For the last few decades we have heard and witnessed an out and out attack on our founding fathers who birthed this nation. Our children have been taught every wart and blemish that can be found on them, yet are not taught of their greatness. One of those misleading teachings has been how our founders were not Christians, and were either Deists or maybe even Atheists. Nothing could be further from the truth. This started mostly in the late 50s and early 60s. Many old books were re-edited to eliminate all references to the faith of our forefathers, for instance one of the key history writings that historians all study Alexis De Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" was over 780 pages long from when it was first written during the presidency of Andrew Jackson until 1956 when from then on it is only 275 pages with all references of faith and it's importance in American society and in it's founding were removed. Let's look at some facts together.
Of the 55 men who signed the Declaration of Independence 52 were members of orthodox Christian Churches and many were evangelical.
A story about George Washington that used to be in all of our history books until about 40 years or so ago was when he was a young colonel fighting with the militia during the French and Indian war. He was with a British brigade that was bushwhacked with a "new way" of battle where the French and Indians hid instead of lining up to fight. His army was destroyed. He was the only officer of the 86 who wasn't shot. After the battle he wrote a letter to his brother that said; "by the all powerful desperations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability, or expectation for I had four bullet holes through my coat and two horses shot from beneath me."
Twenty years later he went back to visit that battlefield with a friend, James Craig. While there an Indian Chief who had fought in that battle asked to meet him. He told Washington that he had at the onset told his warriors to kill all the officers first, and that he himself had fired 17 times at Washington. He said that he came to realize that Washington was being protected by God and order his men to no longer shoot at him. "I have traveled a long and weary path that I might see the young warrior of that great battle, I have come to pay homage to the young man who is the particular favorite of Heaven, and who can never die in battle."
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly, or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Patrick Henry
"Why it that next to the birth day of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns to the day? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation indivisibly linked with the birth day of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the gospel dispensation? Is it not the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity."
(this continues for 60 pages)
John Quincy Adams: July 4th 1837
"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it's the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
John Jay, first Supreme Court Justice, and co-author of Constitution.
Where did the Founders get their ideas of government that produced the longest lasting Constitutional government now at 220 years? Consider that at near the same time Italy and France changed their governments, France has had 7 total different governments since then and Italy has had 51.
The University of Houston did a study to find out. They believed that if they could read all the quotes being written during their time and compare them with quotes referenced by the Founders that they could get an idea of how the Founders thought. They studied 15,000 writings from their era, it took 10 years to complete this exhaustive study. They isolated 3,154 direct quotes and were able to identify them to their sources.
Here is what they found:
Most Quoted:
1. Baron Charles de Montesquieu 8.9%
2. Sir William Blackstone 7.9%
3. John Locke 2.9%
The Bible directly 34%
Sir William Blackstone was the top source for legal thought, his book Blackstone's Commentary on Law published in 1768 was the legal text book used in American Law Schools for 160 years. What was in this book?
How about this story, Charles Finney went to law school, and through his reading and study of the law through Blackstone's book he learned so much about the Bible, through the non-stop scripture used to validate the case of each legal discussion that Finney became a Christian and became one of the most prominent evangelists of his time.
When they crossed referenced the quotes they learned that a full 94% of every quote by the Founders came either directly or indirectly from the Bible.
3 Branches of Government comes from Isaiah 33:22
Separation of Powers from Jeremiah 17:9
Tax Exempt of Church Ezra 7:24
Often Congressmen would come to the floor of Congress and read something that they felt enlightened by in the Bible. They would then discuss and debate it and would put it into the law.
Congressional Record from Sept.25th 1789 showed that a discussion of II Chronicles 6 led to the declaration of the 1st Thanksgiving holiday.
The left's obsession with the First Amendment creating a wall between Church and State is a fallacy that at least needs to be looked at from a historic respect.
1st Amendment
"Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibit the free exercise there of."
It never says anything about separation of church and state.
Here are the facts. Shown by Supreme Court cases following the 1st Amendment, and the Justices reasoning.
People v Ruggles 1811
"whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends to manifest by to the dissolution of civil government."
This was a case where two decades after the 1st Amendment a man was handing out pamphlets attacking Christianity, he was convicted and charged with attacking the Federal Government by attacking Christianity.
U.S. Congressional records from June 7th through Sept. 25th,1789 as they debated the Constitution what the clear intent of the 1st Amendment.
That was to not have any one denomination running the nation.
1799 Runkel v Winemiller
"By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christianity are placed on the same equal footing."
Just where did the "separation of church and state" begin? How did it become part of our national vernacular?
In 1801 the Danbury Baptist Association of Danbury Connecticut heard a rumor that the Congregational Denomination was about to be make the National Denomination and it worried them greatly. It was only a rumor, but they wrote to brand new President, Thomas Jefferson. He wrote them back on January 1st 1802 and said:
"The First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between Church and State. They need not fear a National Denomination."
We never hear Jefferson's words in context or intent anymore.
In 1853 a group using Jefferson's letter tried to spin it to petition Congress to remove all things Christian from government. It was referred to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees who researched this claim for nearly a year the final decision was:
House Judiciary Committee Report
March 27th, 1854
"Had the people (Founding Fathers), during the Revolution, a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity that Revolution would have been strangled in the cradle...at the time of the adoption of the Constitution and it's Amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, but not any one sect (denomination) In this age, there is no substitute for Christianity. That was the religion of the Founders, of the Republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their decedents."
Two months later they released another committee report:
"The great vital and conservative element in our system, the thing that holds our system together is the belief of our people in the pure doctrine and the divine truth of the Gospels of Jesus Christ."
For the next 15 years the Supreme Court used Jefferson's letter as proof that it only meant "Not establishing one denomination."
From this date on the Court continued to requote themselves on this, to the point when we were warned from the bench from a dissenting Justice.
This constant refrain of Separation of Church and State has caused us to add it to our National vernacular.
Consider the warning of Dr. William James;
"There is nothing so absurd but that you repeat it often enough people will believe it true."
June 25th 1962 Engel v Vitale
Stuck down School Prayer
World Book Encyclopedia even commented in their 1963 books that this set new precedents never before seen in American History.
This changed the definition of Church that up until 1962 had always meant a denomination, after that Court they defined it to mean "any religious activity performed in public."
This was a brand new doctrine, it had never been seen before that in history. It was unusual in many ways.
Remember that 1892 case that cited 87 Precedents? the case in 1962 was the very first case in Supreme Court history to use 0 precedents, 0 legal cases, and 0 historic incidents. They simply made an announcement.
They outlawed school prayer even though 94% of all the quotes of the Founding Fathers used during the deliberations in writing our Constitution were from the Bible.
In Abinston v Schempp and Murray v Curlett June 17th 1963 they reaffirmed the ban on school prayer with this wording.
"If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could be and had been psychologically harmful to the child."
The insanity continued:
Reed v Vanhoven 1965
"allowed prayer over lunch in school as long as no one could tell it was a prayer."
