think I can answer this directly because there are many ways. But I do know two things about desire:

It comes from the inside, not the outside.
It can be triggered by outside forces.

Almost anything can trigger desire. It’s a matter of timing as much as preparation. It might be a song that tugs at the heart. It might be a memorable sermon. It might be a movie, a conversation with a friend, a confrontation with the enemy, or a bitter experience. Even a book or podcast and journal such as this one can trigger the inner mechanism that will make you say, “I want to change now!”

Therefore, while searching for your “hot button” of pure, raw desire, welcome into your life each positive experience. Don’t erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around.

4. Determination To Do or Die

Determination says, “I will.” These two words are among the most potent in the English language. I will. Benjamin Disraeli, the great British statesman, once said, “Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose.” In other words, when someone determines to “do or die,” nothing can stop him.

The mountain climber says, “I will climb the mountain. They’ve told me it’s too high, it’s too far, it’s too steep, it’s too rocky, and it’s too difficult. But, it’s my mountain. I will climb it. You’ll soon see me waving from the top, or you’ll never see me because unless I reach the peak, I’m not coming back.” Who can argue with such determination?

When confronted with such iron-willed determination, I can see Time, Fate and Circumstance calling a hasty conference and deciding, “We might as well let him have his dream. He’s said he’s going to get there or die trying.”

The best definition for “determination” is promising yourself you will never give up.

Think about it! How long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give the average baby before you say, “That’s it, you’ve had your chance?” You say that’s crazy? Of course it is. Any mother would say, “My baby is going to keep trying until he learns how to walk!” No wonder everyone walks.

There is a vital lesson in this. Ask yourself, “How long am I going to work to rid my life of bad habits and then to make my dreams come true?” I suggest you answer, “As long as it takes.”

Although it seems impossible at times for us to make the changes needed in our lives, let us not forget that we can draw on the strength of each other and Christ. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Philippi in Chapter 4 verses 12 through 14, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.”

The four trails that each of us need to hike to break bad habits and make lasting changes in our lives are…

Disgust
Decision
Desire
Determination

The lessons that we can learn from each other are valuable, so encourage your friends and family to join us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we explore some short wisdom stories.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 152 – 9 Principles for Creating a Legacy

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 07:03:04 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 152 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

9 Principles for Creating a Legacy

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 152 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored the 7 steps for a successful life. Today we will continue on the same trail and look at 9 related principles for a lasting legacy. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is scheduled to air on Friday when Paula and I will be making last minute preparations for our podcasting cruise. On the day I am creating this journal and podcast, it is my Dad’s 85^th birthday, which we will celebrate tomorrow. Three of my siblings as well as our three oldest children were able to make it in for the celebration. We enjoyed the time with them and their families, but it was particularly special for the grandchildren as this is the first time that all six of them were together. It is a blessing for Granny and Gramps, and of course, pictures of Dad and our grandkids are in today’s journal posting.

As we get focused on our Trek today, we realize that each day on our trek of life can be challenging and full of unexpected detours and obstacles. While some days will be sunny and bright and give us the feeling that we can literally conquer mountains, there will be other days that are cloudy when the cold wind and rain blow against us to the point that it is difficult to move forward. If we anticipate and prepare for both the sunny and rainy days regardless of what we are facing on a particular day, we will keep in mind our ultimate destination and keep moving forward. Today’s trail is an extension of what we discovered on yesterday’s Trek but from a slightly different perspective. We will put our power of observation to the test once again and look for the 9 sign posts that will help us to be creating and living our legacy each day.

This Is How You Create and Live a Legacy Daily

As your guide and mentor on our daily wisdom-trek, I am a bit of a philosopher and also love principles. Yes, actions are great, and I talk about them regularly. But, the important stuff is what lies underneath are the principles or precepts – the very foundation from which our actions grow.

These are the principles we must commit to in order to create and live the legacy we desire.

Life is best lived in service to others.

This doesn’t mean that we do not strive for the best for ourselves. It does mean that in all things we serve other people, including our family, co-workers, and friends. We should practice what has been called “Servant-Leadership” as described in Matthew 20:25-28, “But Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”

Consider others’ interests as important as your own.

Much of the world suffers simply because people consider only their own interests. People are looking out for number one, but the way to leave a legacy is to also look out for others.

Love your neighbor even if you don’t like him.

It is interesting that Jesus told us to love others. But he never tells us to like them. Liking people has to do with emotions. Loving people has to do with actions. And what you will find is that when you love them and do good by them, you will more often than not begin to like them.

Maintain integrity at all costs.

There are very few things you take to the grave with you. The number one thing is your reputation and good name. When people remember you, you want them to think, “He/she was the most honest person I knew. What integrity!” There are always going to be temptations to cut corners and break your integrity. Do not do it. Do what is right all of the time, no matter what the cost.

Proverbs 10:9, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.”

You must risk in order to gain.

In just about every area of life, you must risk in order to gain the reward. In love, you must risk rejection in order to ask that person out for the first time. In investing you must place your capital at risk in the market in order to receive the prize of a growing bank account. When we risk, we gain. And when we gain, we have more to leave for others.

You reap what you sow.

In fact, you always reap more than you sow—you plant a seed and reap a bushel. What you give you get. What you put into the ground then grows out of the ground. If you give love you will receive love. If you give time, you will gain time. It is one of the truest laws of the universe. Decide what you want out of life and then begin to sow it. Galatians 6:7, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.”

Hard work is never a waste.

No one will say, “It is too bad he was such a good, hard worker.” But if you aren’t they will surely say, “It’s too bad he was so lazy. He could have been so much more!” Be an example of hard work each day, and you will live a grand legacy. Give it your all on your trip around the earth. You will do a lot of good and be creating a terrific legacy.

Don’t give up when you fail.

Imagine what legacies would have never existed if someone had given up. How many thriving businesses would have been shut down if they quit at their first failure? Everyone fails. It is a fact of life. But those who succeed are those who do not give up when they fail. They keep going and build a successful life—create and live a legacy.

Don’t ever stop in your pursuit of living a legacy.

Many people have accomplished tremendous things later on in life. There is never a time to stop in your pursuit of creating and living a legacy. Sometimes older people will say, “I am 65. I’ll never change.” That won’t build a great life! No. There is always time to do more and achieve more, to help more and serve more, and to teach more and to learn more. Keep going and growing that legacy!

These are core principles to live by if you want to become the kind of person who creates and leaves a lasting legacy.

Your legacy is what you live each day and then remains on earth even after you’ve passed away through the lives of generations to come. Learn more on how to understand, choose, focus, and live yours.

On our Trek today, we learned and applied the 9 principles for creating and living a legacy. This should be of utmost importance to us each day. As part of your legacy, I would encourage you to invite others onto the trek with us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy as we explore the 4 D’s to Change Bad Habits.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 151 – 7 Steps to Become a Success

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 07:03:44 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 151 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

7 Steps to Become a Success

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 151 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned the 8 attributes of a healthy relationship. Today we will explore the 7 steps for a successful life. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is scheduled to air on Thursday when we will be spending a day on site with a client before heading back to Charlotte in the evening. Since Paula and I are heading out for our Podcasters cruise on Sunday, we will be dropping Mom Jarvis off at Paula’s sister Lois’s on our way south. As I am writing this journal as we are still traveling to Marietta on Friday, it is a bit of a challenge to work in the dark while traveling. However, the bright screen and lighted keyboard allows me to function fairly well.

Our daily trek of life also has its challenges, but we should always give thanks for the good points of each day. We are shifting from a focus on relationships from yesterday’s hike and heading up the 7 steps that lead to success. If we navigate these steps properly, we will come closer to success in all areas of our lives. This is crucial as we are daily creating our living legacy.

7 Steps To Become a Success

1. You attract success.

“Success is not to be pursued. It is to be attracted by the person you become.”

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So few people realize this. Success is not something that you chase. It’s something that you turn into. Success comes from growth. It comes from growing bigger than the problems and obstacles that surround you. Don’t search for success. Commit to grow, commit to become, commit to do what you know to do, and you will attract success. Proverbs 21:5 puts it this way, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”

2. You must change.

“Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.”

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If you want change, you must change! You must work harder on yourself than you work on anything else. The greatest investment you will ever make is in yourself. Don’t invest in the stock market if you haven’t first invested in yourself. Labor to become a better person. Every day you want to be slightly better than you were the day before.

3. Never give up.

“How long should you try? Until.”

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Never give up. If you just keep at it, eventually you will reach the top. It probably won’t happen in a year, but just imagine what could be achieved if you stayed focused for 20 or 30 years or longer. When I say never give up, I don’t mean to imply that you should wait around for something to happen. What I’m saying is that you should make something happen.

Success is not that complicated. I like what Jim Rohn said about success, “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”

Paul taught in in Galatians 6:9, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

4. Environment is critical.

You must constantly ask yourself these questions:

Who do I spend time with?
How are they influencing me?
What do they have me reading?
What do they have me saying?
Where do they have me going?
What do they have me thinking?
And most important, what do they have me becoming?

Then ask yourself the big question, “Is that okay?” Your life does not get better by chance. It gets better by change. You may have to make some difficult choices on who you spend time with. To follow up with the previous questions, I would ask you:

Who are you talking to?
Who are you listening to?
What seeds are being planted into your life?

Environment is critical! In order for your life to produce fruit, you must plant the correct seeds, and they must be planted in the right atmosphere. You wouldn’t try to plant tomato seeds in the dessert because it’s not the right atmosphere for a tomato seed to produce. Likewise, don’t try to become successful surrounded by negative people. Create an atmosphere where you can flourish. Learn to guard what you hear and what gets planted in your thoughts, so you can become all that you were destined to become.

Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

5. Maintain steady progress.

“Success is steady progress toward one’s personal goals.”

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My dad continually reminded us boys as we worked around the farm to take tasks slow and be methodical. That’s exactly how your dreams come to pass when you commit to achieve them. Nothing happens overnight. Look at anyone who’s successful. It’s taken them years to get there, sometimes decades. Don’t think you are any different. If it took them years, don’t be surprised when it takes you years. In other words, manage your expectations, so you don’t get disappointed unnecessarily. Success is possible, but it won’t happen tomorrow if you just began today. Remember, success is not a single event. You don’t become a success in a moment. Success comes from moving in the right direction every day.

The author of Hebrews taught us in Chapter 12 verse 1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

6. Set your sail.

“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”

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Set your sail or set your mind on what you want to accomplish. It’s not the circumstances of life that determine where you end up. It’s your commitment to arrive at your intended destination that determines your success.

7. Learn to see the value of time.

“Time is more valuable than money. You can always get more money, but you cannot ever get more time.”

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There is nothing more valuable than time. You can sow your time and get anything you want. You can sow your time and get more friends, more money, or better health. Nothing is more priceless than time, so never waste this precious gift. I’ve never met a rich man who didn’t value his time, and I’ve never met a poor man who did. Learn to see the value of time because with time, anything can be accomplished!

Ephesians 5:15-16, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.”

On our Trek today, we studied and learned the seven steps to become a success, and if we take those steps, we will advance in our progress of becoming successful. I would encourage you to invite others onto the trek with us each day. Come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will extend our trail from today and find 9 principles needed to leave a legacy.

The journal for today’s Trek can be found at Wisdom-Trek.com. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 150 – 8 Signs of Healthy Relationships

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 07:03:18 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 150 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

8 Signs of Healthy Relationships

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 150 of our Trek, and yesterday we discovered the 2 steps needed to overcome procrastination. Today we will learn the 8 attributes of a healthy relationship. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek podcasts, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com to listen to them and read the daily journal.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. This episode is scheduled to air on Wednesday in the middle of a very busy week. As I am writing this journal, we are heading north to Marietta. I am so thankful that Paula is willing and able to drive on many of our trips so that I can maximize my time and continue to bring value to my fellow trekkers. The leaves on the trees are changing colors, and it is a beautiful evening drive. The majesty of God’s creation is a joy to observe.are changing colors and it is a beautiful evening drive. The majesty of God’s creation is joy to observe.

We have a long trail ahead of us today, so strap on your hiking boots tight because we are going to have to move quickly to finish the trail on time as we learn from each other on our trail of relationships. As we hike on this trail, we need to keep alert and use our power of observation to locate the 8 signs that will teach us to create and maintain healthy relationships with everyone that we meet on this trek of life.

8 Signs of Healthy Relationships

Nothing can bring more joy to life than beautifully fulfilling relationships. The depth of meaning, understanding, and appreciation that these kinds of relationships bring is almost unfathomable. And, of course, as many people find out, nothing can bring so much pain as a broken relationship with someone dear to you.

Nothing can bring more joy to life than beautifully fulfilling relationships.

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Yes, relationships make the world go ’round for better or for worse. But the exciting thing is that we can do much to increase our chances of having terrific relationships — relationships that are fulfilling and exciting, rich with meaning, joy, and love. There are basics that govern most human relationships and are the very basics I want to cover. So, here is my list of the eight signs that I believe comprise the basics of healthy relationships.

1. Love

Now, this all depends on your definition of love. Most people think that love is a feeling, but I would strongly debate that point. Actually, the concept of “like” is really about feelings. When you say you like someone, you are talking about how you feel. But when you say that you love someone, you are not necessarily talking about how you feel about them. Love is much deeper than a feeling. Love is a commitment we make to people to always treat that person right and honorably. Yes, for those we become especially close to, we will have feelings of love, but I believe it is time for us to re-examine what we mean by love. We must expand our definition of what love means by including the commitment aspect of love. For healthy relationships, we must love everyone. We may not like them based on how we feel about them, but we should love them based on our definition of love above, which in turn determines how we should act toward them. That is, we should treat them right and honorably. This is the basis of all healthy relationships.

I believe the best description of what love really is can be found in the 1^st letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Corinth in Chapter 13 verse 4 through 7, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

2. Servant Heart

My mentor Zig Ziglar says frequently that “You can have everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want out of life.” The concept he is talking about is having a heart and life that is focused on serving other people. Philippians 2:3-5 supports this also, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” This is also fundamental to healthy relationships.

3. Honest Communication

In any good relationship, you will find open and honest communication. Communication is so important because it is the vehicle that allows us to verbalize what is inside us and enables us to connect with another person. Isn’t communication amazing? One person is feeling one thing, and through communication, another person can find that out and feel it too. Amazing. This is a vital goal in good relationships — to communicate, to tell each other what we are thinking and what we are feeling. It enables us to make a connection. Sometimes we are the one speaking and other times we are listening. Either way, the central tenet is communication for the sake of building the relationship and making it stronger. And here’s what’s exciting…If we just communicate, we can get by. But if we communicate skillfully, we can work miracles!

4. Friendliness

Put simply, relationships just work better when we are friendly with others. Being friendly can cushion the bumpy ride we sometimes experience in our relationships. Cheerfulness goes a long way toward building lasting relationships. I mean, nobody wants to be around a grump, do they? The fact is that the friendlier you are the more you are going to have people who want to pursue longer-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with you. So cheer up, put on a smile, have kind words to say to others, treat people with a great deal of friendliness, and you will see your relationships improve.

5. Patience

People being people, we have an awful lot of time for practice in the area of patience. People are not perfect and will constantly fail us. Conversely, we will also fail other people. So, while we try to have more patience for others, we need their patience as well. So often, I think relationships break down because people give up and lose patience. I am talking about all kinds of relationships – friendships, marriages, business partnerships, etc. Recent research has shown that those marriages that go through major turmoil and make it through are very strong after doing so. Patience wins out. Those who give up on relationships too early or because the other person isn’t perfect, often forget that their next friend, spouse, or business partner will not be perfect either! So, we would do well to cultivate this skill and learn to have more patience.

6. Loyalty

Loyalty is a commitment to another person. Sadly, loyalty is often a missing element in many relationships today. We have forgotten what it means to be loyal. Our consumer mentality has affected this to some degree. People are no longer loyal to a product. And unfortunately, many companies are not loyal to their clients or patrons. Regrettably, this has spilled over into our relationships. It is one thing to switch brands of dishwashing detergent. It is another thing altogether to switch friends. Sometimes we just need to commit to being loyal and let the relationship move forward. We need a higher level of stick-to-it-iveness! This kind of loyalty will take our relationships to a much deeper level. What a powerful and secure feeling of knowing that you have a relationship with someone who is loyal to you and you to them — that neither of you is going anywhere even when things get tough. Wow, how powerful!

