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Day 1618 – A Flock of Egos – Daily Wisdom

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Welcome to Day 1618 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.

A Flock of Egos – Daily Wisdom

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps. Thanks for coming along on our trek to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, and sound judgment than silver!  Today is Day 1618 of our Trek, and it’s time for another nugget of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become more healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget of wisdom:

Today’s quote is from Walter F. Light, and it is:  ‎Leadership is getting a flock of egos to fly in formation.

A Flock of Egos

You have probably heard it said that when trying to organize people that it is like herding cats. If you have ever tried to herd cats, you know that it is virtually impossible to do so. So it is with leadership, especially when you are a leader of leaders. It is the art and science of getting the massive egos of leaders to all head in the same general direction. Managing leaders is not an easy task to accomplish, but it is possible if the overall vision and mission are strong enough. Since you are dealing with competing egos in this situation, there has to be enough commonality in the mission to satisfy the team’s combined ego. It is somewhat similar to a flock of geese where there is a defined order within the group, all moving in the same direction, but allowing the lead person to switch out as needed to create the best possible forward motion to a destination.  Yes, there will be a lot of honking and noise within the flock, but as long as each member can be part of the overall objective, it is possible to have successful leadership. It has to be clear that division within the group is not beneficial.  So it is with the building of God’s kingdom on earth, we must be unified and have a clear focus on what is most important.

Mark 3:23-27

Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration. “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked. “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand? He would never survive. Let me illustrate this further. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

As you ponder this nugget of daily wisdom yourself, I would ask you to please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1617 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com.  I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for more daily wisdom!

Day 1617 – Need for Status – Daily Wisdom

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Welcome to Day 1617 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Need for Status – Daily Wisdom

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps. Thanks for coming along on our trek to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, and sound judgment than silver!  Today is Day 1617 of our Trek, and it’s time for another nugget of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become more healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from   Calvin Miller, and it is:  Careers, even religious careers, may become little more than forums for our own advancement. But how are we to deal with such ambition? Our longing after Christ must exceed our need for status in the world.

Need for Status

All of us crave to be accepted by others. Most of us yearn to have a level of status among our work associates, peers, friends, and family. It appears to be a burning need in our lives. I acknowledge that I struggle with the need for status, and it probably applies to you also. No career or leadership position is exempt, even pastors, priests, missionaries, and lay leaders within the church. For all of us who are Christ-followers, how do we reconcile this need for status with our desire to image God, as the perfect imager Jesus Christ did? In the New Testament Scripture, we certainly see that Jesus’s closest companions and disciples struggled with the need for status. Think about the epic struggles and posturing between the ‘inner circle’ of the disciples, Peter, James, and John. Think about the 12 sons of Jacob in the Old Testament who were constantly in a struggle for status to the point where they were willing to sell their brother Joseph into slavery. We are not immune to the same battle.  As with any area of life, the first step to overcome our intense need for status is to acknowledge that it is an issue and that we desire to become less controlled by it. As Christ-followers and fellow imagers of God, our desire to fulfill those roles must be stronger than our need for status in the world. It may not be easy, but it is possible. If we desire to serve effectively in God’s kingdom on earth, we need to be willing to serve humbly.

Mark 9:33-37

After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” 

Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”

As you ponder another bit of wisdom from Gramps, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1616 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

Thank you so much 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.

As we take this Trek together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you Tomorrow for more daily wisdom!

Day 1616 – Enable and Empower People – Daily Wisdom

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Welcome to Day 1616 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Enable and Empower People – Daily Wisdom

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps. Thanks for coming along on our trek to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, and sound judgment than silver!  Today is Day 1616 of our Trek, and it’s time for another nugget of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become more healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from   Tom Ridge, and it is:  As a leader, you have to enable and empower people to make decisions independent of you. As I’ve learned, each person on a team is an extension of your leadership; if they feel empowered by you, they will magnify your power to lead.     