Dekalb b DeSpain 1967
The court declared a nursery rhyme unconstitutional. The reason:
"although the word God was not mentioned, if someone were to hear the rhyme he might think it was talking about God."
Stone v Graham 1980
Removal of the 10 Commandments from Schools.
"If the posted copies of the 10 Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the school children to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey the commandments, which is not a permissible objective."
Now let's hear from the chief architect of the Constitution.
"We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the 10 Commandments of God."
James Madison
And now our kids aren't supposed to read them?
By the way, the prayer that led to the Supreme Court decision to ban all school prayers is a 22 word prayer.
"Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependency upon Thee and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our country.
Kind of a prayer light, it has been said it was more or less a "to whom it may concern" prayer. It only mentions God one time, the same as the Pledge of Allegiance and one fourth of the times God is mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.
George Washington's Farewell address he spoke to each of his warnings:
"Let you with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education or minds reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle." " Let it simply be asked, 'Where is the security for life, for reputation, and for property, if the sense of religious obligation deserts?"
Thomas Jefferson said:
"The precepts of philosophy laid hold of actions, only but Jesus pushed his scrutinies into the heart of man, erected his tribunal in the region of his thoughts, and purified the water at the fountainhead."
In other words, only religion can stop a crime before it happens.
John Adams:
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
When the 13 Colonies became 13 States they needed to set up new state governments. Below you will see a very common thread that ran through most of their new State Constitutions.
Delaware Constitution 1776
"Every person appointed to the public office shall say 'I do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost. One God, blessed for evermore. And I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
An acknowledgement of Christian belief was a requirement for holding public office during the years of the Founding Fathers.
Pennsylvania and Vermont Constitutions
"And each member of the legislator, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration. I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the universe, the Rewarder of the good and punisher of the wicked."
Since they believed that men would be rewarded or punished for their sins after death, but no nation could be, they believe that the nation would be rewarded or punished for the decisions of the leaders in the moment.
The Constitutional Convention 1787
George Mason: The father of the Bill of Rights explains:
"As Nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, so they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of cases and effects, Providence punishes national sins by national calamities."
This is why they felt it critical that we only elect Christian leaders who would themselves be accountable to God.
Benjamin Franklin:
"We needed God to be our friend and our ally. We need to keep God's concurring aid. If a sparrow can not fall to the ground without his notice, is it possible an empire can rise without his aid? We've been assured in the sacred writing that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
Thomas Jefferson: "And can liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basic, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."
Benjamin Franklin, 1774 while Ambassador to France
"He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world."
This was his advice to the French government.
So please, don't try to say that the Founding Fathers didn't want God in our Nation, in our Government, and in our hearts.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
A Lesson I Will Never Forget.
For me in my life it seems that when God gets my attention it is rarely a small quiet voice, but a two by four upside my head. Maybe I need to be quiet more and listen before he raises the stakes, does anyone else relate? One of the key moments in my life where I learned that God was in charge, not me, truly changed my life forever. This event happened in 1980, but when I tell it, or even think about it, it is a clear as it was then. I told this story today to a friend, so thought I would tell it to those who read it tonight. Maybe there is a lesson that will allow someone else to hear a small quiet voice instead of that two by four.
I was scheduled to speak at a business convention in Tulsa. It was being held at the Maybee Center the basketball stadium for Oral Roberts University that holds, with the floor set up as theater seating, about 16,000. I was twenty two years old, full of juice, and a fairly new born again Christian for just over a year, and had an ego that was quite excited about speaking to 16,000 people. There was one thing that I really wanted, I wanted a standing ovation. I knew my crowd, I knew what their hot buttons were, so as I was writing my speech I kept trying to think of that big close for my ovation. The night before the convention it hit me, the perfect closing statement, it was a can't miss, I was so excited I couldn't wait to be under that spotlight.
My time came, and the speech was going very well, it was then time to close. As I was closing I stopped took a breath, looked at the crowd and started my closing statement. Stealing a line from a popular book, at the time, and bending it to my purpose I said, "In this flight of my life, I just want you to know that God is not my co-pilot." At that I just stopped and looked around the stadium, you could feel the silence, it was as if all the air was sucked out of the room. You could almost hear them thinking "I liked this kid a minute ago, but what a jerk." Then I finished with "He is the pilot." Then that ovation seemed to explode and fill the room. However, what I expected to be a huge ego boost was actually the single most humbling moment of my entire life. It is hard to explain what happened to me next, I have never felt fear in front of a crowd until just that moment. If I had to say anything I couldn't have, I put the microphone down, and did all I could to stay upright. My body felt like it was coming apart at the seams, my legs were rubbery, the muscles on both sides of my spine were contracting so tight I was afraid I was going to fall flat on my back. I felt myself start to shake all over, all I wanted to do was get off stage. There was no doubt in my mind, heart, or soul who that ovation was for, and it wasn't me. I knew where my "inspiration" for that line came from, and that I was simply a convenient body to speak through. I walked toward the side of the stage to get down those stairs and behind the curtain backstage, it felt like it kept getting further and further away.
As I came down the steps backstage one of my heroes and mentors embraced me coming off stage and congratulated me, he said "You have the magic, look at what you did!" I looked Bob in the eyes and in deep earnest told him, "It wasn't me." I took a couple steps away and was embraced by another hero and mentor ,Don, who said virtually the same thing, I answered the same way, but added "That pause really worked didn't it?" Just a few more steps and was embraced by another mentor who said nearly the same thing, this time I high fived him and said "Yeah!!!" At that moment I thought of the cock crowing three times, and felt totally ashamed that after the single most spiritually moment in my life to that date it only took five minutes to lose it and to embrace my ego over Christ once again. There was a change in me from that moment on, I realized how weak that I was, and how vulnerable I was and how I needed to mature as a man, and as a Christian if I should be trusted in a leadership role. It was at that moment that I understood what happened to Jimmy Swaggert, and Jim Baker. A friend of mine who is a full time evangelist knows both men and has the highest regard for both, that both love God with all their hearts and started out completely on track, but fell short. As we all do. How tough it has to be for men like that who are constantly surrounded by those who feed them how great they are, what a dangerous way to live. That makes my respect for those like Billy Graham all the more profound. We are all sinners, some are just saved by Grace, and are called Christians.
Once again reliving this moment, brings back the goosebumps once again. Ever since I have always asked God to use me how he will for His Glory. I will have to fight my own ego until the day I die, but have been so blessed that I can never pay back what has been given.
I was scheduled to speak at a business convention in Tulsa. It was being held at the Maybee Center the basketball stadium for Oral Roberts University that holds, with the floor set up as theater seating, about 16,000. I was twenty two years old, full of juice, and a fairly new born again Christian for just over a year, and had an ego that was quite excited about speaking to 16,000 people. There was one thing that I really wanted, I wanted a standing ovation. I knew my crowd, I knew what their hot buttons were, so as I was writing my speech I kept trying to think of that big close for my ovation. The night before the convention it hit me, the perfect closing statement, it was a can't miss, I was so excited I couldn't wait to be under that spotlight.