7. A Common Purpose

One of the basics of healthy relationships is to have a common purpose, and oftentimes this is a component that is initially overlooked. But, for a long-term, long-lasting relationship, it is vital. Think about how many friends you have met through the years while working on a common purpose. Maybe it was someone you met while participating in sports, working on a political campaign, attending church, working at your office, or doing anything that brought you together to work on a common purpose. You had that strong common bond of purpose that brought you together and held you together. Working together, building together, failing and succeeding together — all while pursuing a common purpose — is what relationships are made of. Find people with whom you have common purposes and sow the seeds of great relationships, and then reap the long-lasting benefits.

8. Fun

All good relationships have some element of fun. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean loud, raucous fun, though that is appropriate for some relationships. But, even in business relationships there should be some fun. It should be fun to do business with those who you are going to have a long-term business relationship with. Fun brings enjoyment to the relationship and that is important. I think that oftentimes this key element can be easily forgotten or neglected in our family and spousal relationships. The fun things we did initially in a new relationship after a while can be taken for granted or simply fall by the wayside and we stop creating the fun and joy. So, remember to consciously craft fun situations and moments, for these are the glue that hold our memories together and make our lives sweet.

There are so many key ingredients to making and maintaining great, long-lasting relationships. Each of the eight components we discussed brings unique dynamics and rewards to our relationships. Let’s begin to focus on improving our relationships in these areas and see what miracles occur!

On our trek today, we learned and applied the 8 signs of a healthy relationship. These are valuable beyond measure. I would encourage you to invite others onto the trek with us each day and come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will explore 7 lessons for life.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 149 – 2 Steps to Overcome Procrastination

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 27 Oct 2015 07:03:08 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 149 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

2 Steps to Overcome Procrastination

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 149 of our Trek, and yesterday we explored the trail of how change begins with a choice and how making the proper choices in how we treat others will allow us to become a person of influence. Today we will explore that difficult trail of overcoming procrastination.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, although we will be at The Big House when this episode is released. It is really a blessing to be able to work remotely from any location as long as we have an internet connection. As technology continues to improve, it will become even easier in the future.

Today as we head out on our trail, we are having a discussion about how easy it is to put off our responsibilities and how we allow non-important interruptions to distract us from doing what is most important. This is an age old issue, but there are so many distractions both online and offline, it is very difficult not to procrastinate especially if you are not very disciplined in your focus. Perseverance is so important to make sure we continue on life’s trail towards the summit.

Perseverance is about as important to achievement as gasoline is to driving a car. Sure, there will be times when you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, but you’ll always get out of the rut with genuine perseverance. Without it, you won’t even be able to start your engine.

Perseverance is about as important to achievement as gasoline is to driving a car.

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Perseverance vs. Procrastination

The opposite of perseverance is procrastination. Perseverance means you never quit. Procrastination usually means you never get started although the inability to finish something is also a form of procrastination.

Ask people why they procrastinate and you’ll often hear something like this, “I’m a perfectionist. Everything has to be just right before I can get down to work. No distractions, not too much noise, no telephone calls interrupting me, and of course I have to be feeling well physically, too. I can’t work when I have a headache. ” The other end of procrastination – being unable to finish – also has a perfectionist explanation…”I’m just never satisfied. I’m my own harshest critic. Unless all the I’s are dotted and all the Tt’s are crossed, I just can’t consider that I’m done. That’s just the way I am, and I’ll probably never change.”

Do you see what’s going on here? A fault is being turned into a virtue. The perfectionist is saying that their standards are just too high for this world. This fault-into-virtue syndrome is a common defense when people are called upon to discuss their weaknesses, but in the end it’s just a very pious kind of excuse making. It certainly doesn’t have anything to do with what’s really behind procrastination.

The basis of procrastination could be fear of failure. That’s what perfectionism really is once you take a hard look at it. What’s the difference whether you’re afraid of being less than perfect or afraid of anything else? You’re still paralyzed by fear. What’s the difference whether you never start or never finish? You’re still stuck. You’re still going nowhere. You’re still overwhelmed by whatever task is before you. You’re still allowing yourself to be dominated by a negative vision of the future. In your mind you see yourself being criticized, laughed at, punished, or ridden out of town on a rail. Of course, this negative vision of the future is really a mechanism that allows you to do nothing. It’s a very convenient mental tool.

I’m going to tell you how to overcome procrastination. I’m going to show you how to turn procrastination into perseverance, and if you do what I suggest, the process will be virtually painless. It involves using two very powerful principles that foster productivity and perseverance instead of passivity and procrastination.

1. Break it down.

No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, whether it’s writing a book, climbing a mountain, or painting a house, the key to achievement is your ability to break down the task into manageable pieces and knock them off one at one time. Focus on accomplishing what’s right in front of you at this moment. Ignore what’s off in the distance someplace. Substitute real-time positive thinking for negative future visualization. That’s the first all-important technique for bringing an end to procrastination.

Suppose I were to ask you if you could write a 365 page novel. If you’re like most people, that would sound like an impossible task. But suppose I ask you a different question. Suppose I ask if you can write one page a day for one year. Do you think you could do it? Now the task is starting to seem more manageable. We’re breaking down the 365 page book into bite-size pieces. Even so, I suspect many people would still find the prospect intimidating. Do you know why? Writing one page may not seem so bad, but you’re being asked to look ahead one whole year. When people start to look that far ahead, many of them automatically go into a negative mode. So, let me formulate the idea of writing a book in yet another way. Let me break it down even more.

Suppose I was to ask you, “Can you fill up one page with words not for a year, not for a month, not even for a week, but just today?” Don’t look any further ahead than that. I believe most people would confidently declare that they could accomplish that. Of course, these would be the same people who feel totally incapable of writing a whole book.

If I said the same thing to you tomorrow…If I told you, I don’t want you to look back, and I don’t want you to look ahead. I just want you to fill up one page today. Do you think you could do it?

One day at a time. We’ve all heard that phrase. That’s what we’re doing here. We’re breaking down the time required for a major task into one-day segments, and we’re breaking down the work involved in writing a 365 page book into one page increments.

Keep this up for one year, and you’ll write the book. Discipline yourself to look neither forward nor backward, and you can accomplish things you never thought you could possibly do. And it all begins with those three words “break it down.”

2. Write it down.

My second technique for defeating procrastination is also only three words long. The three words are “Write it down.” We know how important writing is to goal setting. The writing you’ll do for beating procrastination is very similar. Instead of focusing on the future, however, you’re now going to be writing about the present just as you experience it every day. Instead of describing the things you want to do or the places you want to go, you’re going to describe what you actually do with your time, and you’re going to keep a written record of the places you actually go.

In other words, you’re going to keep a journal of your activities.

You are going to be surprised by the distractions, detours, and downright wastes of time you engage in during the course of a day. All of these get in the way of achieving your goals. For many people, it’s almost like they planned it that way, and maybe at some subconscious level they did. The great thing about keeping a time journal is that it brings all this out in the open. It forces you to see what you’re actually doing… and what you’re not doing.

The time journal doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Just buy a little spiral notebook that you can easily carry in your pocket. When you go to lunch, when you drive across town, when you go to the dry cleaners, when you spend some time shooting the breeze with co-workers or family, make a quick note of the time you began the activity and the time it ends. Try to make this notation as soon as possible. If it’s inconvenient to do it immediately, you can do it later. But you should make an entry in your time journal at least once every thirty minutes, and you should keep this up for at least a week, preferably two.

Break it down. Write it down. These two techniques are very straightforward. But don’t let that fool you…These are powerful and effective productivity techniques that allow you to put an end to procrastination and help you get started to achieve your goals.

Focus on what you need to accomplish today, and then tomorrow you can focus on what needs completed tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 reminds us, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

On our Trek today, we identified some causes for procrastination and set forth a plan to that will help you to recognize it and start on the trail to prevent it. Let’s continue on tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will learn the 8 traits of healthy relationships.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 148 – 7 Steps to Become a Person of Influence

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 07:03:38 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 148 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

7 Steps to Become a Person of Influence

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 148 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned how to face and then defeat the enemies that live within us and try to limit our potential. Today we will explore the trail of how change begins with a choice and how making the proper choices in how we treat others will allow us to become a person of influence. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, although we will be at The Big House when this episode is released. The week is full of many activities to complete prior to heading back to Charlotte on Thursday and then on to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday as the Podcast cruise starts on Sunday.

The many activities we are involved in and our client workload are a result of choices that we have made over the years. An important attribute that I desire for my life is to be a person of influence. I feel certain that almost everyone would like to have a positive influence on the lives of others. In order to do so, you may have to make some changes in your life. Changes require that we make difficult choices at times. The choices that we have made in our lives up to this point determine the situation that we find ourselves in. So, let me ask a couple of questions…Do you desire to become a person of influence? What changes in your life will be required in order to reach that position? On our Trek today, we will hike the trails of choice and look for the seven sign posts that are crucial for becoming a person of influence.

Change Begins with Choice

Any day you wish, you can discipline yourself to change your life. Any day you wish, you can open a book that will open your mind to new knowledge. Any day you wish, you can start a new activity. Any day you wish, you can start the process of life change. You can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year. Zig Ziglar put it this way,

Before you change your thinking, you have to change what goes into your mind.

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You can also do nothing. You can pretend rather than perform. If the idea of having to change yourself makes you uncomfortable, you can remain as you are. You can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are yours to make. But while you may desire change, you must be willing to make the choice to change. As Ecclesiastes 10:2 says, “A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one.”

The current situation of your life is largely based on past choices. You have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.

You cannot allow your errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead you down the wrong path. You must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how your life works out. And then you must make the very choices that will bring about a rich and satisfying life.

And, if I may be so bold to offer a piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in life…If you don’t like how things are, change them! You’re not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life, and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

Once you have made the necessary changes, if needed, then you can become a person of influence.

Be a Person of Influence

If you want to be a person of influence and have a positive impact on the lives of others, the key is to become a person of quality yourself. As a person of influence, you will have the ability to impact others with the gifts, skills, and opportunities you offer. To continually impact others positively is a challenge and requires certain qualities that many people lack.

What’s important in becoming a person of influence is refining your skills. You must keep working on yourself until you become effective. Let’s look at the seven sign posts that will help you in becoming a person of influence.

Learn to be strong but not impolite. It is an extra step you must take to become a powerful, capable influencer with a wide range of reach. Some people mistake rudeness for strength. It’s not a good substitute.

Learn to be kind but not weak. You must not mistake weakness for kindness. Kindness isn’t weak. Kindness is a certain type of strength. You must be kind enough to tell someone the truth. You must be kind enough and considerate enough to lay it on the line. You must be kind enough to tell it like it is and not deal in delusion.

Learn to be bold but not a bully. It takes boldness to win the day. To build your influence, you will have to lead others at times. You have to be willing to sacrifice, tackle the problem, and discover the first sign of trouble. Like the farmer, if you want any rewards at harvest time, you have to be bold and face the weeds and the rain and the bugs straight on. You’ve got to seize the moment.

Learn to be humble but not timid. You can’t become an influencer by being too timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility. But humility is a virtue; timidity is a disease. It’s an affliction. It can be cured, but it is a problem. Humility is almost a God-like word—a sense of awe, a sense of wonder, an awareness of the human soul and spirit, an understanding that there is something unique about the human drama versus the rest of life. Humility is a grasp of the distance between us and the stars, yet having the feeling that we’re part of the stars. James 4:10 tells us to, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”

Learn to be proud but not arrogant. It takes pride or confidence in yourself to be a person of influence. It takes pride in your tribe. It takes pride in a cause, in accomplishment. But the key to becoming an effective influencer is to be proud without being arrogant. Do you know the worst kind of arrogance? Arrogance from ignorance. It’s intolerable. If someone is smart and arrogant, we may tolerate that. But if someone is ignorant and arrogant, that’s just too much to take.

Learn to develop humor without folly. When influencing others, you learn that it’s okay to be witty but not silly; fun but not foolish.

Learn to deal in realities. Deal in truth. Save yourself the agony of delusion. Just accept life as it is—the whole drama of life. It’s fascinating.

Life is unique. Positive influence is unique. The skills that work well for one person of influence may not work at all for another. However, the fundamental skills of influence can be adapted to work well for just about everyone – at work, in the community, in church, and at home.

On our Trek today, we hiked the trail of choice and studied the seven sign posts to become a person of influence. Making wise but difficult choices in life allows us to positively influence and impact others. Let’s continue on tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we discover how to end procrastination.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 147 – Conquer the Six Enemies Within

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 07:03:02 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 147 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Conquer the Six Enemies Within

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 147 of our Trek, and yesterday we learned the value of study and the high cost for ignorance. Today we want to prepare ourselves to face the enemies that live within us. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina although this episode will originally be released on Sunday. We are preparing our podcast episodes a few days ahead of time in preparation for the Podcasters’ Paradise Cruise the first week of November since I will not have the equipment on the cruise to record and post the daily podcast.

We are in the middle of a very busy week of work and activities. It is a blessing that we are thankful for. We will be celebrating Dad’s 85^th anniversary when this episode is released. One of the many blessings and lessons that I learned from my Dad is to take each day of life as it comes to you. There will be trails and difficulties but that should not stop us from continuing forward. He also taught us to enjoy each day and learn the lessons from that day.

It is another great day of life as we trek together. The lessons that we can learn together and the strength that we can gain from one another helps our trek of life to be more enjoyable. Our goal is to live a rich and satisfying life while making a positive impact on everyone that we meet. By doing so, we can create a living legacy each day. One observation that I have made in life is that many of our problems with others and with situations of life are actually struggles that we are facing internally. We also tend to judge others in the same manner that we are judging ourselves. As Shakespeare wrote in his play The Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” which suggests that those issues that we protest most strongly against are the very ones that we are struggling with. I have seen this play out in business, organizations, and even more so in churches. The Bible also refers to this in Matthew 7:1-3, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?”

So my exhortation on this is to be very careful when making a judgment against someone else because it may be the very demon that you struggle with internally. This brings us to the trail that we want to hike today which is:

Conquer the Six Enemies Within

Let me tell you about six enemies we face from within.

1. Fear

The first enemy within is fear. We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Our fears are typically brought on by our own experiences, by what someone has told us, or by what we’ve read in the news. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o’clock in the morning. But once we learn to avoid that situation, we don’t need to live in fear of it.

Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.

If we are living a life of integrity and truth we have no legitimate reason to fear. The Apostle Paul gave this encouragement in his letter to the Church of Rome in Chapter 8 verse 15, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.'”

Also in his 2^nd letter to his protégé Timothy, Paul sent this encouragement in Chapter 1 verse 7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

So I would like to encourage you to be bold and move forward not hindered by fear.

2. Indifference

The second enemy that we’ve got to destroy before it destroys us is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. The man says, “Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along.” But the problem with drifting is we can’t drift our way to the top of the mountain.

3. Indecision

The third enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal our chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.

4. Doubt

The fourth enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. We can’t believe everything. But, we also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities, and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.

5. Worry

The fifth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve got to worry. But you can’t let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. You’ve got to drive your worries into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you’ve got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you’ve got to push back.

6. Over-Cautious

The sixth interior enemy is over-caution. This is a bit different than debilitating fear. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue. It is unlike humility; they are different. In fact, it can be an illness. If you let it go, it’ll conquer you. Timid people don’t get promoted. They don’t advance and grow and make an impact on the world. You’ve got to avoid over- caution.

Do battle with these enemies. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what’s holding you back, what’s keeping you from your goals and dreams.

Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.

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In the old testament we get the idea that Moses’s understudy, Joshua, may have been a bit timid or overly cautious because God had to tell him several times to be strong and courageous as is written in Joshua 1:7-8,

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

On our Trek today, we discovered the six enemies that we faced within and learned how to battle each one. The more victories that we have with these enemies, the weaker they become. You can gain strength to do battle by joining us each day on our trail for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will learn the rewards of life and how change begins with choice.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 146 – The Benefits of Study

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 07:03:35 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 146 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

The Benefits of Study

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 146 of our Trek. Yesterday we learned how to become a miracle worker. Today we want to explore the value of study and the high cost for ignorance. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

The Value of Study

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. But this episode will air on Saturday, and we will be back at The Big House by then, cleaning and getting ready for Dad’s birthday celebration on Sunday. One blessing that we experience driving between North Carolina and Ohio as much as we do is to see the mountains along our drive as the leaves in the fall are changing colors. It certainly makes the drive more enjoyable.

