Diane was always right and she didn’t need batteries. I travel alone now and I’m not very good at getting to my destination.  On several occasions I’ve found myself in the middle of a corn field, fifty miles from where I wanted to be.  So I bought a GPS.  Named it Lulu.  Lulu has my destination locked in her memory and shows me the perfect way to get there. It’s kind of nice. Lulu doesn’t make me stop to go to the bathroom, she never asks me what I am thinking and she too is always right. But sometimes I deliberately, or by accident, turn right when Lulu says left…or left when she says right.  In those moments Lulu gently instructs me to make a U turn and get back on track.  More often she simply says “recalculating.” Then she comes up with a whole new perfect plan for me. A new beginning from my current position. How cool is that! The destination remains the same… the journey getting there has been adjusted taking into account my diversion.

We have a lot to learn from Lulu. The path to success, in business, marriage, friendship, faith is NEVER, you heard it right, NEVER without misguided or intentional detours.

Every missile fired into space has its own GPS guiding it. Every missile goes astray, every single one.  A computer is constantly  recalculating and sending new commands, “correct one degree to the left.”  Soon the missile is back on course….. but not for long.  What looks like a flawless shot to the moon is actually a million little recalculations made along the way. The ability to recalculate gets the missile to where it is going. The same ability will get you where you want to go and where you are supposed to go.

We are extremely reluctant to accept “recalculating” as a pattern of success.  We want to believe the journey will be seamless and without error.  But it is those who accept failure as a reality, those who eagerly seek to learn from mistakes, those who are anxious to recalculate and get back on course, those are the people who reach the pinnacles of success.

• It took Thomas Edison thousands of failures and approximately 10,000 experiments to invent the electric light bulb.  He knew how to recalculate.
• Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steam engine, failed so publicly that his creation was dubbed Fulton’s Folly.  But he knew how to recalculate!
• Abraham Lincoln was defeated in several elections before he was elected as president of the United States. He didn’t give up! He recalculated, made adjustments changed the face of history.

Even God recalculates for us, why shouldn’t we? When we make a wrong turn in life He doesn’t ban us from making the journey. He just whispers, “recalculating” and redirects us, from where we find ourselves right now, to a NEW and PERFECT path to the right destination.

Where are you right now? Where do you want to be?  Recalculate!  You can get there from here!

I’d like to write more but I have to make a U-turn!

For more encouragement on this subject check out our DVD “Second Chances.” Wait till you see the recalculation God did for this dude!

Today was a tough day

After 50 years of service in Africa a weary missionary couple descended the gangplank of their boat.   Their disembarking was delayed by a throng of press and well-wishers welcoming president Theodore Roosevelt back from his most recent safari.  As they made their way through the crowd the husband expressed to his wife how discouraged he was.  After 50 years of service to God, after losing two children to jungle diseases, there was not a single person to welcome them home. His wife suggested that he talk to God about this during his bedtime prayers.  In their cheap little hotel room the exhausted wife fell asleep almost immediately.  She awoke in the morning to find her husband smiling and whistling softly as he prepared for the day.  “Boy,” she said, “you have certainly lightened up.  Did you tell God about your disappointment?”  “Yes I did,” he answered.  “I told him how sad and angry it made me that after all the years of service and sacrifice we had no one to welcome us home.” “Well,” his wife asked. “What did God say to you.”  With a smile her husband answered.  God said, “You’re not home yet.”

What a jolt of encouragement! What a kick in the backside! What motivation for me to stop moaning and live life with Gusto.  So I was inconvenienced a little.  Big Deal!  Today was really a good day! There’s a lot of good stuff we will miss if we spend our time whining.  So let’s stop whining and remember the really good stuff will be waiting for us when we finally get home.  Until then, lighten up and live.

Journaler Jadyn

On Valentines day we gave each of our grandchildren little notebooks to be used as journals. We also gave them brief instructions on how to use them.  The older children immediately sat down and began recording their thoughts for the day.  Since my youngest granddaughter, four year old Jadyn, cannot yet write, I was worried that she might feel left out.  My fears were put to rest when she sat down, took out her pencil, and whispered as she began to write, “Dear diarrhea!” The entire house erupted in laughter, including the uncontrollable giggles of Jadyn.  But when the laughter dies, I hope that each of my grandchildren experience the many benefits of keeping a regular journal.

Here are just a few of those benefits:

1. Your communication and writing skills are dramatically enhanced when you record your thoughts every day! In a world where many college graduates are incapable of writing a coherent sentence, continually developing your ability to express yourself  gives you an incredible edge in any field you pursue.  If you dream of writing a book your journal will become a treasure of material.

2. You will capture crystal clear thoughts and ideas that otherwise WILL disappear, lost forever,  leaving only  a misty wisp of something you knew was brilliant.  No matter what the size of your journal, carry a small notebook with you to capture these ideas as they flit through your brain.  Trust me!  They do not linger! Some of them can disappear before you can find a pencil.  I keep my notebook and pen in the same pocket.  If I ever got a piercing, it would be a pencil through my nose, where I could get to it easily and would never lose it.