My time came, and the speech was going very well, it was then time to close. As I was closing I stopped took a breath, looked at the crowd and started my closing statement. Stealing a line from a popular book, at the time, and bending it to my purpose I said, "In this flight of my life, I just want you to know that God is not my co-pilot." At that I just stopped and looked around the stadium, you could feel the silence, it was as if all the air was sucked out of the room. You could almost hear them thinking "I liked this kid a minute ago, but what a jerk." Then I finished with "He is the pilot." Then that ovation seemed to explode and fill the room. However, what I expected to be a huge ego boost was actually the single most humbling moment of my entire life. It is hard to explain what happened to me next, I have never felt fear in front of a crowd until just that moment. If I had to say anything I couldn't have, I put the microphone down, and did all I could to stay upright. My body felt like it was coming apart at the seams, my legs were rubbery, the muscles on both sides of my spine were contracting so tight I was afraid I was going to fall flat on my back. I felt myself start to shake all over, all I wanted to do was get off stage. There was no doubt in my mind, heart, or soul who that ovation was for, and it wasn't me. I knew where my "inspiration" for that line came from, and that I was simply a convenient body to speak through. I walked toward the side of the stage to get down those stairs and behind the curtain backstage, it felt like it kept getting further and further away.
As I came down the steps backstage one of my heroes and mentors embraced me coming off stage and congratulated me, he said "You have the magic, look at what you did!" I looked Bob in the eyes and in deep earnest told him, "It wasn't me." I took a couple steps away and was embraced by another hero and mentor ,Don, who said virtually the same thing, I answered the same way, but added "That pause really worked didn't it?" Just a few more steps and was embraced by another mentor who said nearly the same thing, this time I high fived him and said "Yeah!!!" At that moment I thought of the cock crowing three times, and felt totally ashamed that after the single most spiritually moment in my life to that date it only took five minutes to lose it and to embrace my ego over Christ once again. There was a change in me from that moment on, I realized how weak that I was, and how vulnerable I was and how I needed to mature as a man, and as a Christian if I should be trusted in a leadership role. It was at that moment that I understood what happened to Jimmy Swaggert, and Jim Baker. A friend of mine who is a full time evangelist knows both men and has the highest regard for both, that both love God with all their hearts and started out completely on track, but fell short. As we all do. How tough it has to be for men like that who are constantly surrounded by those who feed them how great they are, what a dangerous way to live. That makes my respect for those like Billy Graham all the more profound. We are all sinners, some are just saved by Grace, and are called Christians.
Once again reliving this moment, brings back the goosebumps once again. Ever since I have always asked God to use me how he will for His Glory. I will have to fight my own ego until the day I die, but have been so blessed that I can never pay back what has been given.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Never Get Weary In Well Doing
America is at a crossroads like never before. In the next 31 to 77 days we as a nation will learn if we are going to be a nation of free men and women living in liberty as our founders created for us, or if we are going to trade freedom for so called security and "free" health care. This summer we have seen a groundswell of Americans standing up against the march toward Marxism under Obama and the democrats, and for that matter by too many republicans before them. However, it seems clear that Americans have awoken and are saying enough is enough.
Something that surely the democrats and Obama are counting on is that those same Americans who are mostly political rookies as activists will grow tired, and take their eyes off the ball during this last session of Congress this year. We must not allow that to happen, we are almost there. If you look at the Congressional calender you will see that the targeted date for adjourning Congress is October 30th this year. That is only 31 days from today, only 25 working days for the Congress and Senate to pass Government Health Care, Cap and Trade, Card Check, and Rockefeller's bill to strip of our right to free speech by allowing the White House to shut down our access to the Internet at will. That means we have to keep up the fight, and even push harder, for 31 more days. We need to reach out to others in our sphere of influence, friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, and strangers to alert them to what is going on, and what we can do about it.
We must also keep in mind that they may extend the adjournment deadline back. They can move it to the end of November, which means that it would be 62 days, or 43 working days. It could even go as late as December 15th making it 77 days or 54 working days, but I don't believe that it will go later than that. Those in D.C. are not known for their work ethic to stay too later into their breaks, the later it goes the less who will still be there to vote.
If we can hold them off on these bills through this 31-77 days, it will be over. The next session these bills would have to start all over. There is no way that any of these can pass in 2010 during an election year. No blue dog would vote for any of these next year, none who won in a district that McCain won in 2008 would vote for any of these next year. Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the democrats know that their best chance to socialize America is this next 31-77 days, you can count on them pushing as hard as they can. This has been their dream for decades. However, the American Dream has been held for much longer, and in this next 31 to 77 days We The People can turn back this assault and preserve The American Dream, Freedom, and Liberty for not only ourselves, but our children and grandchildren.
Patriots, don't get weary in well doing, now is not the time to rest, but to fight as hard as we can. Only 31 to 77 days to go! We Can Do It, We Must Do It, We Will Do It!!!
Something that surely the democrats and Obama are counting on is that those same Americans who are mostly political rookies as activists will grow tired, and take their eyes off the ball during this last session of Congress this year. We must not allow that to happen, we are almost there. If you look at the Congressional calender you will see that the targeted date for adjourning Congress is October 30th this year. That is only 31 days from today, only 25 working days for the Congress and Senate to pass Government Health Care, Cap and Trade, Card Check, and Rockefeller's bill to strip of our right to free speech by allowing the White House to shut down our access to the Internet at will. That means we have to keep up the fight, and even push harder, for 31 more days. We need to reach out to others in our sphere of influence, friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, and strangers to alert them to what is going on, and what we can do about it.
We must also keep in mind that they may extend the adjournment deadline back. They can move it to the end of November, which means that it would be 62 days, or 43 working days. It could even go as late as December 15th making it 77 days or 54 working days, but I don't believe that it will go later than that. Those in D.C. are not known for their work ethic to stay too later into their breaks, the later it goes the less who will still be there to vote.
If we can hold them off on these bills through this 31-77 days, it will be over. The next session these bills would have to start all over. There is no way that any of these can pass in 2010 during an election year. No blue dog would vote for any of these next year, none who won in a district that McCain won in 2008 would vote for any of these next year. Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the democrats know that their best chance to socialize America is this next 31-77 days, you can count on them pushing as hard as they can. This has been their dream for decades. However, the American Dream has been held for much longer, and in this next 31 to 77 days We The People can turn back this assault and preserve The American Dream, Freedom, and Liberty for not only ourselves, but our children and grandchildren.
Patriots, don't get weary in well doing, now is not the time to rest, but to fight as hard as we can. Only 31 to 77 days to go! We Can Do It, We Must Do It, We Will Do It!!!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
David and Goliath
Many of us grew up listening to Bible stories like David and Goliath in Church, and Sunday school, sometimes though part of the message seemed to be missed. Years ago I heard Doug Wead tell this story and I had to run to my Bible to read it again because this wasn't the way I was taught. Hopefully it will help you break some old paradigms as well. It is in 1 Samuel 17.