Leaves in Fall

As we head out on our Trek today, it is important to understand and realize the importance of studying the trail guide and learning as much as possible before we begin our Trek each day. In the same way, we need to be continuously improving ourselves by reading books, listening to podcasts, and putting what we learn into practice. Regardless of your economic situation, if you have access to a library or the internet, there is no excuse to remain ignorant on any subject matter that may be important to you. Even if you do not have a particular interest in a subject, anything that you learn can bring value to your life. The more you learn the greater your net worth and self-worth will become. Knowledge does not equate directly to the wisdom that we pursue each day, but when kept in the proper perspective, the more knowledge that you gain should allow you to understand how valuable wisdom really is in your life.

Study To Show Yourself Approved

When I refer to books today, I am referring to physical or electronic books and any other types of online or offline articles and courses.

All of the books that you will ever need to make you as rich, as healthy, as happy, as powerful, as sophisticated, and as successful as you want to be have already been written. They will provide you with the rich and satisfying life that is written of in John [10:10]. Always keep in mind that when Scripture refers to a rich and satisfying life, it has little to do with material wealth although that could be a facet of it if we keep it in proper perspective.

People from all walks of life, people with some of the most incredible life experiences, and people who have gone from pennies to fortune and from failure to success have taken the time to write down their experiences so that you might share in their wealth of knowledge. They have offered their wisdom and experience so that you can be inspired by it and instructed by it and so that you can amend your philosophy by it. Their contributions enable you to change the trails of life that you hike based upon their experiences. They have handed you the gift of their insights so that you can change your plans, if need be, in order to avoid their errors. You can rearrange your lives based on their wise advice.

All of the insights that you might ever need have already been captured by others in books. The important question is this: In the last ninety days, with this treasure of information that could change your lives, your fortunes, your relationships, your health, your children and your careers for the better, how many books have we read?

All of the insights that you might ever need have already been captured by others in books

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Why do we neglect to read the books that can change our lives? Why do we complain but remain the same? Why do so many of us curse the effect but nourish the cause? How do we explain the fact that only a small percent of our entire world population that have access to libraries or internet access actually spend the time improving themselves through self-study? The opportunity is there for us to access all of the answers to success, happiness, and knowledge we could ever want. Those who wish for the better life cannot permit themselves to miss the books and other materials that could have a major impact on how their lives turn out. The books you don’t study will not help you!

The issue is not that books and study materials are too expensive! If you conclude that the price of buying the book is too great, wait until you must pay the price for not buying it. Wait until you receive the bill for continued and prolonged ignorance.

There is very little difference between someone who cannot read and someone who will not read. The result of either is ignorance. Those who are serious seekers of personal development must remove the self-imposed limitations they have placed on their reading/studying skills and their reading/studying habits. There are a multitude of offline and online classes being taught continually on many topics, including how to be a good reader. There are thousands of books online or on the shelves of the public libraries just waiting to be read. Most will not cost you anything, except an investment of time. Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary. You must not permit anything to stand between you and the books and study materials that could change your life.

Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.

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A little reading or studying each day will result in a wealth of valuable information in a very short period of time. But if you fail to set aside the time, if you fail to read or listen to the books, if you fail to exercise the discipline, then ignorance will quickly move in to fill the void. Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is just ignorant. There is an enormous cost in remaining ignorant – a cost much higher than we will every pay for wisdom and knowledge. There are no excuses.

If you seek a better life, you must first become a better person. You must continually seek after self-mastery for the purpose of developing a balanced philosophy of life, and then live in accordance with the dictates of that philosophy. The habit of reading/studying is a major stepping-stone in the development of a sound spiritual, emotional, physical, and philosophical foundation. And in my opinion, it is one of the fundamentals required for the attainment of success and happiness.

As a Christ follower, I firmly believe that the foundation of wisdom and knowledge comes from the Bible, and it will serve you very well to include it in your study time. As is written in Joshua 1:8, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

On our Trek today, we discovered the high cost of ignorance and the benefits of study. There is always more we can learn, so let’s get started today and then continue on our trail tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy when we will learn how to face the enemies within.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 145 – Becoming a Miracle Worker

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 07:03:02 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 145 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Becoming a Miracle Worker

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 145 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the nine nuggets that are more valuable than money. Today we will learn how to become a miracle worker. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. As we finish out a busy week of work, even with the many side trails that we inevitably end up taking on our daily treks, we are still heading in the right direction and making progress. We will be heading back up to The Big House today as we finish preparations for Dad’s 85^th birthday celebration. We are blessed to spend this time together as a family honoring Dad and his powerful contribution to our lives.

On our Trek today, we are enjoying the changing seasons. The crisp air of fall, the beautiful leaves as they turn bright yellows and reds, and the ability to relish life in all of its grandeur. Life in itself is a miracle, and we need to make sure that we take time each day to be thankful for all of the miracles that we experience, both small and large. Regardless of our age or status in life, our ability to perform some sort of labor, whether little or much, has the capability to make an impact on our world and indeed the entire world to bring about miracles in the lives of others.

The Miracles of Seasons

As we continue with the training that I have gained from one of my mentors Jim Rohn along with my own experiences, we will explore our role in the working of miracles.

Labor That Works Miracles

While I don’t think any of us really enjoy paying taxes, we certainly do like some of the benefits that we receive from the taxes we do pay. Most of us would like to experience a phenomenon at tax time and have our taxes paid miraculously, but that is not how it works. Another tax situation is recorded in the Good News according to Matthew, who himself was a former tax collector. The story is recorded in Matthew 17:24-27. The tax collectors were out doing their work, and they accused Jesus of not paying his share of taxes although technically Jesus was required to pay it. In verse 27 Jesus said, “However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”

Peter catches a fish with a coin in its mouth.

We read in the passage that Jesus’ disciple Peter came to him and said it was time to pay taxes, but they had no money. In response to his disciple’s statement Jesus said, “No problem.” Now why could he say “no problem”? Well, word had it that Jesus was a miracle worker. If you hand a problem to a miracle worker they are inclined to say “no problem.” It is good when you are able to hang out with people like that.

I do not want to minimize the miracles of Jesus at all because they are truly miracles. When you really think about creation and so much that goes on around us, then we can see miracles every day. God works through faithful and gifted individuals to bring about what is considered miracles to others. The question is, “Are you allowing miracles to be worked through you?”

God works through faithful and gifted individuals to bring about miracles.
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Since I have 36 years of experience in technology, some may look at what I am able to perform on computers as miracles, but, unlike Jesus, it has taken me many years to gain these miraculous abilities and skills.

Those individuals who have honed their skills can appear to be miracle workers. If you hand any of them a problem guess what they say. That’s right. They say, “No problem.” How many books will they read to solve a problem? As many as it takes. If they need to consult, how much consulting will they do? As much as it takes. How early will they get up? As early as it takes. “No problem…” You need to surround yourself with people like that. You cannot believe the thrill of being associated with miracle workers – people who will do whatever it takes to get the job done and perform miracles. This association allows you to also become good at your craft.

When asked about paying the taxes Jesus said it was “no problem.” In fact, he said it was going to be easy. He told Peter to just go fishing. Now, it couldn’t have been any easier than that, especially for this disciple because Peter was a fisherman. If you can fish and you should fish and you don’t fish, then that is why you do not get a miracle. But, Jesus told his disciple to go fishing and to look in the mouth of the first fish that he caught. Peter, who was getting used to these strange happenings and miracles agreed to go. Well, Peter caught his first fish and looked in its mouth and found a large silver coin. Peter then realizes that the coin was exactly enough to pay his and Jesus’ taxes.

Once again, I am in no way minimizing the miracles of Christ, but we would say, “Wow! That is a miracle!” We call it a miracle simply because we don’t quite understand how it works. That’s all. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, it just means we don’t quite understand how it works, which is true of all miracles. It was “no problem” for Jesus. In fact, for most of us, our whole life is a miracle.

How about this miracle. God says if you plant the seed, I will make the tree. Wow! You can’t have a better arrangement than that. First, it gives God the tough end of the deal. What if you had to make a tree? That would keep you up late at night trying to figure out how to make a tree. God says, “No, leave the miracle part to me. I’ve created the seed, the soil, the sunshine, the rain, and the seasons. I’m God and all this miracles stuff is easy for me. I have reserved something very special for you, though, and that is to plant the seed.” So are you fulfilling your part in God’s miracles?

I have found in life that if you want a miracle, you first need to do whatever it is you can do. If that’s to plant, then plant. If it is to read, then read. If it is to change, then change. If it is to study, then study. If it is to work, then work. Whatever you have to do, do it. And then you will be well on your way to doing the labor that works miracles.

I have found in life that if you want a miracle you first need to do whatever it is you can do, and then God will do what you can't.
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Even in the miracle of new life in Christ, we must do our part, but it is God who performs the miracle as the Apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to the Colossians in Chapter 3 verses 6 through 8, “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.”

On our Trek today, we discovered our part in becoming a miracle worker. There is much we may not understand yet, but as we grow in wisdom and insight, we will come to understand our part in the miracle process. We must continue to learn, so join us on our trail tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy when we will discover the true cost of ignorance.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 144 – Nine Nuggets That Are More Valuable Than Money

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 07:03:01 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 144 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Nine Nuggets That Are More Valuable Than Money

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 144 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the wisdom nuggets of being thankful and giving the best gifts. Today we will explore the nine nuggets that are more valuable than money. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We continue on this week with many tasks and activities ahead of us. We also wanted to let you know that two additional podcast episodes where we have been guests have been released. One is the Podcasters’ Paradise podcast in which I speak of being consistent and persistent with the Wisdom-Trek podcast. The second one is called Together 24/7 in which both Paula and I were on the interview discussing working together as a couple throughout our careers. If you would like to listen to either of these podcast episodes, they can be found on Wisdom-Trek.com under The Big House tab.

For today, let’s continue on our Trek for wisdom as we search for:

Nine Nuggets That Are More Valuable Than Money

When starting any small business or any pursuit in life, whether it is full-time or part-time, we all know the value of having adequate capital or money… But you have probably heard of people who started a business or organization with no money and then went on to great success and fortune. “How?” you may ask.

Well, I believe there are actually some things that are more valuable than money that can lead to your entrepreneurial success. Let me give you the list.

1. Time

Time is more valuable than money. The time you set aside should not be wasted and not to be given away. Time you set aside to invest in a business that brings value to the marketplace with the hope of making a profit can be considered money time.

How valuable is time? Time properly invested is worth a fortune. Time wasted can be devastating. Time invested can perform miracles, so do not spend time as you would spending money. Invest your time so that it provides wealth for the future.

2. Desperation

When you have very little money you work from the perspective of desperation. Not in a stupid manner, but in a manner that is wise. You make sure that every dollar invested produces a good return because you have no choice. It is amazing how enterprising you can become when it is do or die financially. Desperation can be a powerful incentive. At this point you say, “I must make this work.”

3. Determination

Determination is the outgrowth of desperation. If you know you have no choice then you must become very determined. Just like a snowball gathers more snow as it rolls down the hill, so determination allows you to continue to grow when there are no other choices. You can say to yourself “If it works once, it will work again.”

4. Courage

Courage is more valuable than money. If you only have a few dollars and a lot of courage, I’m telling you, you have a good future ahead of you. Have courage in spite of the circumstances. Humans can do the most incredible things no matter what happens. Haven’t we heard the stories? From the stories of Victor Frankl or Corrie Ten Boom from the Nazi concentration camps to the heroic stories from 9/11, these are unbelievable stories of being in the depths of hell and finally making it out. You can’t sell humans short. Courage in spite of, not because of, but in spite of the circumstances is what we all need. When starting a business with no money, you also need courage to continue on when the times are most bleak. Perform heroic acts of personal sacrifice today so that you will have a chance of a better tomorrow even when there are no guarantees.

5. Ambition

Ambition is more valuable than money. Ambition when linked to courage, determination, and desperation allows you to invest the time necessary in the proper activities that will produce a return.

6. Faith

Once you put into motion the first five precepts then we start to gain the faith needed to survive. At first our faith will be weak and shaky, but the more that we move forward with confidence the more faith that we will gain. As it says in Hebrews 11:1, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. ²Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.”

It is with faith that you start to believe in yourself. You realize that maybe you can make this happen. Your self-esteem starts to soar. These are investments that are unmatched. Money can’t touch it. What if you had a million dollars and no faith? You’d be poor. You wouldn’t be rich.

7. Ingenuity

Ingenuity is putting your brains to work. Until you are really challenged, you’ve put about 10% of your brainpower to work. What if you engaged the other 90%? You can’t believe what can happen. Humans can come up with the most intriguing things to do. Ingenuity. What’s ingenuity worth? A fortune. It is more valuable than money. All you need is a few dollars and plenty of ingenuity. Figuring out a way to make it work and not stopping.

8. Passion

What is a substitute for passion? It’s not money. Money can’t buy passion. Passion is more valuable than a million dollars. If you have a million dollars without passion, you have no life. You are ineffective. Passion is like the unseen magic that moves people to commit, to make decisions, to act, and to respond.

9. Personality

You may have to spruce up and sharpen up your own personality. You have plenty of personality. Just get it developed to where it is effective every day, it’s effective no matter who you talk to whether it is a child, a business person, a rich person, or a poor person. You need a unique personality that is at home anywhere.

One of my mentors taught me you have to learn to be just as comfortable with yourself, whether it is in a little run down home with an old friend or as a guest of someone of great prominence that you are in awe of. Move with ease whether it is with the rich or with the poor. And it makes no difference to you who is rich or who is poor. You know you have the chance to have a unique relationship with whomever. That kind of personality is comfortable. That kind of personality does not get bent out of shape. Don’t judge others by their status in life.

And lastly, let’s not forget attractiveness and humbleness. Being an attractive person with a good dose of humility is the key to creating a winning scenario in business and in life.

This entire list is more valuable than money. With one dollar and the list I just gave you, the world is yours. It belongs to you, whatever piece of it you desire and whatever development you wish for your life. I’ve given you the secret assets. These kind of assets are more valuable than money and can secure your future and fortune. And best of all, they are all free. Remember that you do not lack the resources for success, it is up to you to utilize them.

Being an attractive person with a good dose of humility is the key to creating a winning scenario in business and in life.

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Even when the times are difficult and you would are tempted to give up, let’s remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Galatia 6:9-10, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ¹⁰Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”

On our Trek today discovered the nine things that are more valuable than money, but as always there is much to continue to learn. So, join us on our trail tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will discover how hard work can perform miracles.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 143 – Life is Shaped by the Language We Use

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 07:03:52 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 143 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Shaped by the Language We Use

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 143 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the wisdom nuggets of being thankful and giving the best gifts. Today we will explore the subtlety of language, or in other words, being careful of the words that we use when we speak. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are headlong into our workweek with much to do before returning to Marietta on Friday in preparation for a family gathering to celebrate my dad’s 85^th birthday on Sunday. We will be in Marietta for about a week and then will head south to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as Paula and I are going on a business cruise the first week of November. I will need to create and record our daily Wisdom-Trek episodes ahead of time since I won’t have the opportunity to do so while on the cruise, so I have a challenging few days ahead of me.

Let’s continue on our Trek for wisdom. Today we will discuss how what we say and how we say it can have a major impact on our lives. Our time of discovery for today will focus on:

The Subtlety Of Language

I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our attitude, which of course makes a major difference in our future, can be as simple as the language we use. The difference is even in how you talk to yourself or others. Consciously making a decision to quit saying what you don’t want and to start saying what you do want. In some aspects, I call that faith or confidence – believing the best, hoping for the best, and moving toward the best.

A few examples could be instead of saying “What if somebody doesn’t respond to me?” start saying, “What if they do respond?”

Instead of saying “What if someone says no?” say, “What if they say yes?” Instead of “What if they start and quit?” say, “What if they start and stay?” Or instead of “What if it doesn’t work out?” you say, “What if it does work out?” And the list goes on and on.

I found that when you start thinking and saying what you really want, then your mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction. And, sometimes it can be that simple, just a little twist in vocabulary that illustrates your attitude and philosophy.

Our language can also affect how others perform and behave around us. As an example, a teenager says to a parent, “I need $50.” And if the parent learns to say, “No comprende. That kind of language doesn’t work here. We have the money to give, but that’s not how you get $50,” then he teaches the teenager to ask, “How can I earn $50?”

That is the magic of words. There is money available here. There is money for everybody, but you just have to learn the magic words to get them. If you just learn the philosophy of asking “How can I earn $50?” you can get everything you’d possibly want.

