Welcome to REAL Men RoCK

This blog is about the issues men face and things I have experienced.

I hope you will be encouraged, challenged, and stirred to take action.

Proverbs 27:17 (The Message)

17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another

REAL Men RoCK

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ighteous   E ncouraging   A ccountable   L oving 

Men 

R
ely on    C hrist's   K indness

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Truth leads to Real Change

There are thousands of books on Personal Growth or on Becoming Successful. I have found the following books helpful as I moved forward in my personal growth. I will share one thing from each book that I found helpful and then share with you what I believe is the ultimate ingredient to becoming successful in our personal growth.

Failing Forward by John Maxwell
Life is Tremendous by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones
Soar with Your Strengths by Donald O. Clifton & Paula Nelson
Character Counts by Rod Handley

Failing Forward chapter 9 "Get Over Yourself -- Everyone Else Has"
People who desire to fail forward must turn their attention away from themselves and toward helping others. You could call that process getting over yourself.

After reading this chapter I began to keep my eyes open to people in need and make the effort to do what I could to help. When I did this I began to move beyond my hang-ups and I experienced personal growth each time I reached out to help another.

Life is Tremendous chapter 3 "Three Decisions in Life"
The three great decisions are: 1) Who are you going to live your life with? 2) What are you going to live your life in? 3) What are you going to live your life for?

Soar with Your Strengths chapter 6 "Strengths Develop Only in Relation to Another Human Being"
Relationship is the process of investing in another person by doing things for that person's own good without consideration of self-reward. Ultimately, it is the sum of our responses to another human being.

Character Counts chapter 1 "A Call to Accountability"
I became interested in accountability because of two primary reasons. The first one was personal. Though I had an impressive address and phone book listing and could mix fairly well in most social situations, I found myself longing to have someone who knew me for who I really was, and would be willing to listen, advise and challenge me to live in an upright godly manner.

The second reason I became interested in accountability was the pattern of failures which I observed in the lives of many Christians whom I admired and followed closely.

Each of these books woke me to things in my life that were needing correction but these books are not worth anything unless I take the action to do the hard work called CHANGE. The greatest book I have found on change is the Bible.

In the pages of the Bible I find men and women who were faulty and yet the Creator used them to make great changes in others. I find men, like David, who sinned, woke up, repented and God used them for great things. I find cowards like, Jonah, who ran from their responsibility and once God woke them up they carried out their mission with success.

In reality I find myself often looking for answers by reading books written by men when I could find real lasting solutions to the same problems in the book that really counts, The Bible.

For example: Luke 10: 30-37 Jesus gives us the Parable of the Good Samaritan were a man gets mugged and a priest and a leader came upon him and went around him instead of helping. Then a reject of society came along and stopped to give him care. Jesus then encourages us to go and do the same.

A Samaritan was looked down on in the society Jesus lived in and Jesus showed how this reject looked beyond his status in society and to the needs of another.

Another example is found in James 5: 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

By becoming accountable to another person we can begin to move pass our sins and toward our dreams.

God's Word, the Bible, is full of truths about change and how God wants to help you grow. It is the only book to read that really counts. I have to admit that I often do not go to the Bible first for the help I need but I do end up there.

I encourage you to open the pages of the Bible and look for the answers to your problems, your hang-ups and your sin. God is waiting to give you the help you need, at the time you need it but you have to seek it first and it is found in His Word.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Pastor Lars - thanks for visiting my blog! What you're doing here is great. The men of our society need help! I'll be coming back to read more. God bless in your ministry and happy blogging.