David's story teaches us a great deal about faith, about how having a big God is more important than a big enemy, but it should also teach us the value of a big dream or vision for our lives.
Proverbs 29:18 (King James Version)"Where there is no vision, the people perish:"
David, the youngest son of Jessie's eight sons, was tending a flock of sheep. His three oldest brothers were in King Saul's army about to do battle with the Philistine Army in the Valley of Elah. The Philistine Army stood on the mountains on one side, and the Army of Israel on the mountains on the other side both looking over the valley. Every day, the Philistine Champion, Goliath, would go out and challenge Saul's Army. He was a huge and frightening figure nearly eight feet tall:
1 Samuel 17:
4 "And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span."
5 "And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass."
6 "And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders."
7 "And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him."
Goliath would shout to the Army of Israel, "Am I not a Philistine? Why fight as an army, send out your best man to fight me, if he wins and kills me, we will be your servants and serve you. If I win and kill him, you will be our servants and serve us. I defy Israel today, give me a man that we may fight together." With this Saul and all his men were greatly afraid. This little dance happened every single day for forty days. Every day for those forty days Goliath would go out and challenge them, and every day for forty days Saul and his army did nothing but shrink in fear. I am sure that they were not feeling very good about themselves.
David who was at home tending his father's sheep was sent to the battlefield by his father Jessee to take food to his brothers, and to his brother's commander. While he was there both armies square off for battle, but Goliath came out once again with his daily challenge, and the army of Israel all ran away to the mountain once again. Now in Sunday School, I learned that all of the Israeli army ran away, but David shouted "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?" That isn't what happened, the Bible says ALL ran away, that would include David. Keep in mind how armies fought back then, they would line up and march into each other. The first few rows would most surely die, yet those who were lined up knowing in a battle that they would die, still ran in fear of Goliath. We all know the end of the story, but here is, what as Paul Harvey would have said, is the rest of the story.
When they were back at camp that night David hanging around talking with the soldiers. Keep in mind he was just a boy, this had to be very exciting to him, compared to tending the sheep. As David was walking around he overheard soldiers talking about the rewards that awaited the man who would fight and kill Goliath. He heard them say that whoever killed Goliath would be made wealthy, that he would ride upon a white horse, that he would marry the princess, and that he and his family would never again be required to pay taxes. David asked them again to repeat the reward for killing Goliath, and they did. It was then, after hearing the reward, that David said, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that defies the army of the Living God?" In other words, it wasn't Goliath that turned David on, it was the Princess, and the prize that turned him on!
At this point David's oldest brother heard what was going on and chastised David making fun of him, "Where are your few sheep you should be tending?" Basically saying "kid you don't belong here with men, quit acting all high and mighty". Have any of you ever found that if you speak about your dreams around your own family and friends that they will put you down, "don't get above your raising" so to speak? That is what happened to David as well. What did he do, did he tuck his tail and go back to the sheep? No, he "turned from them unto another" and asked again "what does he who kills Goliath get as his reward?" He sought out the dream once again.
There were those who overheard this young man's claims and told King Saul about them. Saul called him to him. I am sure that David was surprised with this great offer of that reward that he was the only one standing in line to meet with King Saul to have the chance to fight Goliath. When David met with Saul he told him "Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." However, Saul saw a boy standing in front of him and wasn't quite as convinced, remember if their "champion" would lose, they would become servants to the Philistines.
33 "And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."
34 "And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:"
35 "And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him."
36 "Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God."
37 "David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee."
King Saul put his own armor onto David, gave him his own shield and sword. However they were far too big for David, far too heavy, and far too unfamiliar. David said he wouldn't use them, he simply chose 5 smooth stones from a brook, put them in his shepard's bag, took his sling, and his staff.
When Goliath saw David he was furious, he was insulted that the Israel army sent a boy to fight him.
43 "And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods."
44 "And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field."
David understood that his God was bigger than was Goliath, he was fighting with faith.
45 "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied."
46 "This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."
47 "And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands."
David said "This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand; and I will kill you, and take your head from you." He said that with only stones and a slingshot in his hand. He was counting on using Goliath's sword for the head removal! Talk about faith, and maybe stones. David did indeed kill Goliath when one of his stones found it's mark into Goliath's forehead. David then took Goliath's sword and cut off his head. Seeing Goliath killed the Philistines ran away in fear, Saul's army was emboldened and chased after them.
What do we learn here? First of all we learn that God doesn't mind, in fact encourages us to dream, that is how He made us. We are designed to be motivated by our vision and dreams. Too many of us somehow think it is not God's will for us to have a dream, nothing could be further from the truth. The next thing we learn is that when we have a dream, those closest to us might well be the ones who try the hardest to take it away from us, so we too must "turn from them unto another" and rebuild the dream in our hearts. Finally, we must learn that no matter how big our own giants, or obstacles are as we pursue our dreams and goals, that our God is bigger than any of them.
Slay your giants and chase your dreams!
David's story teaches us a great deal about faith, about how having a big God is more important than a big enemy, but it should also teach us the value of a big dream or vision for our lives.
Proverbs 29:18 (King James Version)"Where there is no vision, the people perish:"
David, the youngest son of Jessie's eight sons, was tending a flock of sheep. His three oldest brothers were in King Saul's army about to do battle with the Philistine Army in the Valley of Elah. The Philistine Army stood on the mountains on one side, and the Army of Israel on the mountains on the other side both looking over the valley. Every day, the Philistine Champion, Goliath, would go out and challenge Saul's Army. He was a huge and frightening figure nearly eight feet tall:
1 Samuel 17:
4 "And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span."
5 "And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass."
6 "And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders."
7 "And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him."
Goliath would shout to the Army of Israel, "Am I not a Philistine? Why fight as an army, send out your best man to fight me, if he wins and kills me, we will be your servants and serve you. If I win and kill him, you will be our servants and serve us. I defy Israel today, give me a man that we may fight together." With this Saul and all his men were greatly afraid. This little dance happened every single day for forty days. Every day for those forty days Goliath would go out and challenge them, and every day for forty days Saul and his army did nothing but shrink in fear. I am sure that they were not feeling very good about themselves.
David who was at home tending his father's sheep was sent to the battlefield by his father Jessee to take food to his brothers, and to his brother's commander. While he was there both armies square off for battle, but Goliath came out once again with his daily challenge, and the army of Israel all ran away to the mountain once again. Now in Sunday School, I learned that all of the Israeli army ran away, but David shouted "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?" That isn't what happened, the Bible says ALL ran away, that would include David. Keep in mind how armies fought back then, they would line up and march into each other. The first few rows would most surely die, yet those who were lined up knowing in a battle that they would die, still ran in fear of Goliath. We all know the end of the story, but here is, what as Paul Harvey would have said, is the rest of the story.