You can’t go to the soil and say, “Give me a harvest.” You know the soil smiles and says, “Who is this clown that brings me his need and brings me no seed?” Instead if you said to the soil, “I’ve got this seed and if I planted it, would you work while I sleep?” Then the soil says, “No problem. Give me the seed. Go to sleep, and I’ll be working while you’re sleeping.”

If you just understand these simple principles, teaching them to a teenager (or adult) is sometimes just a matter of language. It’s like an investment account instead of a savings account. It’s simple language, but it’s so important. It is easy to stumble through almost a lifetime and not learn some of these simplicities. If you don’t learn them, though, then you have to put up with the lack and the challenges that don’t work out simply from not reading the proper books, not listening to the proper training like this podcast, not sitting in the class, and not studying the principles that will change your life. Does your language limit you so that you are not willing to search for the information and find the resources you require?

In order to obtain resources, information, or relationships, you must take continual action. You cannot obtain without putting forth the effort. It is the principle of planting and harvesting. A farmer cannot go to the land and say, “I planted last year, so produce for me a crop again this year.” That is not how life works. Luke 11:9-10 gives us the pattern, ⁹“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Results follow actions.

If you don’t like where you are in life today or if you desire changes in your life, here is the great news. You can start this change process anytime. For me, I started to put the principles for success into practice early in my adult life. We have had our share of steep uphill climbs, times of trials where we lost nearly everything, as well as times of bounty as we continued to apply the principles for success.

If you don't like where you are today, you can start the change process anytime.
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In my experience, it takes about seven years to go from a place of desperation to complete freedom. I call this my “Seven-Year Price.” It may be a different timeline for you, but it will take time. There is no elevator to the top. It is one step at a time, and the stairs are usually very steep.

You might say, “What kind of revolution, what kind of change, what kind of thinking, what kind of magic had to happen? Was it you?” And I say, “No. Any person of any age and any status in life has the capability to succeed. Any seven years – 25 to 32, 50 to 57 – work. The starting point is not the issue if you truly desire to change in your life. Whether it is seven years, a few more, or a few less, the number of years depends on you. You must be willing and embark on an intensive, accelerated personal development curve, learning curve, and application curve to learn the disciplines and principles.

Now, it might not take the same amount of time, but the changes and the rewards in some fashion are available for those who are willing to pay that “Seven-Year Price.” You will find in addition to the time and effort that you invest, your language can have a great impact on your attitude, actions and results. The subtlety of language is so crucial. Self-talk will program your brain to achieve what you tell yourself you are capable of. That can be very little, or it can be much. The choice is yours.

Self-talk will program your brain to achieve what you tell yourself you are capable of.
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On our Trek today, we considered that making subtle changes in how we talk and think can have a major impact on the outcomes of our lives. We have so much to learn and apply yet, so join us on our trail tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will explore nine nuggets that are more valuable than money.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 142 – Life is About Gratitude and Giving

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 07:03:27 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 142 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is About Gratitude and Giving

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 142 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the nuggets of creating your opportunity and why success is everything. Today we will explore the wisdom nuggets of being thankful and giving the best gifts. If you miss any days of our Wisdom-Trek, please go to Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe at iTunes or Spreaker to get caught up. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We drove back late Sunday night and are in the middle of a busy week of client work before we head back to Marietta on Friday. Although our life is busy and involves a lot of activities, we do focus on the fact that we are to pursue the rich and satisfying life, or as in some translations say, the abundant life that Jesus spoke of in John [10:10]. We are looking forward to next Sunday as we have a family gathering to celebrate my dad’s 85^th birthday.

Let’s continue on our Trek for wisdom. Today we are in search of nuggets of gratitude, and the gifts that we can provide to others. Regardless of how difficult our life trails may be at times, we have so much to be thankful for. Our first discovery for today is:

Learn to Be Thankful for What You Already Have

I want to start out today with a question. Is thankfulness a survival skill? Perhaps most of you would respond with, “No, Guthrie, thankfulness is not key to survival,” and I would tend to agree with you. Most of us have probably already solved the necessary problems of survival, gone beyond that, and are now working to achieve our desires. But let me give you this key phrase, “Learn to be thankful for what you already have while you pursue all that you want.” I believe one of the greatest and perhaps one of the simplest lessons in life we can learn is to be thankful for what we have already received and accomplished.

Both the years and the experiences have brought me to where I am today, sharing with you daily on our Wisdom-Trek as we pursue creating a living legacy. We have not arrived to this place on our Trek together by accident. It was by divine design. It is the attribute of thankfulness that opened the windows of opportunities, blessings, and unique experiences to flow my way. My gratitude started with my parents who raised me and gave me an incredible foundation that has lasted me all of these years, and it continues with the mentors that I’ve met along the way who have absolutely changed and revolutionized my life, my income, my resources, and my future. I am also very thankful for the people, the associations, the ideas, the chance to work and labor, and the opportunity to produce results that I have. All of that has brought me to this place on my trek of life. I’m grateful for it all.

What a unique opportunity each one of us has, with so many of us representing different countries, nations, and cultures, to appreciate the uniqueness of our own experiences that has brought us all here together each day as we gain new wisdom, insight, and understanding and also reinforce what we have learned in the past. We know that each day of our Trek represents countries all over the world, and we have the freedom and liberty to come together on this trek we call life.

These are extraordinary times. There is more freedom across the world than at any time in history. Although our modern news media on both the right and left would try to convince us otherwise, the facts tell a different story. We as a country and as a world have so much to be thankful for. Always start with thanksgiving. Be thankful for what you already have, and see the miracles that come from this one simple act.

Now thankfulness is just the beginning. Next, you’ve got to challenge yourself to produce. Produce more ideas than you need for yourself so you can share and give your ideas away. That is called fruitfulness and abundance. I think fruitfulness and abundance mean to go to work on producing more than you need for yourself so you can begin blessing others, blessing your nation, and blessing your own piece of the world that you have the privilege to impact.

Once abundance starts to come and once someone becomes incredibly productive, it’s amazing what the impact can be. But, to begin this incredible process of blessing, it often starts with the act of thanksgiving and gratitude – being thankful for what you already have and for what you’ve already done. Begin the act of thanksgiving today, and watch the miracles flow your way.

Begin the act of thanksgiving today and watch the miracles flow your way.
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Thankfulness comes from your heart, which is controlled by what you allow into your mind. Nearly 50 times the Bible reminds us to give thanks such as in Ephesians 5:20, “And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The second discovery of wisdom we want to explore today is:

The Best Gift to Give Yourself and Others

I often hear the question, “How can I best help my children, spouse, family member, staff member, friend, etc. improve/change?” In fact the most frequent question that is asked by those that want to make an impact on the lives of others is “How can I help change someone else?”

My answer may come as a surprise…The key to helping others is to help yourself first. In other words, the best contribution you can make to someone else is your own personal development. If you become 10 times wiser or 10 times stronger, think of what that will do for your adventure as a parent, as a grandparent, or as a business colleague.

The best gift you can give to others, really, is your ongoing personal development – getting better, getting stronger, becoming wiser. I think parents should pick this valuable philosophy up. If the parents are okay, the kids have an excellent chance of being okay. Work on your personal development as parents, as grandparents, as friends, and as colleagues. This is the best gift you can give to anyone that you impact.

Work on your personal development. This is the best gift you can give anyone that you impact.
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As we discussed on Day 108 of our Trek, if you have ever ridden in an airplane, then you might have noticed the oxygen compartment located above every seat. There are explicit instructions that say “In case of an emergency, first secure your own oxygen mask and then if you have children with you secure their masks.” Take care of yourself first. Then assist your children or others that are dependent on you. If we use that same philosophy throughout our whole lives, it would be so valuable.

If you learn to create happiness for yourself, your children, your grandchildren and everyone else in your world, they now have an excellent chance to be happy. If you create a unique lifestyle for yourself and your spouse, that will be a great example to serve your children, your grandchildren, and your world.

Self-development enables you to serve and to be more valuable to those around you – your child, your business, your colleague, your community, your church…

Self-development enables you to serve.
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That’s why I explore these wisdom nuggets and share them with you. If you keep refining all the parts of yourself, your character, your health, etc. so that you become an attractive person to your world, you’ll attract opportunity. Opportunity will then begin to seek you out. Your reputation will begin to precede you, and people will want to be with you and/or do business with you. All of that possibility is created by working on the philosophy that success is something you attract by continually working on your own personal development.

Even if you feel you know a great deal, there is always room for improvement. Proverbs 9:9 tells us, “Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.”

The two wisdom nuggets that we explored on our Trek today were to be continually thankful for everything and to understand that the best way to help others is to continually improve and help yourself. As we digest these concepts and incorporate them into our lives, commit to join us on our trail tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will search for more of these precious wisdom nuggets that are more valuable gold and crystal.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 141 – Life is About Creating Your Opportunity

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 07:03:28 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 141 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is About Creating Your Opportunity

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 141 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the nuggets of wisdom “A Time for Action and A Time to be Fruitful.” I have learned these concepts from Jim Rohn, one of my virtual mentors, and we applied Wisdom-Trek logic to the nuggets that we discovered. We will continue on this trail of nugget exploration today in order to find the wisdom of creating your opportunity and why success is important. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, and by the time this episode airs, we will be back in Charlotte for the week. After a busy day Saturday working on our leaf harvest, on Sunday we were able to celebrate our grandson Gideon’s 6^th birthday. It was a great day, and we are so glad to be able to be there. Afterward, we headed back to Charlotte for a busy week of activities before we head back to Marietta on Friday of this week.

Leaf Harvest

For today, let us enjoy the beautiful changing leaves on our hike as we seek additional nuggets of wisdom that will help us on our trek of life. As we travel through life, we need the keen sense of ability and shrewdness to take ordinary or even sub-par situations and create opportunities from them. It is important to our overall success. We need to seize the day and the opportunities while they are available. As the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Ephesus in chapter 5 verses 15 through 17, “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

So let’s first look at the wisdom nugget of:

Creating Your Opportunity

An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An innovative person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An ingenious person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.

To be resourceful is to keep your eyes open and your mind active. It’s to be skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough, and disciplined enough to seize opportunities that present themselves,regardless of the economy or other external situations.

A person with an enterprising attitude says, “Find out what you can before action is taken.” Do your homework. Do the research. Be prepared. Be resourceful. Do all you can in preparation for what is yet to come.

Enterprising people always see the future in the present.

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Enterprising people always see the future in the present. Enterprising people always find a way to take advantage of a situation, not be burdened by it. And, enterprising people aren’t lazy. They don’t wait for opportunities to come to them. They create the opportunities. Enterprise means always finding a way to keep yourself actively working toward your ambition.

Enterprise is two things. The first is creativity. You need creativity to see what’s out there and to shape it to your advantage. You need creativity to look at the world a little differently. You need creativity to take a different approach and to be different.

What goes hand-in-hand with the creativity of enterprise? The courage to be creative is the second requirement. You need courage to see things differently, courage to go against the crowd, courage to take a different approach, courage to stand alone if you have to, and courage to choose activity over inactivity.

And lastly, being enterprising doesn’t just relate to the ability to make money. Being enterprising also means feeling good enough about yourself, having enough self-worth to want to seek advantages and opportunities that will make a difference in your future and the future of others. By doing so, you will increase your confidence, your courage, your creativity and your self-worth, as well as your enterprising nature.

The next nugget of wisdom we want to explore today is:

Success IS Everything

Someone once said to me that success isn’t everything, and I think I know what they really meant. I believe they really meant that money wasn’t everything, and I certainly agree with that. But, I do believe that success IS everything.

First, you need to succeed to survive. We must take the seasons and learn how to use them with the seed, the soil, and the rain of opportunity to learn how to sustain ourselves and our family. But, second is to then succeed to flourish in every part of your life. A good question to ask mature people is “If you could do better, should you?” And, I think almost everybody would answer the question in the positive.

If you could improve your health, shouldn’t you do that? If you could learn more, shouldn’t you do that? If you could earn more and share more, shouldn’t you do that? If you could improve your relationships and spirituality, shouldn’t you do that? And, I think that is what success is really all about. It is not just a destination that is set for everybody to try and go for. It is like Zig said, “Improving in every area of your life to see if you can’t with satisfaction at the end of the day, week, month and year and say ‘I have made excellent progress this year, for myself, for my family, for my business, my career and my health.’” I think everybody recognizes that kind of success is legitimate and something we should all strive for.

The concept of success and reward is woven throughout the Scriptures. It is usually tied to working hard and obeying God. Both of these attributes are attributes that we have control over, so the ability for success is within our control. Joshua 1:8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Proverbs 2:6-8 reminds, “For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.”

Ecclesiastes 10:10 states, “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.”

While we will never be completely successful in all areas of life, we can strive toward being more successful. It is in the striving to be a little bit better today than yesterday, in our speech, our language, our health, and in everything we can possibility think of that we find success.

So yes, in my opinion, it is good to succeed!

On our Trek today, our wisdom nuggets taught us that we are responsible for creating our opportunities by being enterprising, resourceful, creative, and courageous. We also learned that when we have the proper concept of success, we should pursue it in everything that we do. As we continue on our trail, come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will search for more of these precious wisdom nuggets that are more valuable than silver.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 140 – Life is About Taking Action

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 18 Oct 2015 07:03:34 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 140 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is About Taking Action

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 140 of our Trek. Yesterday we started digging up nuggets of wisdom that I have learned from Jim Rohn, one of my virtual mentors, and began applying Wisdom-Trek logic to the nuggets that we discover. We will continue on this trail of nugget exploration for the next several days. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio, as we came up just for the weekend to start the leaf harvest and share in our grandson Gideon’s 6^th birthday celebration. When I refer to our leaf harvest, you have to understand that with about 4.5 acres of land with many very mature maple and oak trees. So, they produce an abundant amount of leaves. The Big House is also located in a residential community, so there are some expectations that we will maintain the property. As such, we do strive to keep the leaves gathered up on a timely basis so they don’t end up all over the community.

Today was just the first day of many that we will spend gathering leaves. Fortunately we have a very powerful vacuum system attached to our mower that takes much of the difficult work out of it. We were able to clean the entire mow-able portion of the yard today which consisted of 8 loads. Each load has a capacity of over 400 gallons. That is a lot of leaves, and today was rather light in comparison when most of the leaves fall. I do enjoy spending the time outside, though, so it was a good day.

We will head back to Charlotte late on Sunday since we have some commitments this next week. With a full schedule, the days will fly by before returning to Marietta again this coming Friday.

Let’s continue on our trail today and search for some more nuggets of wisdom. Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” As we start today, we first want to explore the wisdom nugget regarding a time to take action.

A Time to Take Action

Engaging in genuine discipline requires that you develop the ability to take action. You don’t need to be hasty if it isn’t required, but you don’t want to lose much time either. The time to act is when the idea is hot and the emotion is strong.

Let’s say you would like to build your personal library of books, either physically or electronically. If that is a strong desire for you, what you’ve got to do is get the first book. Then get the second book. Take action as soon as possible before the feeling passes and the idea dims. If you don’t, you fall prey to the Law of Diminishing Intent.

We intend to take action when the idea strikes us. We intend to do something when the emotion is high. But, if we don’t translate that intention into action fairly soon, the urgency starts to diminish. A month from now the passion is cold. A year from now it can’t be found. If nothing changes in your life, then your life will not change.

So take action. Set up a discipline or habit when the emotions are high and the idea is strong, clear, and powerful. If somebody talks about good health and you’re motivated by it, you need to get a book on nutrition. Get the book before the idea passes and the emotion gets cold. Begin the process. Fall on the floor and do some push-ups.

You’ve got to take action; otherwise the wisdom is wasted. The emotion soon passes unless you apply it to a disciplined activity. Discipline enables you to capture the emotion and the wisdom and translate them into action. The key is to increase your motivation by quickly setting up the disciplines. By doing so, you’ve started a whole new life process.

The key is to increase your motivation by quickly setting up the disciplines.
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The greatest value of discipline is self-worth, also known as self-esteem. Many people who are teaching self-esteem these days don’t connect it to discipline. But, once we sense the least lack of discipline within ourselves, it starts to erode our psyche. One of the greatest temptations is to just ease up a little bit. Instead of doing your best, you allow yourself to do just a little less than your best. Sure enough, you’ve started in the slightest way to decrease your sense of self-worth.

There is a problem with even a little bit of neglect. Neglect starts as an infection. If you don’t take care of it, it becomes a disease. And one neglect leads to another. Worst of all, when neglect starts, it diminishes our self-worth.