Enable And Empower People

No matter what position at work or station in life you hold, you are a leader of people. It may be a small group, such as your children, or you may be an influencer and leader of millions. The fact remains, to effectively lead, you need to enable and empower those you lead to make decisions independent of you. Each person you lead is an extension of your leadership abilities. Let’s break this down to your family. If you have children or influence children in any manner, you want them to grow into adulthood with the ability to think and decide for themselves. If you do not, they will continually fail when they face the difficult decisions that are required of adults. They may not always make choices and decisions in the same manner that you would, but they should be able to make decisions independently, rather than being dependent on you. The same applies to everyone that you lead. Your objective is not to keep them subservient to you, but to allow them to flourish and grow. To become indiependent. To even excel in areas that are far beyond your capabilities. Leadership is not always easy because those you lead will need to develop through the painful learning that comes with any worthwhile endeavor. The results will be worth the effort. A student that exceeds the teacher is the most excellent result of achievement. That should be our goal of everyone that we lead. That is the formula for advancement for individuals and all of humankind.

Ecclesiastes 12:9-11

Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep.

As you ponder this nugget of wisdom for yourself, please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1615 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day’s trek will be downloaded automatically.

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

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for daily wisdom.

Day 1615 – Bible Study – The NET Bible and Commentaries – Meditation Monday

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Welcome to Day 1615 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom 

Bible Study – The NET Bible and Commentaries – Meditation Monday

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps; thanks for coming along on our journey to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy Today is Day 1615 of our Trek, and it is time for Meditation Monday. Taking time to relax, refocus, and reprioritize our lives is crucial in order to create a living legacy. For you, it may just be time alone for quiet reflection. You may utilize structured meditation practices. In my life, Meditation includes reading and reflecting on God’s Word and in prayer. It is a time to renew my mind, refocus on what is most important, and making sure that I am nurturing my soul, mind, and body. As you come along with me on our trek each Meditation Monday, it is my hope and prayer that you, too, will experience a time for reflection and renewing of your mind.

 We are continuing our series this week on Meditation Monday as we focus on Mastering Bible Study through a series of brief insights from Hebrew Scholar, Dr. Michael S. Heiser. Our current insights are focusing on practical tools for Bible study. Today let us meditate on:

Bible Study – The NET Bible and Commentaries

·      Insight Seventy-Five: Use the NET Bible

Are you the kind of person who likes to use things until they can no longer be fixed? Some people don’t want to upgrade until whatever their use passes the point of being inconvenient but workable to be useless, even dangerous. Admit it: we all have something that’s “good enough for what we need to do.” In those cases, if we are honest, we also have to admit that when we do upgrade, we wonder why we waited so long.

That’s how it will be when you start using the (New English Translation) NET Bible.

What’s the NET Bible? Close your eyes and think about the study Bible you’re using. Can you see the tiny footnotes scattered through your translation here and there? They direct your attention to a few words at the bottom of the page, maybe suggesting another translation or something about a manuscript. There aren’t that many, but they’re helpful. Have you got that fixed in your mind? Now give your study Bible a performance-enhancing drug, maybe a growth hormone. The NET Bible is what all other study Bibles want to be when they grow up.

I’m not kidding. The NET Bible is freely available online at netbible.org and is a translation created by dozens of scholars experienced in Bible translation. It has over 60,000 notes, most of which explain precisely why the translators did what they did or how a different manuscript reading might affect translation. The preface to the NET Bible explains why it’s distinctive:

The translator’s notes make the original languages far more accessible, allowing you to look over the translator’s shoulder at the very process of translation. This documentation level is a first for a Bible translation, making transparent the textual basis and the rationale for key renderings (including major interpretive options and alternative translations).

There’s no other tool that comes close to it for English readers who don’t know Greek and Hebrew. If you are growing in your Bible study skills, at some point, you need to breach the English translation. The NET Bible has an unparalleled focus on the biblical text and the decisions the English translators made.

·      Insight Seventy-Six: Acquire a Clear, Succinct Theological Dictionary

Of the many tools for Bible study available today, commentaries are among the most familiar. A commentary might be a tool you associate with your pastor, but every serious Bible student should use them. But all commentaries are not the same.

There are basically three different kinds of commentaries: devotional, expositional, and scholarly. They have widely different aims. Here is a sampling of their attributes.