When they were back at camp that night David hanging around talking with the soldiers. Keep in mind he was just a boy, this had to be very exciting to him, compared to tending the sheep. As David was walking around he overheard soldiers talking about the rewards that awaited the man who would fight and kill Goliath. He heard them say that whoever killed Goliath would be made wealthy, that he would ride upon a white horse, that he would marry the princess, and that he and his family would never again be required to pay taxes. David asked them again to repeat the reward for killing Goliath, and they did. It was then, after hearing the reward, that David said, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that defies the army of the Living God?" In other words, it wasn't Goliath that turned David on, it was the Princess, and the prize that turned him on!
At this point David's oldest brother heard what was going on and chastised David making fun of him, "Where are your few sheep you should be tending?" Basically saying "kid you don't belong here with men, quit acting all high and mighty". Have any of you ever found that if you speak about your dreams around your own family and friends that they will put you down, "don't get above your raising" so to speak? That is what happened to David as well. What did he do, did he tuck his tail and go back to the sheep? No, he "turned from them unto another" and asked again "what does he who kills Goliath get as his reward?" He sought out the dream once again.
There were those who overheard this young man's claims and told King Saul about them. Saul called him to him. I am sure that David was surprised with this great offer of that reward that he was the only one standing in line to meet with King Saul to have the chance to fight Goliath. When David met with Saul he told him "Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." However, Saul saw a boy standing in front of him and wasn't quite as convinced, remember if their "champion" would lose, they would become servants to the Philistines.
33 "And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."
34 "And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:"
35 "And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him."
36 "Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God."
37 "David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee."
King Saul put his own armor onto David, gave him his own shield and sword. However they were far too big for David, far too heavy, and far too unfamiliar. David said he wouldn't use them, he simply chose 5 smooth stones from a brook, put them in his shepard's bag, took his sling, and his staff.
When Goliath saw David he was furious, he was insulted that the Israel army sent a boy to fight him.
43 "And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods."
44 "And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field."
David understood that his God was bigger than was Goliath, he was fighting with faith.
45 "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied."
46 "This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."
47 "And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands."
David said "This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand; and I will kill you, and take your head from you." He said that with only stones and a slingshot in his hand. He was counting on using Goliath's sword for the head removal! Talk about faith, and maybe stones. David did indeed kill Goliath when one of his stones found it's mark into Goliath's forehead. David then took Goliath's sword and cut off his head. Seeing Goliath killed the Philistines ran away in fear, Saul's army was emboldened and chased after them.
What do we learn here? First of all we learn that God doesn't mind, in fact encourages us to dream, that is how He made us. We are designed to be motivated by our vision and dreams. Too many of us somehow think it is not God's will for us to have a dream, nothing could be further from the truth. The next thing we learn is that when we have a dream, those closest to us might well be the ones who try the hardest to take it away from us, so we too must "turn from them unto another" and rebuild the dream in our hearts. Finally, we must learn that no matter how big our own giants, or obstacles are as we pursue our dreams and goals, that our God is bigger than any of them.
Slay your giants and chase your dreams!
Friday, September 25, 2009
8,000 Tax Credit, Will it Be Extended?
To extend or not to extend, that is the question. Is it nobler to extend the first time buyer tax credit, enlarge it to 15,000.00 for all, or to bring back down payment assistance programs instead?
It is late evening September 25th as this is written, leaving only 20 days until October 15th, the last reasonable day to apply for a mortgage and still be able to close by the November 30th deadline. Of course this is assuming that the home being purchased is completed and ready to move in. So, it is time that some decisions are made by Congress. Are they going to extend, enlarge, or not.
Senator Johnny Isakson R-GA, drafted a bill co-sponsored by Chris Dodd D-CT, that would expand this tax credit to anyone no matter what your homeowner status, and would have doubled it to 15,000.00. This bill has caught very little traction, in fact it was the first bill addressing the idea of this tax credit before the Stimulus Bill was even written by the Apollo Alliance. It was reduced to the 8,000.00and only for the first time buyers to punish Isakson for voting against an earlier Bail Out Bill. There is now another bill by Isakson that has been co-sponsored by Senator Harry Reid, D-NV the Senate Majority Leader, that would extend the 8,000.00 tax credit for first time buyers for six months.
This bill is being endorsed by John Howard, President of the National Association of Home Builders. He has said that it is critical to get the industry through the winter, with hopes that job improvement would have time to kick in by mid summer in 2010. Mark Zandi, Chief Economist for Moody Economics.com believes that the credit will add nearly 400,000 sales throughout it's use. Zandi believes that it will cost American taxpayers somewhere between 15-17 billion dollars to extend the credit for 6 more months. Zandi believes that money would be very well spent. That math tells me that he believes it will generate somewhere near 2 million home sales across the country. That would equate to nearly 622 per county, if it truly was 2 million homes. Let's cut it in half to just 1 million, and 8 billion in tax payer funds, creating about 311 sales per county across America. If the 400,000 was more accurate it would be only about 125 per county, and cost around 3.2 billion. No matter how you look at it, it is effective and it is expensive.
What if instead of doing any of these, we just bring back Down Payment Assistance programs such as Nehemiah, and AmeriDream? What would the plus and minus be to that?
First of all, it wouldn't cost one dime of tax payer's money. Second, it would open the market to millions of people who have been shut out on the tax credit because they don't have the 3.5% down payment saved to put down. My question is would he credit be as effective during the extension as it has been? How deep has it penetrated the available market of first time buyers who have the down payment saved? There is a huge untapped group of qualified buyers who could buy if they had a down payment, because they have been on the outside looking in.
Do you hear what I hear? I am sure there is a chorus rising saying that "They need skin in the game!" I think this is a pretty lame argument, look at my past blogs on the DPA subject where I show the math disproving that argument. Beyond that I have heard of so many people, Realtors, and mortgage lenders telling buyers to get a gift from family to make their down payment and then pay it back when their tax credit comes in. In fact even Congress for about 4 hours passed a resolution to allow this, and them pulled it back the same day. Of course everyone who has suggested that realizes that they are recommending a felony by using a gift that is really a loan.
Let's make a worse case scenario, and say that the government would have to step in and use taxpayer money to prop up lenders if these DPA loans had higher foreclosures than those with the current tax credit would. There is no evidence that would happen, in fact there is no evidence that loans with DPA have any higher default than those without at any time before or after this current mortgage crisis we have just experienced. However, for arguments sake, let's assume that they are double the foreclosure rate and 5% more foreclose than just those with the tax credit would. If you say that 1 million homes sold because if DPAs return, then 5% foreclose that would be 50,000 multiply that by 150,000.00 and you would have a total of 7.5 billion dollars of loans, say that it cost taxpayers 20% of those loans to make lenders whole, that would cost us 1.5 billion, compared to the 8 billion that would automatically cost us to do that some million homes with the credit.
As a person who makes his living selling new homes, professionally I would love to see both the DPA returned as well as the tax credit extended not only to fist time buyers, but to all buyers. However as an American taxpayer, I really like the math of bringing back DPAs. All we have to do is get Congress to move HR-600 out of committee and pass it and we are up and running.