When neglect starts, it diminishes our self-worth.
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Once this has happened, how can you regain your self-respect? All you have to do is act now! Start with the smallest discipline that corresponds to your own philosophy. Make this commitment, “I will discipline myself to set and then achieve my goals today so that in the years ahead I can celebrate my successes.”

A Time to Be Fruitful

Over the years I’ve learned to challenge myself and those that I impact to turn their response to the ideas and information they receive into results. According to the Biblical story in Genesis 1:28, the first couple, Adam and Eve, were instructed to be fruitful or produce some results. “Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.’”

If you study chapter 1 closely, you’ll see that God instructed all His creation to be fruitful. He repeated these commands after the flood to Noah, his family, and all creation also.

Fruitful is kind of an interesting word. It denotes abundance to fill the earth. In our daily lives today, I think fruitful, abundance, and productivity mean to go to work on producing more than you need for yourself. I think we fulfill that command given to us so long ago to be productive and to produce far more than we need for ourselves by blessing our family and others, blessing our workplace, and blessing our nation regardless of where we live or what conditions we are living in.

Challenge yourself to produce more ideas than you need for yourself so you can share and give your ideas away. Produce more in terms of substance and money and treasure and all things valuable to human beings, far more than you need for yourself.

I am reminded of R.G. LeTourneau’s story, the man who built the big earth moving machines. It was his goal to someday give away 90% of his income. Giving away far more than anyone could possibly imagine. 90% is an awful lot to give away, but you should have seen the 10% that was left. Once abundance starts to come and once someone becomes incredibly productive, it’s amazing what the numbers turn out to be. It’s amazing what it finally totals. So make sure when you are given the opportunity that you turn your response into results and capitalize on the chance to be more fruitful and more giving.

Turn your actions into results and capitalize on the chance to be more fruitful and more giving.
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As we gain wisdom and apply wise principles to our lives, God will multiply our years so that we will have even more opportunities to be fruitful. Proverbs 9:11 puts it this way, “Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.” We should produce abundant results in all of our endeavors as the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus put it in Chapter 6 verse 7, “Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.

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On our Trek today our wisdom nuggets gave us insight that there is a time to take action and a time to be fruitful. Both are related because if we do take action, we will multiply our results and be more fruitful. Come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will search for more of these precious wisdom nuggets that are more valuable than hidden treasures.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 139 – Life is Like Being a Farmer

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 07:03:58 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 139 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Life is Like Being a Farmer

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 139 of our Trek. Yesterday we searched for 11 mile-markers to create a living legacy. Today and for the next several days, we will be digging up nuggets of wisdom that I have learned from Jim Rohn, one of my virtual mentors, and applying Wisdom-Trek logic to these nuggets that we discover. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are heading to Marietta for the weekend to start the leaf harvest and share in our grandson Gideon’s 6^th birthday celebration, but we will head back late on Sunday since we have some commitments in Charlotte this next week. And then, we will head back to Marietta at the end of next week and celebrate Dad’s 85^th birthday. It is a lot of traveling, but we are so thankful that we are able to do so.

We also have a busy day on our Trek today, so let’s head onto the trail as we are in search of that hidden treasure called wisdom. This treasure is readily available, but few seek for it as if seeking for gold, silver, or precious jewels. If we desire to be joyful, we must seek for wisdom as Proverbs [3:13]-15 tells us,

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.

Along our trail today, we once again come across an overlook and down in the valley we see the farmers busy at the harvest. This scene reminds me of how wise it would be if we all would think like a farmer.

Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding.
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Thinking Like a Farmer

One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized and technology driven age is the fact we’ve lost our sense of seasons. Unlike the farmer whose priorities change with the seasons, we have become impervious to the natural rhythm of life. As a result, we have our priorities out of balance. Let me illustrate what I mean:

For a farmer, springtime is his most active time. It’s then when he must work around the clock, rising before the sun and still toiling at the stroke of midnight. He must keep his equipment running at full capacity because he has but a small window of time for the planting of his crop. Eventually winter comes when there is less for him to do to keep him busy.

Every farmer knows that you can’t sow and reap on the same day. There is a timetable for your harvest that requires both working and waiting. Patience is a small price to pay for what you will receive.

There is a lesson here. Learn to use the seasons of life. Decide when to pour it on and when to ease back, when to take advantage and when to let things ride. It’s easy to keep working 10-12 hour days, year in and year out, and lose a natural sense of priorities and cycles. Don’t let one year blend into another in a seemingly endless parade of tasks and responsibilities. Keep your eye on your own seasons, lest you lose sight of value and substance.

Proverbs 23:3-5 encourages us to be careful of the continuous pursuit of wealth,

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
Be wise enough to know when to quit.
In the blink of an eye wealth disappears,
for it will sprout wings
and fly away like an eagle.

As we consider thinking like a farmer, we must realize that most of us will not be farming full time. So let’s continue on our trail and consider another point which is how to overcome a great challenge on our trek of life.

The Great Challenge of Life

Here’s one of the great challenges of life…You can have more than you currently have because you can become more than you currently are.

I have found that income seldom will exceed your own personal development. Once in a while income takes a lucky jump, but unless you personally grow out to where it is, it will go back to where you are. It has been predicted in studies that if you took all the money in the world and divided it among everyone equally, it would soon be back in the same pockets. Regardless of whether that is actually true, on an individual level you can have more because you can become more. You see, here is how the other side of the coin reads…Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you currently have. Creating a plan won’t work for you. It may be a good plan, but it won’t work without you. You’ve got to work it. It is the human effort that counts. The major thing that makes the difference is what YOU do.

Proverbs 21:5 teaches us to plan, but then to take action,

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

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In order to have more, you need to become more. One person may say “If I had a good job, I would really pour it on, but I have this lousy job so I just goof off.” If that is your philosophy, you are destined to stay there. You may have said, if I had a lot of money, I would be really generous, but I don’t have much so I’m not generous. See, you’ve got to change that philosophy, or you will never have an accumulation of wealth. Unless YOU change, your situation won’t change. Amazingly, however, when you throw out your blame list and start becoming more yourself, the difference is everything else will begin to change around you. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.

Thinking like a farmer and overcoming great challenges in life are two great nuggets of wisdom to consume for today, but come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will search for more of these precious nuggets that are more valuable than gold.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 138 – 11 Life-Changing Lessons

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 07:03:05 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 138 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

11 Life-Changing Lessons

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 138 of our Trek. Yesterday we hiked the 7 trails of creating opportunities. Today we will search for 11 mile-markers to creating a living legacy. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It has been a pleasant week in the Charlotte area – sunny with temperatures in the mid-70s. Although I do love the work that we are doing, during weeks like this I yearn to be outside enjoying God’s creation and communing with nature. As we continue on our Trek through life, we will have to consciously choose to take more time for short excursions each day.

When we are hiking and in our daily lives, it is imperative that we enhance our power of observation. The more we increase our ability to observe, learn, and understand, the wiser we will become. Let’s continue on the trail of opportunity that we began yesterday and observe the 11-mile markers that will teach us some life-changing lessons. Once we have mastered these lessons, we will be able to more effectively impact the lives of others, which will allow us to create a living legacy that ripples through our world and through generations to come. I have gleaned these lessons from one of my virtual mentors, Zig Ziglar, who has impacted millions throughout the world.

The more we increase our ability to observe, learn, and understand, the wiser we will become.
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The trail will be a little longer today, but it is a beautiful day for our Trek. As we meander down the trail, we are looking for the mile-markers that should be along the trail. We must use our keen sense of observation otherwise we may miss the markers, which at times are hidden in the underbrush. In the same way, many important markers in our lives become hidden with all the stuff that we buy or the activities we do, and we miss very important lessons. Finally, the first of 11 mile-markers comes into view.

Mile-Marker #1 – First, Help Others

· “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

It’s possible to get ahead in life by taking advantage of other people. But it’s far better (and easier) to get ahead by understanding what people want and then helping them get it. Once you’ve gone out of your way to solve somebody’s problem, they’ll go out of their way to help you achieve your goals. The goal of every successful person is to help as many people as possible as much as possible. When you create something that’s of great value to many people, your life or business is assured of success.

Mile-Marker #2 – Success is Lived

· “Success is in the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph.”

Seeing success as an end goal is one of the biggest misconceptions of success. Success is actually an ongoing journey, more about enjoying the trail than the destination. According to Zig, the most rewarding part of becoming a successful person is the actual becoming. He said, “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

Mile Marker #3 – Keep Moving

· “Remember there is plenty of room at the top — but not enough to sit down.”

To be a difference maker in this world, you must continue moving forward until the very end. A strong work ethic is a key to success. “Get rich quick” schemes will never work. “The elevator to success is broken, but the stairs to success are always available.” Many people have negative associations with hard work. But just as climbing the stairs can be more satisfying than riding the elevator, the work of success doesn’t have to feel hard at all. Zig put it this way, “You don’t pay the price for success. You enjoy the price for success.” Proverbs 13:11 puts it this way, “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.”

Mile-Marker #4 – Actually, You Do Have Time

One excuse that I don’t have much patience for is “I don’t have enough time.”

· “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”

Every person that’s ever lived has had the same number of hours in a day, week, or year. The difference between people who achieve their ambitious goals and those who don’t is the ability to harness those hours purposefully and efficiently.

Next time you feel like you don’t have enough time to do what you want to do, think about somebody you admire who’s accomplished that and more. If they could find the time, then so can you. Learn to use your time wisely. As Zig said,

“You can earn more money, but when time is spent it’s gone forever.”

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Mile-Marker #5 – Make Motivation a Habit

· “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”

Self-motivation needs to be part of your daily routine. No person or external force can motivate you. It must come from within. Learn and practice daily habits that will motivate you.

Mile-Marker #6 – Find Good Everywhere

· “The healthiest of all human emotions is gratitude.”

Zig has always emphasized the importance of your attitude (“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”). And, he’s called gratitude “the most important and by far the most life-changing attitude.”

No matter how bad you think your situation is, you can still be thankful for what you have – whether that’s your health, your family, or simply the fact that you’re alive on this amazing planet. Appreciating what you have can help set in motion events that will give you more to be thankful for…“The more you express gratitude for what you have the more you will have to express gratitude for.”

You can learn to love just about any situation in life if you remind yourself every morning and every night of everything that you do like about that situation, even small things.

Mile-Marker #7 – Over-Deliver

· “When we do more than we are paid to do, eventually we will be paid more for what we do.”

This is a principle that will eventually pay rewards.

Over-deliver in all you do, and soon you will be rewarded for the extra effort
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Mile-Marker #8 – Delay Gratification

With fast-food restaurants on every corner and high-speed Internet in the palm of our hands, we live in a world of instant gratification. But instant gratification disappears as quickly as it comes, and it often does little to advance your long-term goals. “The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want right now.” If you always succumb to immediate desires, then you’re always going to be living from one fleeting pleasure to the next. Instead, take action in the present based on what you want most in the long-term.

“Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to when you want do them!” “Learn to live a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.”

Mile-Marker #9 – Focus on Inward Change

· “You are the only one who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility.”

If you have problems with other people realize that “You’re not going to change anybody else, so focus on what you need to change within yourself.” People do what they want, whether you like it or not. Exerting your energy to try to force someone to do something they won’t or be something they aren’t is frustrating to both parties. With that said, people may choose to treat you differently when you behave differently. “When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen, in most cases, how you are going to be treated by others.”

Mile-Marker #10 – Just Start

· “People who won’t take step number one never take step number two.”

Sometimes beginning is the most difficult part of a task or project, especially when we get wrapped up thinking about all of the potential complexities and challenges. If you’ve been procrastinating on something important, commit to taking five minutes and completing the first step. You may be surprised how much more doable the project seems after you simply start it.

Mile-Marker #11 – Character is Everything

· “Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life – all areas of life.”

You must be a person of values. Always conduct yourself with honesty and integrity because that is the right thing to do morally — but it is also a good life practice. “If people like you, they’ll listen to you. But if they trust, you they’ll do business with you. ”

You might benefit in the short-term by deceiving and short-changing people. But it’s a losing game in the end. Realize “You can get everything money will buy without a lick of character. But you can’t get any of the things money won’t buy: happiness, joy, peace of mind, and winning relationships.

As we come to the end of the trail for today, even if it has been a difficult day always remember that “Yesterday ended last night. Today is a brand-new day and it’s yours.” So come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will begins a series of short wisdom nuggets from another one of my mentors Jim Rohn.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of...

Day 137 – The 7 Trails to Create Opportunities

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 07:03:21 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 137 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

The 7 Trails to Create Opportunities

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 137 of our Trek. Yesterday we explored the six reflection points for life’s transitions. Today we are going to hike the 7 trails of creating opportunities. We cannot sit idly by and wait for opportunities to come to us. We must create opportunities for ourselves and others. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

Opportunity Trails

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today is as busy as expected, but at least we are a bit more rested than we were yesterday. There are so many opportunities in life to grow and excel if we are looking for them. With today’s technology those opportunities are more prevalent than ever. It does require that we step outside of our comfort zone, but that is what makes life exciting and worth our trek. Unfortunately, I think Thomas Edison was correct when he said,

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

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As we start on our Trek for today, we want to shift our mindset from looking for opportunities to creating opportunities. There may be a fine line here, but if you are looking for opportunities, you are assuming that they are already available. Creating opportunity requires that we assemble the puzzle pieces of our life in order to create the opportunities that we desire. As we create these opportunities, we want to look at the 7 trails that will make a significant impact on our world each day.

As we continue on the trail for today, we pass by a beautiful clear lake nestled in the mountains, and it provides us a time to consider our ability to impact everyone that we meet, either in person or online. In order to create those opportunities we desire, we must be seekers and have an unquenchable hunger to be difference makers. As I throw a huge rock into the lake, we see the ripples extending from it in ever-widening circles. In the same way, as we create opportunities, we will make an impact on our world that will send out never-ending ripples in our ever-widening circles of influence. This will allow us to “Be the change that you wish to see in the world” as Mahatma Gandhi shared.

Some of the points in today’s Wisdom-Trek come from a Ted talk by Kare Anderson who shared this insight,

“All of us have the capacity to do something exceptionally well and make a significant contribution.”

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Honing your greatest talents and skills through your authentic message is the key to successful contributions as an opportunity creator, which will lead you to survive and thrive in the fast-changing world. By making new opportunities through these 7 trails that we are hiking today, you have the capability of achieving immense accomplishments.

There is one caveat, though…To create real opportunities, you must focus on how others will also benefit from the opportunities that you create. None of us live in a vacuum. We must always be looking for ways to help others improve, and in doing so, we will also be creating positive opportunities for ourselves. As we explore these seven trails, I will first ask you a question, “What opportunities can we create together, and how can we accomplish this?”

1. Become an Opportunity Maker for Others

It is essential to become an opportunity maker for others first! Everything else will naturally flow and follow. Jesus said it this way in Luke 6:31, “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.”

2. Collaborate & Provide Support

It is a true art to collaborate with people that act, think, and process information differently than we do! That is where true magic takes a place! The most beautifully sung songs are not when everyone is singing the same notes in unison but when each person is singing different notes in harmony. Paul wrote to the church in Romans 12:16, “Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!”

3. Connect with Each Other

Truly and deeply connecting with another person is art. It can happen only when we are fully present, aware, and open, leaving any judgment aside. That is the moment when true greatness enters the room! Luke 6:37-38 puts it this way, ³⁷“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.³⁸Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

4. Express Appreciation for Others

Appreciation is a simple yet profound concept that when only done genuinely can fully unfold. It will also allow others to appreciate you and all of your efforts more!

As Paul instructed Timothy in his second letter to him in Chapter 2 verse 24, “A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.”

5. Share Your Story & Connect with Others

The power of storytelling and sharing will not only assist you in connecting with others but create the safe space for others to share their stories and deep desires and passions. This sharing allows opportunity-making to grow at the speed of light. Jesus was a master storyteller such as this example in Mark 4:1-3, “Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. ²He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: ^{3 ‘}Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.'”

6. Share Your Best Strengths & Talents

What are your best strengths and talents? This is an excellent starting point to discover and then hone those strengths and talents even further so that each one of us is fully ready to significantly contribute. In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth he describes, the gifts that are given to each of us in Chapter 12 verse 7, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”

7. Think Big Ideas & Concepts

The world is indeed very hungry for people with big ideas, innovative minds, and new concepts that can make differences NOW! It is so powerful to observe the energy and synergy of a group of people in action while sharing their common interests and unique perspectives and opportunities. Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus described it in this way in Chapter 3 verses 14 through 16, “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.”