Devotional:

  • English-only focus
  • Surface-level observations that often repeat the English translation
  • Usually not verse-by-verse
  • Comments aimed at practical application
  • Gives the reader an interpretation
  • No analysis of other views
  • Moderate cross-referencing
  • May include advice for preaching or teaching

Expositional:

  • Focus on the English text, but comments on the original languages
  • Usually verse-by-verse
  • Some attempt to take the reader through interpretive options
  • Offers nontechnical background material
  • Occasional discussion of variant manuscript readings
  • Occasional discussion of literary features (e.g., parallelism, genre)

Scholarly:

  • The writer includes his or her own translation
  • Verse-by-verse, word-by-word
  • Detailed discussion of original languages, parallel ancient literature, literary features, and manuscript variations
  • Concerted effort at informing the reader of all interpretive options

The more you develop Bible study skills, including either learning some Hebrew and Greek or mastering original language tools, you’ll be able to make use of all different types of commentaries.

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.

That is a wrap for today’s Meditation. Next week we will continue our trek on Meditation Monday as we take time to reflect on what is most important in creating our living legacy. Thank you for joining me on this trek called life. Encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along tomorrow for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

If you would like to listen to any of the past 1614 daily treks or read the daily Journal, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, I am your friend as I serve you through this Wisdom-Trek podcast and Journal.

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you tomorrow for more daily wisdom!

Day 1614 – Change Begins With Caring – Daily Wisdom

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Welcome to Day 1614 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Change Begins With Caring – Daily Wisdom

Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! Wisdom is the final frontier in gaining true knowledge. Our mission is to create a legacy of wisdom, seek out discernment and insights, and boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before. Hello, my friend; this is Gramps. Thanks for coming along on our trek to increase Wisdom and Create a Living Legacy. Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold, and sound judgment than silver!  Today is Day 1614 of our Trek, and it’s time for another nugget of wisdom, which includes an inspirational quote along with some wise words from Gramps for today’s trek. If you apply the words you hear today, over time, it will help you become more healthy, wealthy, and wise as you continue your daily trek of life. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget:

Today’s quote is from Margaret J. Wheatley, and it is:  ​ All change, even very large and powerful change, begins when a few people start talking with one another about something they care about.    

Change Begins With Caring

To start a change in your personal life and the world you impact, you must care enough to follow through with the change. Even massive changes in the world begin when just a few individuals get together and share what they care about. Through this tiny seed of care, passion, and faith, significant changes have their nucleus. It does not require a lot of resources, time, or effort to begin that change process in your life and the world you impact, just a tiny spark of desire to make the change.  Just like a tiny spark can set an entire forest on fire, or the smallest flame to shine in the darkness, so it is with making changes in our world. It is the consistent small steps over time that will allow nations to rise or fall. It is the consistent small steps over time that enable great success, or failure.  It is also the small, consistent steps over time that will build God’s kingdom on earth. Over the past 2,000 years, from a handful of loyal disciples, the church of Christ has grown into a body of untold millions. This growth will continue until the day when Jesus Christ will return to establish the new Eden where heaven and earth combine. That is the change that we are seeking, and it only requires that you have the faith of a mustard seed that grows into a mighty tree. It only requires that you have the faith of a small measure of yeast to impact the whole batch of dough.

Matthew 13:33

Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

Luke 13:18-19

Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it?  It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”

As you ponder this nugget of wisdom for yourself, I would ask you to please encourage your friends and family to join us and then come along on Monday for another day of ‘Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.’

If you would like to listen to any of our past 1613 treks or read the Wisdom Journal, they are all available at Wisdom-Trek.com.  I encourage you to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek on your favorite podcast player so that each day will be downloaded to you automatically.

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

As we take this Trek of life together, let us always:

  1. Live Abundantly (Fully)
  2. Love Unconditionally
  3. Listen Intentionally
  4. Learn Continuously
  5. Lend to others Generously
  6. Lead with Integrity
  7. Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

I am Guthrie Chamberlain….reminding you to ’Keep Moving Forward,’ ‘Enjoy your Journey,’ and ‘Create a Great Day…Everyday’! See you on Monday for more daily wisdom!