It is critical that one of these does happen, and happens quickly. I would like to add that when Congress makes a new bill that deals in an industry that they get more involvement from those in the industry to help them write it. Not just those who are in National Associations but those who are daily on the front lines. For instance, this tax credit has a major flaw in it. The language is not at all clear if someone can buy a new home to be built and use a construction to perm loan to do a front end close to qualify. If you go onto irs.gov you will see on the form you send in for your credit that the day you purchase according to the IRS is when you occupy it. However there is an FAQ on the same site where someone says he "bought in 2008, but home wasn't habitable until 2009, would he get the 2008 or 2009 credit?" The IRS answer was 2008 when you bought it. As I have tried to get an answer to this all the way to calling Congress, it is evident that no one I talked to has any idea what a Construction to Perm loan is.
Hopefully, we will hear that the credit has been extended soon. However, as a taxpayer, and someone who makes his living selling homes, I would much prefer the DPA.
It is late evening September 25th as this is written, leaving only 20 days until October 15th, the last reasonable day to apply for a mortgage and still be able to close by the November 30th deadline. Of course this is assuming that the home being purchased is completed and ready to move in. So, it is time that some decisions are made by Congress. Are they going to extend, enlarge, or not.
Senator Johnny Isakson R-GA, drafted a bill co-sponsored by Chris Dodd D-CT, that would expand this tax credit to anyone no matter what your homeowner status, and would have doubled it to 15,000.00. This bill has caught very little traction, in fact it was the first bill addressing the idea of this tax credit before the Stimulus Bill was even written by the Apollo Alliance. It was reduced to the 8,000.00and only for the first time buyers to punish Isakson for voting against an earlier Bail Out Bill. There is now another bill by Isakson that has been co-sponsored by Senator Harry Reid, D-NV the Senate Majority Leader, that would extend the 8,000.00 tax credit for first time buyers for six months.
This bill is being endorsed by John Howard, President of the National Association of Home Builders. He has said that it is critical to get the industry through the winter, with hopes that job improvement would have time to kick in by mid summer in 2010. Mark Zandi, Chief Economist for Moody Economics.com believes that the credit will add nearly 400,000 sales throughout it's use. Zandi believes that it will cost American taxpayers somewhere between 15-17 billion dollars to extend the credit for 6 more months. Zandi believes that money would be very well spent. That math tells me that he believes it will generate somewhere near 2 million home sales across the country. That would equate to nearly 622 per county, if it truly was 2 million homes. Let's cut it in half to just 1 million, and 8 billion in tax payer funds, creating about 311 sales per county across America. If the 400,000 was more accurate it would be only about 125 per county, and cost around 3.2 billion. No matter how you look at it, it is effective and it is expensive.
What if instead of doing any of these, we just bring back Down Payment Assistance programs such as Nehemiah, and AmeriDream? What would the plus and minus be to that?
First of all, it wouldn't cost one dime of tax payer's money. Second, it would open the market to millions of people who have been shut out on the tax credit because they don't have the 3.5% down payment saved to put down. My question is would he credit be as effective during the extension as it has been? How deep has it penetrated the available market of first time buyers who have the down payment saved? There is a huge untapped group of qualified buyers who could buy if they had a down payment, because they have been on the outside looking in.
Do you hear what I hear? I am sure there is a chorus rising saying that "They need skin in the game!" I think this is a pretty lame argument, look at my past blogs on the DPA subject where I show the math disproving that argument. Beyond that I have heard of so many people, Realtors, and mortgage lenders telling buyers to get a gift from family to make their down payment and then pay it back when their tax credit comes in. In fact even Congress for about 4 hours passed a resolution to allow this, and them pulled it back the same day. Of course everyone who has suggested that realizes that they are recommending a felony by using a gift that is really a loan.
Let's make a worse case scenario, and say that the government would have to step in and use taxpayer money to prop up lenders if these DPA loans had higher foreclosures than those with the current tax credit would. There is no evidence that would happen, in fact there is no evidence that loans with DPA have any higher default than those without at any time before or after this current mortgage crisis we have just experienced. However, for arguments sake, let's assume that they are double the foreclosure rate and 5% more foreclose than just those with the tax credit would. If you say that 1 million homes sold because if DPAs return, then 5% foreclose that would be 50,000 multiply that by 150,000.00 and you would have a total of 7.5 billion dollars of loans, say that it cost taxpayers 20% of those loans to make lenders whole, that would cost us 1.5 billion, compared to the 8 billion that would automatically cost us to do that some million homes with the credit.
As a person who makes his living selling new homes, professionally I would love to see both the DPA returned as well as the tax credit extended not only to fist time buyers, but to all buyers. However as an American taxpayer, I really like the math of bringing back DPAs. All we have to do is get Congress to move HR-600 out of committee and pass it and we are up and running.
It is critical that one of these does happen, and happens quickly. I would like to add that when Congress makes a new bill that deals in an industry that they get more involvement from those in the industry to help them write it. Not just those who are in National Associations but those who are daily on the front lines. For instance, this tax credit has a major flaw in it. The language is not at all clear if someone can buy a new home to be built and use a construction to perm loan to do a front end close to qualify. If you go onto irs.gov you will see on the form you send in for your credit that the day you purchase according to the IRS is when you occupy it. However there is an FAQ on the same site where someone says he "bought in 2008, but home wasn't habitable until 2009, would he get the 2008 or 2009 credit?" The IRS answer was 2008 when you bought it. As I have tried to get an answer to this all the way to calling Congress, it is evident that no one I talked to has any idea what a Construction to Perm loan is.
Hopefully, we will hear that the credit has been extended soon. However, as a taxpayer, and someone who makes his living selling homes, I would much prefer the DPA.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
7 Keys to Winning
Charles F. Kettering, a scientist and inventor, had a theory to remove failure from any situation was to create an environment where a person didn’t believe that they could fail. If they believed that they couldn’t fail, that they wouldn’t consider it an option. That we need to get it the very thought of failure out of our minds.
Dr. Kettering took a young man who worked at General Motors, and handed him a problem that GM needed a solution for. However, he didn’t give him access to any of the notes of the previous researchers who had documented. He didn’t want him to see that scientists, and researchers with much stronger résumé’s than this young man had actually logged in that this was a challenge that was impossible to solve. Since the young man didn’t know that, he went a head and solved it.
Paul, in 1st Corinthians, Chapter 9 has a tremendous key for winning.
“ Do you not know that everyone runs in a race but only one gets the prize? So Run, (run in that way) so that you may obtain it.”
You must live your life like your running a race, that only one gets the prize.
What is Paul saying? Since he was talking about Heaven, did he mean that we are all competing for one ticket in?
Why not compare it to a team sport? I think it was because he wanted us to think of what we are doing, or not doing. In team sports when we lose, we always tend to blame someone else. It is never your fault We love to pass the buck, we love laying blame, pointing fingers at others. Anything to get the focus off of us. Failure is a part of life, we all fail, make mistakes, errors.