As we have briefly explored these 7 trails on how to create opportunities in our lives and the lives of others, let us journey on and create a legacy – a legacy that matters! Be a legend in your legendary way, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will begin to explore the 11 life changing lessons for life.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 136 – Six Reflection Points for Life’s Transitions

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 07:03:38 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 136 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Six Reflection Points for Life’s Transitions

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 136 of our Trek, and for the past six days we remained in camp and studied the map of wisdom trails as we explored Proverbs chapters 2 and 3. We will occasionally remain in camp and continue on in the book of Proverbs, but for today we will head back on the trail and learn six lessons on how to handle transitioning from one trail to another. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it has been a busy day of work after very little sleep on our red eye flight back from Phoenix last night. It is amazing as humans that we have the ability to continue on with a very limited amount of sleep. We should be able to re-energize before heading to Ohio on Friday for our grandson Gideon’s sixth birthday celebration on Sunday. It will be a quick trip coming back this weekend before heading back up the following weekend. Life is full, but we are enjoying the journey.

As we head out on our Trek today, we soon come to a split on the trail and find it difficult knowing which would be the best path to take. One leads upward through sparse growth but probably leads to a beautiful view at the summit. The other trail leads us downward into the valley where there is lush growth and a river flowing through it. Oh, which trail to take? These are the decisions that we must make in life. Most of the time our decisions will not be choices of a good trail over a bad trail, but which path to take where both seem equally attractive in their own way. When we come to a split in the trails of life or such transition points, how do we make the most of the decision that we do choose?

Six Reflection Point for Life’s Transitions

Major life transitions – moving to a new city, becoming a parent, deciding when to retire – can be an exciting and invigorating part of life if we view it in that manner. Yet transitions, even happy ones, can also be stressful and bring up mixed feelings. For most of us, change brings uncertainty and a certain measure of fear. This is natural, but we cannot allow fear to prevent us from moving forward.

Change brings uncertainty and a certain measure of fear. This is natural, but we cannot allow fear to prevent us from moving forward.
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Moving from a rural community or farm into a big city with its excitement and challenges can be a bit overwhelming. The first few weeks after the move is usually much more difficult than anticipated. Similarly, no matter how exciting getting pregnant and having a child is, the magnitude of this life transition can be mindboggling. Although I don’t plan on retiring any time soon and it could be many years, even the thought of not working the majority of my time makes me realize what a transition time that will be for me when it arrives.

The best way to prepare for major transitions is to take some time for self-reflection. Use the following trail guide for six ways to help you to embrace change and make the most of your new life trail.

1. Recognize that transitions are hard because they can shake your sense of identity.

We naturally define ourselves in part by our surroundings. When these surroundings change, it can be disorienting. Getting married changes your identity from a single person to a partner. Having a child changes your sense of identity from wife or daughter to now include being a mother. A new job changes your identity or role at work. For example it is exciting to get a promotion at work, but the new position has more responsibility. You may like this, but as a manager you no longer have the peer team that you are working with. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed. You may worry, “Am I really equipped for this job? Maybe I was better off before.” It will take some time for you to rebuild your sense of identity in your new role. As you become more comfortable in your new duties and with new colleagues, your work identity will be reestablished.

2. Being in transition is a wonderful opportunity for growth.

Take a look at the parts of yourself and your life that you most value and consider how you can bring those parts of yourself into your new role. Next, look at the areas of yourself that you’d like to make changes to. Perhaps you’ve been neglectful of some important area of your life such as your body, mind, or soul. Transitions are an opportunity to begin practicing new habits and ways of interacting with yourself and others. Enjoy the transition for growth, even when it seems a bit painful.

3. Remind yourself why you chose to make the change.

As you start onto a new trail in life and are feeling a little lost during the transition, it can be easy to regret your decision. Why didn’t I just stay on the trail I was comfortable with? When doubt creeps in, and it will, review the reasons you made your decision… I made this career change to further my skills and better utilize my abilities. When you see the big picture, it helps you move from feeling overwhelmed to understanding that this is a temporary adjustment, and while it’s difficult now, you are willing to go through some uncertainty and discomfort for the long-term gain.

4. Recall other times in your life when you’ve successfully dealt with transitions.

This is not the first new trail that you are on. What helped you get through another period of transition in your life? Looking back, how do you feel about the past decisions you’ve made? What were you proud of, and what would you have done differently? Reflecting on your past can help you make good and better decisions as you move forward.

5. When you’re in transition, it’s easy to become overly focused on yourself.

It is all too easy to become consumed with ourselves. One way to shift your focus is to look at others who may need your help. If you’re at work, it may be a coworker who you notice is having a bad day. If you’re in an exercise class, reach out to another person that seems like he is having a hard time. Making an effort to support others helps you remember that everyone struggles at times, and that human connection can be a powerful aid in helping get through it.

As Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi mentioned in Chapter 2 verses 3 and 4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

6. Part of what helps you feel secure in transition is having a support system.

Make an effort to stay connected. Keep in touch with your family, call up a friend who lives in the area you just moved to, volunteer or get involved in an organization, or ask a new coworker to join you for lunch. Find people who you can really talk to. Whether it’s a trusted friend or close family member, being able to share how you’re really feeling can be a tremendous source of strength for you.

As the writer of Hebrews put it in Chapter 1 verse 25, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

As you prepare for your new treks of life, know that the time you’ve taken to reflect and prepare for your next trail on your journey will help you live a rich and satisfying life.

Today we considered the six reflection points as we transition the trails of life. Apply them to your life when you find yourself on the transition trail, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we travel the trail of opportunity.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 135 – Proverbs 3:21-35 – Trusting the Lord #4

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 07:03:26 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 135 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs Chapter [3:21]-35 – Trusting the Lord #4

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 135 of our Trek, and we are remaining at camp this week as we dig for the nuggets of wisdom contained within the book of Proverbs. We have discovered some precious treasure so far this week, so let us continue on our study of the map to wisdom.

Yesterday we explored Chapter 3:13-20, and today we will finish Chapter 3:21-35 as we discover the value of having common sense and discernment. Once we complete the entire book of Proverbs, we will make the entire commentary available in an eBook although we will be going on many treks between our times at camp. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. We just arrived back in Charlotte after a very busy but productive few days with our friends and business partners Charles and Alison Mecom. We are working together on a couple of large construction projects in the Phoenix, Arizona area. This podcast is being released a little later than usual due our travel schedule. We took a red eye flight back to Charlotte which delayed the initial release of this podcast.

Red Eye Flight Home

As we continue on our discussion of Proverbs 3, I trust that this time we spend at camp studying the map for wisdom has been and will continue to be valuable and beneficial. Even if you do not consider yourself a person of faith, my hope is that you will stay around and gather the wisdom that is universal to all.

As I mentioned the past couple of days, the title of Chapter 3 is…

Trusting in the Lord

· Common sense in not always common.

Let’s start out now and glean wisdom from Proverbs [3:21]-35.

²¹My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, ²²For they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

Verse 21-22 should encourage us. We need to keep our eyes and mind on common sense, discernment, love, and wisdom. We are to cling to them as we would if they were any precious stone. Gold, silver and gems may be beautiful. But, wisdom is more beautiful than any valuable objects. These attributes are to be so evident in our lives that it is like wearing a necklace. The beauty of these attributes should be very evident to everyone that sees us.

²³They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble. ²⁴You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. ²⁵You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, ²⁶for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap.

In verses 23-26, unlike gold and silver, which many would attempt to take from us, we can hold onto common sense and discernment, and no one can steal them from us. They are part of the very essence of who we are. Life is a trek, and when we have these attributes in our lives, we will we be less likely to make mistakes that would cause us to stumble and fall. We have nothing to fear. Verse 24 gives us special comfort. We should not be afraid of those things that go bump in the night because this passage teaches us that God will protect us. While I do not have this particular problem, I realize that many people struggle to sleep. We can trust in God, He can keep us safe. He can protect us.

²⁷Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. ²⁸If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” ²⁹Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you.

In verses 27-29 we have a clear admonition to help others when we have the capability to do so. We should not hold back or delay this help. In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus said, ³⁰“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. ³¹The second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.” As with the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10, we see that our neighbor is anyone that we come across that may need our help. Be a good neighbor.

³⁰Don’t pick a fight without reason, when no one has done you harm. ³¹Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways. ³²Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.

In verses 30-32 we see that as Christians we should not be violent or follow the practices of those who are. Instead, we are to be peacemakers. Jesus teaches us this principle in Luke 6:35-36 ³⁵“Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. ³⁶You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”

If you do not practice these principles, Proverbs [3:32] indicates that your actions are detestable.

Look at verses 33-35.

· God deals with different people differently.

³³The Lord curses the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the uprights. Verse 33 reminds us that God will do good things for us if we obey him. He is kind to us, and he is kind to our homes too. The word “home” shows that God will help our families also.

God deals with different people differently.
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There are certain universal principles that govern God’s creation. When we contrast the upright with an evil person, we see that God curses both the evil man and those who live in the evil man’s house. The evil man’s family suffers because of his evil actions. Eventually those individuals who practice evil will reap a like harvest.

³⁴The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble.

In verse 34, we see the principle of planting and harvesting are always in force throughout our lives. The time for judgment is coming. God will be our judge.

We should serve God, and we should be humble. We must not be proud. When God is our judge, he will show us kindness and love. Some people are proud. They insult other people. They must turn from their evil behavior. Then God will forgive them. If they refuse God’s love, God will punish them. The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Church in Galatia in Chapter 6 verses 7 and 8, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. ⁸Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”

³⁵The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame!

We see in verse 35 that if we are wise, we will inherit honor, or it could be said that we will be an honorable person. Remember from our previous discussion in Proverbs that a simple person is someone that may be lacking in wisdom, but a fool is a person that despises God’s truth and wisdom. In the end, a foolish person will be put to shame.

A simple person lacks wisdom, but a fool despises wisdom.
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Today we learned from Proverbs 3 why common sense so important and how God deals with different people differently based on how they treat others. I trust this time in Proverbs 2 and 3 has been beneficial and that you will come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Tomorrow we will head back out onto the trail of life and see how important it is to be able to pivot or change trails when needed.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 134 – Proverbs 3:13-20 – Trusting the Lord #3

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 07:03:06 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 134 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs Chapter [3:13]-20 Trusting the Lord #3

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 134 of our Trek, and we are remaining at camp this week as we dig for the nuggets of wisdom contained within the book of Proverbs. We have discovered some precious treasure so far this week, so let us continue on our study of the map to wisdom.

Yesterday we explored Chapter 3:7-12, and today we will continue to explore in Chapter 3 as we discover just how valuable wisdom really is. Once we complete the entire book of Proverbs, we will make the entire commentary available in an eBook although we will be going on many treks between our times at camp. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Looking back at this past week, it has been an interesting and exciting opportunity for growth. The three podcasts where I was a guest went well, and we are making progress and providing value to others that are also creating and publishing podcasts in their own areas of expertise.

The wisdom and insight that can be gleaned by sitting around a campfire, as we have been doing this week, is astounding. As we look at the verses today, we will see the tremendous value of obtaining wisdom and how wisdom was the very foundation for all of creation.

The title of Chapter 3 is…

Trusting in the Lord

· The Value of Wisdom

¹³Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
¹⁴For wisdom is more profitable than silver,
and her wages are better than gold.
¹⁵Wisdom is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
¹⁶She offers you long life in her right hand,
and riches and honor in her left.
¹⁷She will guide you down delightful paths;
all her ways are satisfying.
¹⁸Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.

In Proverbs [1:20]-33, Solomon describes wisdom as a woman. This happens again in Proverbs [3:13]-18. There is a difference. In Proverbs 1, Wisdom is angry with evil people. They have refused her advice. In Proverbs 3, we read about the people who love Wisdom. Wisdom brings good things to them: long life, wealth and honor (verse 16). When we walk with Wisdom, our life is pleasant and beautiful (verse 17).

In verses 14-15, we see Wisdom compared to valuable objects. She is worth more than precious stones. Her value is more than silver or gold.

You can put your money in a bank. The bank will pay you an income. However, the bank is not as good as Wisdom. If you give your life to Wisdom, she will pay more than any bank. No bank can make your life longer, but Wisdom can give a long life. No bank can promise you a place in heaven, but Wisdom can promise this. No bank can make you right with God, but Wisdom can do this.

The happiness that wisdom brings is not just an emotion. This is the same happiness that Jesus describes in Matthew 5:3-12. Which are referred to as…

· The Beatitudes

¹One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, ²and he began to teach them.

³“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
⁴God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
⁵God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
⁶God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
⁷God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
⁸God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
⁹God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
¹⁰God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

¹¹“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.¹²Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

When God forgives our evil actions, we receive his joy in our spirits.

Sometimes our lives will still be difficult. Sometimes, we will be very sad. Even then, God will comfort us. He will look after us. Although we are sad in some of life’s situations, God’s joy will still be in our hearts, and we will have good lives because God will help us. David was not happy when he was in danger, but he knew that God’s joy was in his spirit. So, he was not afraid of the dangers that surrounded him. In Psalm 23:4 David wrote,

Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.

Now, let’s move onto Verses 19-20 of Proverbs 3.

¹⁹By wisdom the Lord founded the earth;
by understanding he created the heavens.
²⁰By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth,
and the dew settles beneath the night sky.

We all need wisdom. Even God used His wisdom to make the world.

This paragraph is similar to John 1:1-3.

¹In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
²He existed in the beginning with God.
³God created everything through him,
and nothing was created except through him.

John explains that “the word” means Jesus. Jesus was always with God because Jesus is God. That is a lot to take in for today.

It is unmistaken that wisdom brings us joy and although it does not cost us anything to obtain except a strong desire, study, and perseverance, its value is unmeasurable. From wisdom stems all of creation, including ourselves. Why would we ever pass up the opportunity to obtain wisdom? So, come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will learn of common sense and discernment.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 133 – Proverbs 3:7-12 – Trusting the Lord #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 07:03:30 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 133 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs Chapter 3:7-12 Trusting the Lord #2

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 133 of our Trek, and we are remaining at camp this week as we dig for the nuggets of wisdom contained within the book of Proverbs. As the prospectors of old would pan for gold in the creeks and rivers, let us wash away the dirt from the many modern media outlets that want to pollute our minds each day and find the pure gold of wisdom that is located in the streams of Proverbs. Yesterday we began Chapter 3, and today we will continue to explore in Chapter 3 as we pan for additional nuggets of wisdom.

Once we complete the entire book of Proverbs, we will make the entire commentary available in an eBook although we will be going on many treks between our times at camp. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

Panning for God’s Gold

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and we are busily completing the work that needs done and the podcasts that will be airing while we are on our short trip to Phoenix. Life seems to always be full, rich, and exciting. While we have the opportunity, we will continue on. As the old saying goes, you have to make hay when the sun shines.

As we enjoy our time sitting around the campfire, let us share more wisdom nuggets from Solomon to see how they apply to our trek of life. For me, campfires have always been a time for reflection and relaxation. Cherish every moment of life to learn, to grow, to create a legacy of wisdom, and to seek out discernment and insight.

The title of Chapter 3 is…

Trusting in the Lord

Wrong types of wisdom and intelligence

Today we are starting with verse 7.

⁷Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.
Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

There is a wrong type of wisdom. Verse 7 mentions “your own wisdom.”

There is also a wrong type of understanding, which we looked at yesterday in Verse 5 that mentions “your own understanding.”

There is a difference between our own wisdom and God’s wisdom. Also, there is a difference between our own thoughts and God’s thoughts. God is wiser than we are, and God is more intelligent than any person is as is stated in Isaiah 55:8-9.

⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

We must not be proud. All true wisdom comes from God. Our own ideas may be good, but they are never better than God’s wisdom.

God teaches his wisdom to us. It is God’s gift to us. Do not confuse your own ideas with God’s wisdom!

⁸Then you will have healing for your body
and strength for your bones.

Sometimes unwise choices cause illnesses. For example, consuming excess alcohol or eating the wrong food or too much food will make us ill. But, God’s wisdom does not hurt us. God is kind to us, and He helps us. He cares about our bodies. He also cares about our spirits. Nobody will be ill in heaven as Revelation 21:4 reveals, ⁴“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

So the wisdom that we need is God’s wisdom.
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Next in verses 9-10 Solomon teaches us about priorities with money when he writes…

⁹Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.
¹⁰Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.