3. You will have measurable record of spiritual, physical and emotional progress in your life. I recently read an old entry made at one of the lowest points in my emotional health.  Reading that entry drove me to my knees in thanks to God for answered prayer.  I had forgotten how His grace has surrounded me and brought me to a new level of joy in living.  Many of the goals and dreams I have seen fulfilled in life began as entries in a journal. If you write it down, chances are good it will become reality.

4. You will see the hand of God moving in your life. Answered prayer, divine intervention, lessons learned through pain all snap into focus when you take the time to keep a record of life.

If you say, “I don’t know where to start. I don’t know how to do this,”  My advice to you is this: Grab a pencil and a notebook.  Sit down and begin, “Dear diarrhea,” then just keep writing.   If it works for a four year old, it can work for you.

Please comment: I would love to hear about  your progress and the benefits you have found from keeping a journal.

The motivating shot. Move Grandpa, so we can see the ocean!

For me it was a glimpse from behind that changed my life. Seeing this flattering picture started me on a two year journey that became a physical, spiritual and emotional adventure that I will never regret.

After many gains and losses, I have finally lost almost 50 lbs, I have maintained that loss and I have found a renewed excitement about every aspect of living. The discipline and resulting vibrance I found in my physical life, also helped me take a close look at my spiritual life. I had become lazy there as well. Thank heaven there are no pictures of that!

Benjamin Franklin said, “Most people die at about 25 and aren’t buried until they are 75.” This last year I feel like my life has been rewound 25 years…

How many chins is that and are your eyes supposed to disappear when you smile?

Instead of 230+ lbs, I am 185 lbs and only 15 lbs away from my fightin weight. I’m off of cholesterol medications, I have great blood pressure and I have been free from depression medication for two years. Instead of looking at retirement I’m getting retreads. I’m ready for another 100,000 miles. Since I bike and run about 50 miles a week, that 100,000 miles will only take me 38 more years. So these tires should last till I’m 100!

I wish I could wave a magic wand so every one of my friends could experience what I have discovered this last year. Since I can’t, please let me pass on just a couple of suggestions that have rocked my world.

Just after receiving the nobelly peace prize.

Set a goal that you cannot reach without changing your life.

For me this was signing up for a mini triathlon that would require swimming 200 meters, biking 9.5 miles and running two miles. My idea of a triathlon was to run to the bathroom, get in the tub, pull the plug, fight the current, pump up my bike tire and then go back to bed. BUT working toward the goal changed me forever. I finished the triathlon and beat all but two of the men in my age group and many men much younger than me. Now I can tie my shoes without breathing hard, if I can just remember where they are.

Don’t be the same this year as last year. Set your goal and go for it.

A new grandpa who may be around for awhile.

Get some friends who care about you to take the journey with you.

God did not mean for us to live life alone and He certainly didn’t expect us to fight battles alone. I have enlisted some friends who want to live disciplined lives and be everything God created them to be. They range in age from 9 to 65 and we inspire one another. We call our selves GAG. “Geeks Achievers and Geezers”

Find at least one friend who wants to step out of the rut and live life with you. Press toward the goal you set together.

Ask God to do the greatest miracle in life.

Ask Him to give you the power to change, not just physically but in every area of life. A changed life is God’s greatest miracle. That will mean you experience blood, sweat and tears, but those are the signs you are alive. I was born in 1946. I was born again in 1956. For the last several years I have been lying in state. In 2010, I am living “Fully Alive.” Let’s do it together.

Download my free message “Fully Alive” here. I look forward to hearing about your journey in the comments below.

This morning I was privileged to be part of a conference call with Wess Stafford president of Compassion International, an organization we work with that has been in Haiti for 40 years.  I wept as I heard the stories of incredible loss and hope.  I was amazed at the stories of what the local church was doing in places where super powers were stymied.  None of this is meant to diminish the importance of the outpouring of support from around the world, only to say that what is happening in Haiti is evidence of how the church is suppose to work. It is a shining light of love in action and the world is watching.  Here is a link to the conference call I was part of.  Please take the time to listen. This will brighten your heart and ignite your hope.

You will hear evidence that the church being the church is making a powerful quiet difference in an unthinable situation. Where Governments are brought to their knees in confusion and hopelessness, the church is brought to it’s knees in hope.

When the news media and outside organizations lose interest, Compassion International and the local believers in Haiti will still be there. Compassion has been there for 40 years changing lives, building credibility and growing relationships. They are going to stay until the job is done. And the church will be there beyond that.

If you have wondered where you might find a trusted organization to send your gifts of help. A place where your gifts can most quickly reach the people you need it, look no further.  Listen to the conference call then go here and click on Haiti earthquake to contribute.

I am meeting with Compassion leaders next week to determine how I can help those suffering in Haiti.  I hope you will join us by sending your gift to Compassion International today. Thank you!