We are going to offend people, and wish we could take back something we said. However, keep in mind we can no more take back something said, than we can un-fry an egg. Paul wants us to understand that if we don’t win, if we don’t get the prize, it is all on us, no one else.
The wonderful thing about commission sales, is if you succeed, you will get all the credit for it. However, if you fail you will get all the blame as well.
Hopefully, no one in here are depressed over that last statement. There are people who would hear that and groan “oh man, I can’t stand getting all the blame” HEY why so negative, why didn’t you hear the first part and hear that you will get all the credit? EXPECT TO WIN. Don’t look only at the possibility of failure.
Have you ever heard anyone say, “Well, with my luck..” If you ever hear anyone start to say that, SLAP THEM upside the head, they are about to say something stupid and embarrass themselves.
You need to look for success, not failure. Whatever you’re focused on is what your will produce. Focus on winning, not on failure. If only one is going to get the prize in this race, MAKE IT ME. I am the man or woman that is going to get it done!
If you took the best archer in the world and blindfolded him and spun him around, how good will he be? How can he hit a goal he can’t see? Probably every bit as easy as hitting a goal that you don’t have. You need a goal, it takes more than enthusiasm, we have to know where we are going.
There are 7 Keys to Winning to cover today
1. Destination.
You need to know where your headed.
Where do you want to be in 5 years?
By the end of this year?
By the end of this month?
2. Dream
Turn the destination into a Dream. As long as it is a Destination it is only something hypothetical, a maybe someday kind of thing.
To make it a dream, you need to put you in it. You have to see yourself doing whatever it is, living there, being it. You have to feel it, taste it, believe it.
In the 1984 Olympics, Mary Lou Rettin going for the vault, an event dominated by the eastern Europeans for years, she would when called stop, close her eyes, then open them and go and perform a flawless perfect 10. To prove it wasn’t a fluke she did the exact same thing again. When asked what she was doing when she closed her eyes by a reporter, she said she closed her eyes and watched herself do a flawless performance. Then when she opened her eyes she just would do what she had just seen herself do. What a lot of people didn’t know, is she had just had knee surgery a few weeks before those Olympics. She was able to shut even that out of her head while performing.
3. Deadline. By putting a deadline on your dream, you have just made it a goal.
Most people don’t want to commit a deadline and put a date on it, they don’t want to write it down, because it puts visual evidence that you had set it. It makes it tough to “change your mind” later, it is on paper. It makes wimping out tougher, THAT IS THE IDEA.
What if you set a date and miss it? I will bet you will be closer than if you never set it at all. You need to WRITE IT DOWN, join the top 3% of all Americans, and write it down.
In Habbaka Chapter 2, verse 2
“Write the vision, make it plain that he may run well that readeth it.”
4. Decision.
The Deadline requires a decision, but the BIGGIE, is the Decision that you need to make, that no matter what, I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
5. Drive.
Stay motivated.
We have to fight the negative, a full 77% of everything we hear daily is negative, you have to purpose your heart to be positive or you won’t be. Paul was going to prison for the rest of his life, he was leaving behind his friends knowing he would never see any of them again.
Here is what he said.
Acts 20:24
“ For none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself that I may finish my course with Joy.”
Nehemiah
“The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.”
Why didn’t they say the Happiness is my strength?
Happiness is momentary, it comes and goes with situations in our lives by the moment, we are happy, then we aren’t. Have you ever known anyone who gets their strength from happiness, they are always on an emotional, and professional roller coaster. External circumstances knock them around like a toy boat in the water.
Joy is something deeper, it is knowing where your going. If you have your eye on the prize, and you know where you’re going, you can have joy in all situations, because you will realize that whatever is going on is temporary, what is permanent is where you’re going.
If they say No, so what, SWSWSW, Some will, some won’t, so what!
Their no can’t keep you from your goal, it is your goal, they didn’t reject you, but your opportunity you showed them. It is their loss, I always feel sorry when someone says no, they lose bigger than I did.
If you have achieved big goals, Congratulations, now set bigger ones and reach from Peak to Peak.
6. Discipline.
“I’m your constant companion,
I’m your greatest helper, or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward, or drag you down to failure.
I’m completely at your control.
Half the things you do, you might as just as well turn them over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly. I’m easily managed, you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I’m the servant of all great men, and alas of all failures as well.
Those who are Great, I have made Great.
Those who are failures I have made failures.
I’m not a machine, but I work with all the precision of a machine, plus the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin, it makes no difference to me.
Train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I? I am Habit.
Discipline is the act of making good habits. Discipline is doing what you don’t “feel” like doing. You do it because you want the results. Football players don’t usually enjoy practice, what they enjoy is winning and they know that the discipline in practice creates the winning opportunity later. Successful people are merely average people who are willing to do what other people aren’t willing to do, so they can live later like others can’t.
Destination, and Dreams are nice, but without Discipline your just Dreaming, WAKE UP!
Discipline can only happen after you decide on a destination, and set a deadline, those have to come first or there isn’t any discipline possible.
7. Determination.
Mustard Seed Faith
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Determination is the true test of character. Character is continuing to work toward your goals long after the emotion is gone from when they were set. It is setting your jaw and pressing forward toward the mark.
You Can Do It!
Dr. Kettering took a young man who worked at General Motors, and handed him a problem that GM needed a solution for. However, he didn’t give him access to any of the notes of the previous researchers who had documented. He didn’t want him to see that scientists, and researchers with much stronger résumé’s than this young man had actually logged in that this was a challenge that was impossible to solve. Since the young man didn’t know that, he went a head and solved it.
Paul, in 1st Corinthians, Chapter 9 has a tremendous key for winning.
“ Do you not know that everyone runs in a race but only one gets the prize? So Run, (run in that way) so that you may obtain it.”
You must live your life like your running a race, that only one gets the prize.
What is Paul saying? Since he was talking about Heaven, did he mean that we are all competing for one ticket in?
Why not compare it to a team sport? I think it was because he wanted us to think of what we are doing, or not doing. In team sports when we lose, we always tend to blame someone else. It is never your fault We love to pass the buck, we love laying blame, pointing fingers at others. Anything to get the focus off of us. Failure is a part of life, we all fail, make mistakes, errors.
We are going to offend people, and wish we could take back something we said. However, keep in mind we can no more take back something said, than we can un-fry an egg. Paul wants us to understand that if we don’t win, if we don’t get the prize, it is all on us, no one else.
The wonderful thing about commission sales, is if you succeed, you will get all the credit for it. However, if you fail you will get all the blame as well.
Hopefully, no one in here are depressed over that last statement. There are people who would hear that and groan “oh man, I can’t stand getting all the blame” HEY why so negative, why didn’t you hear the first part and hear that you will get all the credit? EXPECT TO WIN. Don’t look only at the possibility of failure.
Have you ever heard anyone say, “Well, with my luck..” If you ever hear anyone start to say that, SLAP THEM upside the head, they are about to say something stupid and embarrass themselves.
You need to look for success, not failure. Whatever you’re focused on is what your will produce. Focus on winning, not on failure. If only one is going to get the prize in this race, MAKE IT ME. I am the man or woman that is going to get it done!