In Malachi 3:6-12, Malachi accuses the people. He says that they have stolen from God. This is because they have not given their gifts for God’s work.

The truth is that all our possessions belong to God. He made the world, so he made everything that we have. Our own lives belong to him. As Christians, we should be generous. We should give for God’s work. We should also give to help poor people.

People may say, “If I give, then I won’t have enough for myself.” We should be sensible, but we must also trust God. For in Psalm 50:9-10 God says,

⁹But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
¹⁰For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

If we give our money for God’s work, then God will provide for us. Jesus said, ³⁸“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back,” Luke [6:38].

God does not need our wealth. However, he chooses to work with us. We should be glad to give to God. ⁷“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully,” 2 Corinthians 9:7.

As we give to other people, God gives good things to us. ¹⁰“‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!'” Malachi [3:10].

So that is our lesson on finances in this passage. Now on to discipline in verses 11-12.

¹¹My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
¹²For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Many people do not want to learn how to behave well. They want to choose how they will live their lives.

God is our father. As a father teaches his son, sometimes the father must correct his son. In the same way, God corrects us.

God does not correct us because he is angry. God corrects us because he loves us. A human father should not punish his child because the father is angry. Rather, the father corrects the child because the father loves his child. If God corrects us, then we should be glad. His correction teaches us to do the right things. His correction will save us from troubles.

God does not forget about us. He watches us. He sees our errors. In love, he corrects us. He might correct us by some word that we read in the Bible. He might use the advice of other people, such as a minister or friend. Hebrews 12:5-6 tells us,

⁵“And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,

‘My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and don’t give up when he corrects you.
⁶For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.'”

Sometimes correction includes learning. ¹¹“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way,” Hebrews [12:11].

Today on our Trek of Proverbs, we learned to not be impressed by our own wisdom but by God’s wisdom. We also learned the law of giving and receiving from what is entrusted to us by God as we are to be wise managers of it. Lastly, we understand that each of us needs discipline at times because it helps us to grow and mature. Think about these three points for today and join us tomorrow as we continue with Proverbs 3 and learn about the wrong types of wisdom and intelligence on another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 132 – Proverbs 3:1-6 – Trusting the Lord #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Sat, 10 Oct 2015 07:03:55 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 132 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs 3:1-6 – Trusting the Lord #1

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 132 of our Trek. Yesterday and for the next few days, we will remain at camp and dig for the nuggets of wisdom contained within the book of Proverbs. Yesterday we finished up with Chapter 2, and today we will begin to explore Chapter 3 as we mine for additional nuggets of wisdom. Once we complete the entire book of Proverbs, we will make the entire commentary available in an eBook. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and when this episode originally airs, we will be with our friends and business partners Charles and Alison as we continue to work through the detailed plans of our current construction project. It is an exciting time but always one for learning and growth both on a business and personal level.

At our campfire today, we continue to learn from the wisest man to ever live Solomon, as he shares personal wisdom with his children. This is a great reminder to us to impart wisdom as we have those teachable moments with our kids, grandkids, or any young person each day. Of course that also means that we must have first gained that wisdom, insight, and understanding ourselves. So, let’s begin to study the treasures found in Proverbs 3. Let us boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.

Let us boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.
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The title of Chapter 3 is…

Trusting in the Lord

We’ll begin with verse 1.

¹My child, never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.

Chapter 3 begins, as usual, with advice for Solomon’s son. Solomon encourages his son to remember his commands. The son must remember the words, but he should also aim for a deeper experience. Wisdom should enter his heart. Wisdom should guide his thoughts. Wisdom should control his emotions and desires.

²If you do this, you will live many years,
and your life will be satisfying.

The son will benefit from wisdom. Solomon mentions health and wealth as two potential benefits.

Wisdom brings health because wisdom teaches safe actions. A wise person eats good food and takes care of his body.

Wisdom brings wealth because a wise person is careful. A wise person works hard and does not waste money.

Do not think that health and wealth show wisdom. A thief can become wealthy because he steals. An evil person can take money from other people. Sometimes God gives health and wealth to a person but not always.

¹⁸“Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath,” Deuteronomy [8:18].

True health is not only the health of the body. Your relationship with God must also be healthy. In fact, your relationship with God is more important than your body. See Matthew [5:29]-30.

Solomon was very wealthy. But he knew that true wealth is not money. See Proverbs [3:14]-15. Wisdom is worth more than silver or gold. Wisdom is worth more than all our money.

³Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.
⁴Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation.

Loyalty and kindness should always be with us. As Solomon writes this, he is thinking about Deuteronomy 6:6-9, ⁶“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

In the same way we should commit to the principles that are discovered in the book of Proverbs. We need to repeat them again and again and talk about them in everyday life.

These nuggets of wisdom need to become part of the very fabric of our lives. Just as Paula quilts together little pieces of fabric to make beautiful designs, the principles in Proverbs should be quilted together into our lives so that our lives form a beautiful picture.

Love and trust should not be just ideas. We must not remember them today and then forget them tomorrow. They must be part of our lives. They should guide every decision.

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Verses 5 and 6 are very important. It is a good idea to learn them. They will help us if we worry about the future.

“Trust in the Lord.” People trust many things. Some trust money. Some trust governments. Other people trust luck or fate. You might trust your family or your church. Sometimes all these things will fail. But God never fails. “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble,” Psalm 46:1.

“With all your heart.” Perhaps you trust God sometimes, but not at other times. Some people become Christians, but do not trust God with their whole hearts. God is part of their lives but only part. Maybe they want God at home but not at work.

God wants our whole hearts. We should always desire his wisdom. He wants us to live as Christians at work and at home. We must trust God, even when our lives are difficult. God encourages us to trust him in everything.

“Do not depend on your own understanding.” God is wiser than we are. We may know many things, but God knows everything. We must not be proud. We must not imagine that we are wiser than God.

The future is unknown to us. But God knows the future. He is able to lead us. He can guide us. We should trust him and not our own ideas. So, we should pray to God about our lives. We should ask him to help us and to guide us.

“Seek His will in all you do.” These words remind us that life is like a journey or trek. We shall have many experiences. Some experiences will be good. Other experiences will be bad. Wherever we are, we should think about God. We should remember God’s place in our lives. If life is like a trek, then we must follow God. He knows the right trail. His way is the right way.

“He will show you which path to take”’ Another translation is, “He will clear the path for you to follow.” We can trust God to guide us.

Today on our Trek of Proverbs, we learned some important lessons about trusting God to guide and direct us. God will go before us and show us the path to take and clear it for us before we arrive. When we do find obstacles on our trail, He will give us the wisdom to continue on. Think about these points for today and join us tomorrow as we continue with Proverbs 3 and learn about the wrong types of wisdom and intelligence on another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 131 – Proverbs 2:16-22 The Benefits of Wisdom #2

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 07:03:26 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 131 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs Chapter [2:16]-22

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 131 of our Trek. Yesterday we remained at camp and dug for the nuggets of wisdom contained within the book of Proverbs, and we will continue to do so for the next couple of days. Once we complete the entire book of Proverbs, we will make the entire commentary available in an eBook. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them on the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a late night of work last night and will probably be again tonight. We did have the pleasure of having pizza last evening with our oldest son Harry, his wife Chelimo, and their son Kip. Regardless of how busy our schedules are, we treasure these times that we can spend with our kids. Staying focused on what is most important is so crucial in living a rich and satisfying life.

I was also interviewed today on The Heart of the Matter podcast hosted by Brian King. It was conducted over a new technology called “Blab,” which allows up to four people to have a live video and audio chat while others can observe. It can also be recorded so that it can be replayed. If you are interested in watching this episode, check it out here.

The Heart of the Matter Podcast

As we sit around the campfire today, let’s continue to study our treasure map which is found in the book of Proverbs as we seek the hidden treasures that are contained in the book. We should seek these wisdom nuggets as if they were actually nuggets of gold because they are so much more valuable.

The title for Proverbs Chapter 2 is the “Benefit of Wisdom,” and we looked at verses 1-15 yesterday. So, let’s continue in the section titled “The Journey of Life” as we start with verse 16 today.

The Benefits of Wisdom

From here let’s move on to the “Journey of Life” in verses 16-19.

1. The journey of life

¹⁶Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman,
from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman.
¹⁷She has abandoned her husband
and ignores the covenant she made before God.
¹⁸Entering her house leads to death;
it is the road to the grave.
¹⁹The man who visits her is doomed.
He will never reach the paths of life.

In these verses, a woman tries to tempt a man. Deuteronomy 5 lists 10 commands that God gave. One command was, “Do not have sex with someone else’s wife or husband,” Deuteronomy [5:18]. The woman in the Book of Proverbs refuses to follow this command. A man who goes to her is in danger.

Solomon is teaching us about other wrong actions. Sometimes wrong actions are attractive. Sometimes evil thoughts tempt us. Sometimes we might think that God’s law is not fair. Perhaps the man likes the woman. However, he must not go to her.

Sometimes wrong actions are attractive, but in the end they will turn ugly.
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We must not do wrong actions when evil thoughts test us. The devil even tested Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). But, Jesus did nothing that was wrong against God. God gives his wisdom to us. His Word teaches us how we should live.

If we turn from God, it is like leaving your husband or wife. When you became a Christian, you promised to follow God. Evil thoughts may still tempt you. Other religions may tempt you. Sex may tempt you. Do not break your promise to God! ⁶“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me,'” John 14:6.

Even Solomon, who wrote the Book of Proverbs, turned away from God in the end. He had many wives. Some followed other religions. With his wives, Solomon prayed to other gods. The Bible says that Solomon’s actions were evil (1 Kings 11:1-13). We should learn from Solomon’s mistake. Although we may not clearly understand the purpose of God’s decrees, we must follow them anyway.

Although we may not clearly understand the purpose of God’s decrees, we must follow them anyway.
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God gave great wisdom to Solomon. Solomon taught wisdom. His Book of Proverbs still teaches wisdom to us today. We must follow God. We must desire God’s wisdom. We must not be like Solomon when he turned from God.

1. The land

Let’s continue on searching for additional nuggets in verses 20-22.

²⁰Follow the steps of good men instead,
and stay on the paths of the righteous.
²¹For only the godly will live in the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it.
²²But the wicked will be removed from the land,
and the treacherous will be uprooted.

Stay on the paths of the righteous.

God gave land to the nation of Israel. He warned them to follow his commands. If the nation turned away from God, then they would lose their land (Deuteronomy 28). Solomon knew that God had warned them.

After Solomon, the people served false gods. Some kings were good, but most were evil. God did not punish that nation immediately. God told the people to return to him. They did not return. After a war, they lost their land.

As Christians, our land is not this world. We are only visitors because we belong elsewhere. Our real home is in heaven. “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them,” Hebrews [11:13]-16.

We must follow God. He will lead us to heaven. He has prepared a place for us in heaven. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going,” John 14:1-4.

This passage comes to my mind often as I renovate The Big House in Marietta. As we prepare additional rooms, it is our hearts desire to make it a place where family and friends can stay for rest and relaxation and feel like they are coming home.

Today we continued on our Trek of Proverbs and the journey of life and further discovered we have to be vigilant to do what is right, regardless of whether it is attractive. In doing so, we will be following the trails that lead us to the good land. Think about these points for today, and join us tomorrow as we continue with Proverbs 3 on another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 130 – Proverbs 2:1-15 The Benefits of Wisdom #1

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Thu, 08 Oct 2015 07:03:00 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 130 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Proverbs Chapter 2:1-15

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 130 of our Trek. Yesterday we hiked the trail of Be->Do->Have and learned why it is so important to follow those steps each day to have a rich and satisfying life. Today and for the next few days, we will remain at camp and dig for the nuggets of wisdom contained within the book of Proverbs starting today in Chapter 2. Once we complete the entire book of Proverbs, we will make the entire commentary available in an eBook. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we explore these nuggets of wisdom, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and as we prepare for our short trip to Phoenix this weekend, I will be recording a few episodes in advance since I will not have the time to prepare and record while traveling. The next few days are jammed packed with work, so it will require a couple of late nights this week.

As we remain at camp during our study of Proverbs, it is similar to taking the proper time to study the trail maps so that we can have a safe and expedient hike. The book of Proverbs provides us a wisdom map so that we can navigate life safely and expediently as we gain wisdom, insight, and discernment.

The title for Proverbs Chapter 2 is the “Benefit of Wisdom,” and we will see there are many benefits for our life’s daily trek as we study Proverbs.

The Benefits of Wisdom

I will begin our discussion today by reading Verses 1-4.

¹ My child, listen to what I say,
and treasure my commands.
²Tune your ears to wisdom,
and concentrate on understanding.
³Cry out for insight,
and ask for understanding.
⁴Search for them as you would for silver;
seek them like hidden treasures.

1. The search for wisdom

We must greatly desire wisdom. We must listen to it. We must desire it. We must ask questions so that we can learn more. We must hunt for wisdom like someone who searches for gold.

We must greatly desire wisdom. We must listen to it. We must desire it.

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Psalm 42:1 is similar, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.”

Also see Job 28. A man digs deep into the earth. He breaks through the rock. He enters places that no animal has seen. He finds gold and silver. He discovers many things. However, he cannot find wisdom there. Wisdom is not in the deep sea. You cannot buy wisdom, not even with gold. But Job tells us how to find wisdom in 28:28, “And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear (respect) of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Let’s move onto Verses 5-8.

2. The reward of wisdom

⁵Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
and you will gain knowledge of God.
⁶For the Lord grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
⁸He guards the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him.

If we respect God, then we shall become wise. God gives his wisdom to us. We are his people, and he guards us. He defends us, and he protects us. Psalm 23 compares God to a man who owns sheep. The farmer looks after his sheep. He provides their food and water. He cares about them. In the same way, God looks after us. When we are in danger, God protects us.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
²He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
³He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
⁴Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
⁵You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
⁶Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.

From here let’s move onto the journey of life in verses 9-15.

3. The journey of life

⁹Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair,
and you will find the right way to go.
¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will fill you with joy.
¹¹Wise choices will watch over you.
Understanding will keep you safe.

¹²Wisdom will save you from evil people,
from those whose words are twisted.
¹³These men turn from the right way
to walk down dark paths.
¹⁴They take pleasure in doing wrong,
and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
¹⁵Their actions are crooked,
and their ways are wrong.

The Bible often compares life to a journey. Abraham’s whole life was a journey. He traveled from Ur to Haran and then to Canaan.¹⁰“Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God,” Hebrews 11:10. He did not find this place on earth. ¹⁶“But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them,” Hebrews [11:16].

Jesus compared life to a journey. ¹³“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. ¹⁴But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it,” Matthew [7:13]-14.

The Book of Proverbs also tells us about two ways. In verse 13, evil men walk in dark paths. They hide from the light because light would show up their evil behavior. In verse 15, Solomon says that evil men choose the wrong paths. It is easy to choose the wrong path in the dark! This wrong path is like their evil behavior. Their behavior is like a road that leads to death and hell (verse 18), which we will look at tomorrow.

If we follow God’s wisdom, then our paths are good (verse 9). We are like travelers who choose the right way. We know where we are going. We act fairly. Our decisions are good. This is the right road for life’s journey. It leads to heaven (verse 19), which we will also look at tomorrow.

Today we continued on our Trek of Proverbs and learned about the benefits of wisdom through the search for wisdom and the rewards of wisdom on our journey of life. Think about these points for today, and join us tomorrow as we continue with Proverbs 2 on another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com, or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically each day. Please share Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter or in person so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you in through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 129 – Follow the Trail of Be -> Do -> Have

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 07:03:11 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 129 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Follow the Trail of Be->Do->Have

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 129 of our Trek. Yesterday we completed our fifth and final day on the trail of our reality, which is based on our beliefs. If you missed any of the episodes on this five day trek, it would be worthwhile for you to go back and listen to them or read the daily journals to get a complete picture.

If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we spend time together on our daily trek, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages. Today we are going to extend the concept of how our beliefs create our reality as we investigate the principles or trail of “Be –> Do –> Have.” Many times we get these principles out of order and then wonder why our lives are not what we expect.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the weather has certainly made an abrupt change to fall. We also had a significant amount of rain the past few days primarily due to the hurricane that skirted the east coast. However, the Charlotte area was spared from flooding, unlike many areas on the eastern seaboard. Our workload this week remains very heavy, but we are taking it one day at a time. As we discussed on Day 65 of our Trek, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

It is time to break camp for today and head back out onto the trail in pursuit of wisdom, insight, and understanding that will help us as we create our living legacy. I would encourage you to keep your eyes focused on the trail today because it is important that we follow the trail of “Be –> Do –> Have” in the proper order. On our way out of camp, I want to ask you this question, “Are you BEING the person you truly want to be?”

It is important that we follow the trail of Be –> Do –> Have in the proper order.
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Take a few moments and really think about who you are being right now and compare that to who you really want to be. Do you want to be a better father/mother; be happier than you are right now; be wealthier, healthier, and skinnier? Or, do you want to be better at your job or to be a better business owner?

Most of us have been taught that we need to have things in our life to allow us to do what we want, allowing us to be who we want to be. For example, “When I have more time, I will be able to do more activities with my children, therefore I will be a better father.”

In reality, we will never be the person we want to be if we wait to have first.

If you really want to have ultimate success in ALL areas of your life (personal and in business), you really need to start being the person you want to be right now!

You really need to reverse this teaching of having, doing, and then being and begin with being the person you should be. This will drive you to do the things that reflect your character and integrity, so you can have the results that you desire in life. To switch the previous example, “I am being the best father I can be allowing me to do more activities with my children and now I have the time necessary for them.”

Our wisdom nugget for today is to flip the Have –> Do –> Be teaching on its head and explore the Be –> Do –> Have principle. As we examine this nugget, let’s look at why this principle is so successful in reaching goals and hopefully get inspired to start living the life we truly want without waiting until we have everything in place before we start living the lives we really want to live.

Start living the life you truly want today without waiting until you have everything in place.
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· Have –> Do –> Be – The Trail to Misery and Failure

This thinking holds you back from reaching your goals. When you ask most people what they would like to have in their lives, most reply, “I would like to have more money and happiness!”

And when you ask why they don’t have that in their life right now, they would probably say that is because they are waiting to have something first. And when they have it in place, it will then allow them to start doing what they want and being who they want.

Most people believe if they “have” a thing (such as more time, money, love, whatever), then they can finally do a thing (such as take up a hobby, go on holidays, buy a home, undertake a relationship), which will allow them to be a thing (such as happy, peaceful, content, or in love). And, people wonder why they are not happy, not doing the things they love, and haven’t gotten what they want in life (be it money or love).

· Be –> Do –> Have – The Trail to Success

In actuality, they are reversing the Be->Do->Have paradigm. In the world as it really is (as opposed to how many people think it is), “having” does not produce “being,” but the other way around. For example, happiness is a state of mind that we choose to be in. What you choose to have in your mind will manifest into reality.

What you choose to have in your mind will manifest into reality.
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As an example, when you think like the rich and adopt their habits of wise spending and frugality, that’s when you start becoming rich. Then you need to take action. That’s the do part. You do it with passion and purpose (whether you get paid or not).

As you begin to add value to other people’s lives, then money, time, and love will be the natural harvest of what you planted earlier. This harvest is the have in the equation. What you have is a result of who you have become and what you have done. So, if you are wondering why you’re not having the life you always wanted, ask yourself, “Am I following the Be->Do->Have principle, or am I trying to do it the other way round?”

Start by being the person you want to be. Then make the decisions to do what this person would do. Then you will gradually have the type of life that you desire.

As we continue on our Be->Do->Have trail today, we see farmers working hard harvesting their crops in the fields in the valley. A farmer knows the principles of planting and harvesting. A farmer understands that he cannot have a harvest in the fall without first doing the planting in the spring by being a farmer by his very nature.

As Jesus’s brother James wrote in his letter to the scattered believers in Chapter 5 verses 7-8,“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

One of my favorite phrases is, “You’ve got to be before you can do and do before you can have.” In short, you have to be a person of character and do the right things, and then you can have the things you really desire.

I trust that this principle will resonate with you and help you to keep the proper order in your pursuit for wisdom and growth. Join us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Over the next few days, we will switch back to our commentary in the book of Proverbs to dig up some additional nuggets of wisdom.

That will finish our podcast for today. Remember to listen to your daily dose of wisdom on Wisdom-Trek.com or subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Spreaker, or YouTube so the episodes will be downloaded to you automatically.

I would really appreciate it if you would help Wisdom-Trek grow by sharing Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, or Twitter so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 128 – Your Beliefs Create Your Reality (5)

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 07:03:17 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 128 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Your Beliefs Create Your Reality (5)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 128 of our Trek. Yesterday was day four of five on the trail of our reality, which is based on our beliefs. Our focus throughout this five day trek is to help you to realize how crucial it is that your belief system is based on a solid foundation of truth. Yesterday we explored how to upgrade your beliefs so that you can change limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs.

Today is our last day of our current trek, and we will determine how we can make the growing of your beliefs a regular part of your life’s trek. If you missed any of the previous episodes on this trek, make sure you go back and listen to them all to get a complete picture. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we share time together on our daily trek, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

Build on a solid foundation.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it is starting out to be a week completely full with our client workload and many other activities. I was the guest on another podcast, which was released over this past weekend. The podcast is titled The Steep Side of the Mountain with host Manny Wolfe, and we discussed our lives and how we are able to integrate with the difficult times.

Interview with Guthrie Chamberlain

Now it is time to break camp for today and head back out for our fifth and final day on our reality trail. So far on our Trek, we have focused mainly on the role of our internal map of reality. We have also talked about how our beliefs serve as our internal map makers.

Learning to create a reality that empowers us rather than limits us is certainly a powerful and advanced life skill. This skill, perhaps more than any other, has the ability to totally transform the quality of our lives.

As the TV infomercials would say…

But wait, there’s more!

Creating an internal map of reality based on empowering beliefs is definitely something everyone should endeavor to do. With that said, I don’t want you to conclude that mastering this ability constitutes the final frontier because it doesn’t.

In fact, the real key to a rich and satisfying life is not found within the confines of an intricately detailed map of reality where every square inch is ruled over by some established law or belief. God created us with a free will to make choices in our lives. Following the strict written code of the law has been replaced by the freedom we have in Christ. We do have freedom and flexibility in the choices that we make. We may not all agree in what constitutes a rich and satisfying life, or even what constitutes a life of faith, but we should choose to live a life that empowers us to fulfill our God-given potential. To choose less would be a disservice to our creator. The real key to such a life actually lies…

Part 5: Beyond the Map

The problem with being too locked into a minutely detailed map is that everything is (seemingly) accounted for. Perhaps this point can be best made by looking at our earth.

What happens to people’s perception in areas where every square inch of land is accounted for? Don’t they tend to live and be restricted by precisely drawn boundaries or sets of laws? And, doesn’t that reality have a way of fostering preconceived ideas about how things are supposed to be? This type of mindset causes most people to become very judgmental of anyone that does not have the same strict belief system. Except those clearly defined moral codes set out within Scripture, we need to be careful in attempting to implant our beliefs on others. To a large extent, those boundaries put very real limits on our life experiences.

Boundaries can be good but also restrictive.

When working with other people and their belief systems, we would do well to follow what Jesus taught in the good news according to Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’”

1. A different perspective

To extend the previous analogy, if you look at a world globe or map of the world, you will see all of the clearly marked dividing barriers of countries and states. Now, what happens to our perception of the earth when we view it from space? About the only boundaries we can still see are the continents and oceans. And from that vantage point, what is our impression of the planet? It’s much more beautiful, right?

The point is, too many details and boundaries tend to shrink our focus. They can easily blind us to the beauty that surrounds us. If everything is precisely defined, we can quickly lose our sense of wonderment and awe. If we limit our beliefs to a strict set of laws, rules, and regulations, it is very difficult to allow our beliefs to grow and change as we gain wisdom, insight, and understanding.

If everything is precisely defined, we can quickly lose our sense of wonderment and awe.
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2. Balancing beliefs and boundaries

What does it take to experience life in a productive and meaningful way and still maintain our sense of discovery and adventure? At what point do the boundaries on our internal map of reality cross the line from empowering to limiting?

On days 3 and 4 of this trek, we established that it is our beliefs about who we are and what we are capable of that are either empowering or limiting. So, once again, it all comes back to how our beliefs create our reality. Only this time we are looking at the concept of limiting and empowering from a completely different angle.

3. Treasure hunting

When you think of a treasure map, what kind of image does it conjure up? Usually, it’s a map with some notable place markers, but not too many details. At least that’s how it is in the movies!

Treasure Map

Finding the treasure always involves an adventure of discovery. The treasure hunters have barely enough details to keep them moving in the right direction. Everything else is discovered along the way. It’s the adventure that keeps them fully engaged and living in the moment.

As a Christ follower, I consider the Bible as my primary treasure map for discovery of that rich and satisfying life. As is written in Psalms 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

4. Your internal treasure map of reality

For life to be an adventure of wonderment and awe, we need to treat it like a treasure hunt. We need our empowering beliefs to keep us headed in the right direction. To maintain our sense of adventure, we also need to avoid the trap of beliefs that create too many precise boundaries and preconceived ideas.

Living beyond the map does not mean that we don’t have a map. It means that we choose to discover the details along the way to enjoy our journey rather than try to fill them in ahead of time.It means approaching situations, people, and experiences with a sense of open curiosity. It means that we look for the treasures that are unfolding with each new day.

For life to be an adventure of wonderment and awe, we need to treat it like a treasure hunt.
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5. A shift in perception

When we are truly empowered by our beliefs, life gets simpler. We tend to let go of judgments and expectations and replace them with compassion and curiosity.

When we look at the earth from space, there are no national boundaries, conflicts, agendas, or disappointments. There is only beauty! Once we learn to view life from beyond the map, it’s pretty much the same scenario. It’s a beautiful treasure of wonderment and awe.

This was our fifth and final day on the trail of reality. If you would like to add to the discussion or have questions, please leave them in the comment section of today’s journal. I hope that this trek has provided you with some points to ponder that will help you to gain wisdom and insight. Join us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will explore the concept that if you want to have a rich and satisfying life, you have to do what is necessary by being the person that can make it possible. Be, do, and then have is the proper order.

I would really appreciate it if you would help Wisdom-Trek to grow by sharing Wisdom-Trek with your family and friends through email, Facebook, or Twitter so they can come along with us each day.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!

Day 127 – Your Beliefs Create Your Reality (4)

H. Guthrie Chamberlain — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 07:03:35 -0500

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 127 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

Your Beliefs Create Your Reality (4)

Thank you for joining us for our 7 day a week, 7 minutes of wisdom podcast. This is Day 127 of our Trek.Yesterday was day three of five on the trail of our reality, which is based on our beliefs. Our focus throughout this five day trek is realizing how crucial it is that your belief system is on a solid foundation of truth.

This is day four of five on our exploration into the concept that our beliefs create our reality. Today we will discover how to upgrade our beliefs so that our realities are based on a solid foundation of truth. If you missed any of the previous episodes on this trek, make sure you go back and listen to them all to get a complete picture. If you have any of your own observations, comments, or questions as we share time together on our daily trek, please share them in the comment section of our daily journal pages.

We are recording our podcast from our studio at Home2 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Sunday we headed back to Charlotte after a busy and productive time in Marietta the past 10 days. We have a very busy week coming up with our client workload, including three interviews on other podcasts, and a trip to Phoenix, Arizona, to spend four days with our friends and business partners Charles and Alison Mecom on Friday. We have been working together on various construction projects for about 10 years and are doing some planning on a large project began this past summer.

Now it is time to break camp for and head back out on day four on our reality trail. As we start out I would like to ask you another question. “If your beliefs create your reality, doesn’t that open up a whole world of possibilities?” So, the next question I will follow up with is “What kind of reality have you created?”

By simply asking that question, we are actually accomplishing two important steps. First, we are acknowledging our creative ability, and at the same time, we are accepting responsibility for our current reality or situation on our trek of life.

During days 1 -3 of this trek, we examined several fundamental ways in which your beliefs influence our reality. One thing that should be abundantly clear by now is the fact that the quality of your life is a reflection of the quality of your beliefs about who you are and what you are capable of.

The quality of your life is a reflection of the quality of your beliefs about who you are and what you are capable of.
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Knowing that empowering beliefs create a desirable reality and limiting beliefs do the opposite is a good place to start. Obviously, the next step needs to be learning how to eliminate the beliefs that don’t serve you and replacing them with beliefs that do. This brings us to our 4^th major mile marker on our Trek today.

Part 4: Upgrading Your Beliefs

There is an essential first step that must be taken before you can even think about upgrading your beliefs. Do you know what that step is? It’s simple really, you need to identify your current beliefs and figure out which ones need an upgrade.

On the surface, this sounds easy enough. But beliefs are shrouded in all kinds of confusing disguises. In fact, have you ever noticed that the word “lie” is at the center of the word belief?

So, how do we get around the deceptive power of our limiting beliefs?

1. Look at the results!

The easiest way to identify your own limiting beliefs is to look at the results they produce. Any area in your life where you are producing good results is probably anchored to an empowering belief. Likewise, any area in your life that is plagued with unsatisfactory or frustrating results is likely anchored to a limiting belief. The results you produce always reveal your underlying beliefs.

The results you produce always reveal your underlying beliefs.
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This reminds me of the parable that Jesus taught of the 3 workers in Matthew [25:14]-30. All three workers had the opportunity to work hard and invest their boss’s money which they were entrusted with. Two of them had an abundance mindset or belief and gained a good return for their boss. The third one had a scarcity mindset or belief and buried the money because he was afraid. The consequences for the third worker was not favorable. What little he had was taken and given to the one that had done the best. Which of the workers would you be? (I encourage to read this passage.)

Also the 2^nd letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth clearly shows the principle of “what we plant we harvest” in Chapter 9 verse 6,“Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.”

What are you planting? Now it’s time for you to examine and list the areas of life that are lackingas well as the beliefs and feelings that support them. These areas are currently emotional liabilities. They are the beliefs that limit you, and need to be changed.

2. Identify your limiting beliefs.

Apply the following 7 questions to every area of your life that leaves you feeling limited, incompetent, unqualified, or afraid. Make a list that includes the unfulfilling activity and the limiting belief associated with the negative feelings behind it.

What do you feel you are not very good at, and why do you think that is so?
What areas of your life leave you feeling incompetent or unqualified and why?
What new activity are you afraid to try but would like to? Why do you feel afraid?
What is your least favorite activity, and why do you dislike it so much?
In what area do you want to improve, and what do you feel is holding you back?
What do you avoid helping others with, and why do you feel unable to help them?
When you want to make a good impression, what do you try to hide and why?

3. Dismantle these limiting beliefs.

To begin dismantling your limiting beliefs, you need to link them to a painful, negative, emotional anchor. The more painful the anchor, the more effective it will be. Start by asking yourself some pointed questions about each belief such as:

What price have I paid because of believing this?
How is what I believe affecting me financially, physically, and emotionally?
Why did I get anchored in this limiting belief to begin with?

Continuing to question the validity and consequences of any limiting belief will expose a wide array of negative emotional anchors for those beliefs. Once they come to represent pain, it becomes much easier to move away from them and move toward more empowering beliefs.

· Look for empowering replacements.

Next, ask yourself a few simple questions.

What would I have to believe in order to succeed in this area of my life?
What would I have to do differently in order to produce the results I want?
Which of my existing empowering beliefs can I apply to these areas of my life?

As you answer these 3 questions, allow yourself to develop a sense of certainty that by changing your beliefs, you will be able to produce positive results. Make a list of these new beliefs so you have them as a reference. Review this list often, especially if you find yourself slipping into a negative mindset.

By changing your beliefs, you will be able to produce positive results.
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· Look for improved results.

Adopting these new empowering beliefs will change the results you produce. In turn, being alert to those changes will help reinforce and validate your new beliefs. Soon, your new beliefs will be totally accepted into your subconscious and be reflected in your new internal map of reality

Please check out the journal page for today’s trek and review the questions that we discussed during our time together today.

Two additional questions I would like to ask are:

Did you discover any hidden limiting beliefs?
Do you agree that your beliefs create your reality?

This was our fourth day on the trail of reality. If you would like to add to the discussion or have questions, please leave them in the comment section of today’s journal. In order to learn more about how our beliefs create our reality, join us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy, and we will explore “Beyond the Map,” where we are going to look at the amazing possibilities that exist at the next level of creating your reality.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)
Love Unconditionally
Listen Intentionally
Learn Continuously
Lend to others Generously
Lead with Integrity
Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!