If you took the best archer in the world and blindfolded him and spun him around, how good will he be? How can he hit a goal he can’t see? Probably every bit as easy as hitting a goal that you don’t have. You need a goal, it takes more than enthusiasm, we have to know where we are going.
There are 7 Keys to Winning to cover today
1. Destination.
You need to know where your headed.
Where do you want to be in 5 years?
By the end of this year?
By the end of this month?
2. Dream
Turn the destination into a Dream. As long as it is a Destination it is only something hypothetical, a maybe someday kind of thing.
To make it a dream, you need to put you in it. You have to see yourself doing whatever it is, living there, being it. You have to feel it, taste it, believe it.
In the 1984 Olympics, Mary Lou Rettin going for the vault, an event dominated by the eastern Europeans for years, she would when called stop, close her eyes, then open them and go and perform a flawless perfect 10. To prove it wasn’t a fluke she did the exact same thing again. When asked what she was doing when she closed her eyes by a reporter, she said she closed her eyes and watched herself do a flawless performance. Then when she opened her eyes she just would do what she had just seen herself do. What a lot of people didn’t know, is she had just had knee surgery a few weeks before those Olympics. She was able to shut even that out of her head while performing.
3. Deadline. By putting a deadline on your dream, you have just made it a goal.
Most people don’t want to commit a deadline and put a date on it, they don’t want to write it down, because it puts visual evidence that you had set it. It makes it tough to “change your mind” later, it is on paper. It makes wimping out tougher, THAT IS THE IDEA.
What if you set a date and miss it? I will bet you will be closer than if you never set it at all. You need to WRITE IT DOWN, join the top 3% of all Americans, and write it down.
In Habbaka Chapter 2, verse 2
“Write the vision, make it plain that he may run well that readeth it.”
4. Decision.
The Deadline requires a decision, but the BIGGIE, is the Decision that you need to make, that no matter what, I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
5. Drive.
Stay motivated.
We have to fight the negative, a full 77% of everything we hear daily is negative, you have to purpose your heart to be positive or you won’t be. Paul was going to prison for the rest of his life, he was leaving behind his friends knowing he would never see any of them again.
Here is what he said.
Acts 20:24
“ For none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself that I may finish my course with Joy.”
Nehemiah
“The Joy of the Lord is my Strength.”
Why didn’t they say the Happiness is my strength?
Happiness is momentary, it comes and goes with situations in our lives by the moment, we are happy, then we aren’t. Have you ever known anyone who gets their strength from happiness, they are always on an emotional, and professional roller coaster. External circumstances knock them around like a toy boat in the water.
Joy is something deeper, it is knowing where your going. If you have your eye on the prize, and you know where you’re going, you can have joy in all situations, because you will realize that whatever is going on is temporary, what is permanent is where you’re going.
If they say No, so what, SWSWSW, Some will, some won’t, so what!
Their no can’t keep you from your goal, it is your goal, they didn’t reject you, but your opportunity you showed them. It is their loss, I always feel sorry when someone says no, they lose bigger than I did.
If you have achieved big goals, Congratulations, now set bigger ones and reach from Peak to Peak.
6. Discipline.
“I’m your constant companion,
I’m your greatest helper, or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward, or drag you down to failure.
I’m completely at your control.
Half the things you do, you might as just as well turn them over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly and correctly. I’m easily managed, you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I’m the servant of all great men, and alas of all failures as well.
Those who are Great, I have made Great.
Those who are failures I have made failures.
I’m not a machine, but I work with all the precision of a machine, plus the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin, it makes no difference to me.
Train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I? I am Habit.
Discipline is the act of making good habits. Discipline is doing what you don’t “feel” like doing. You do it because you want the results. Football players don’t usually enjoy practice, what they enjoy is winning and they know that the discipline in practice creates the winning opportunity later. Successful people are merely average people who are willing to do what other people aren’t willing to do, so they can live later like others can’t.
Destination, and Dreams are nice, but without Discipline your just Dreaming, WAKE UP!
Discipline can only happen after you decide on a destination, and set a deadline, those have to come first or there isn’t any discipline possible.
7. Determination.
Mustard Seed Faith
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Determination is the true test of character. Character is continuing to work toward your goals long after the emotion is gone from when they were set. It is setting your jaw and pressing forward toward the mark.
You Can Do It!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
8 Step Pattern for Sales Success
When you are beginning a sales career, a new position with a new company, or starting over once again to get your business off the ground. Consider following this simple eight step pattern of success.
1. Find a Why.
Most of us today have never been trained in the art of either dreaming, or in the success that can be found in delayed gratification. Most of us have never been taught that buying what we want now causes us to lose the real power we can get out of our wants.
Dreams give us power, they inspire us to achieve our goals to reach them as rewards. A mentor of mine once, while counseling with his mentor, was tired of going to look at speed boats with him. One night when they were back looking at them again, he asked "Why don't you just buy it and get it over with?" The answer shocked him when his mentor told him that he "couldn't afford it" for he knew that if he desired his mentor could have bought the entire marina. The lesson he was taught came next, when his mentor said, "Do you know how hard it is for me to find something that I want? I have to milk all the want out of it I can." Wow! That is a very powerful statement.
Once I found a necktie that I wanted, and was standing in line to purchase. While standing there it dawned on me to milk the want out of it first. I put it back, and set it as my reward for achieving an activity goal that I had set before many times but had never achieved. The next week I bought it. I still have it, still one of my favorites because it isn't a tie to me, but a trophy. The wonderful thing about dreams/rewards they only have to motivate you, no one else.
One of my mentors favorite questions is "Are you chasing your dreams or working your business?" All the magic is found in the first, without that it is hamster wheel time.
2. Set a Goal:
The difference between a dream and a goal is the goal has a date on it. With goals you will need to figure out what you will have to accomplish to achieve your dreams. How many sales will it take? How many appointments will it take? How many calls will it take? You cannot control production completely, but you can control your activity goals.
3. Make a Commitment:
What are you willing to do? What are you willing to give up in other areas of your life to focus on your goals? Once you make the decision, commit to it, and make it happen.
4. Make a List:
Create a list of everyone you can think of. Everyone in your sphere of influence should be on it. Family, friends, past clients, bowling league, church, civic organization, those you knew in school, your kids schools, everywhere you know people. If you don't make a list of 200 people you haven't even begun. The average wedding has that many people.
When trying to make your list, don't prejudge anyone as if they might be a prospect or not just write them down. You can edit later, this first attempt it simply to get as many names as possible. Pull out your address books, your cell phone lists, your Christmas cards list, any list of groups you are involved with. When trying to think of people don't try to think of individual people, but think of places you know people. When you try to think of people you will go blank, but if you think who do I know at church faces pop into your head. Another really good trick to get your brain working is to pull out a Yellow Pages and go through it looking at professions. For instance, who do you know that is an accountant, an attorney, an auto dealer? By the time you get to Z you will probably have nearly 1,000 names. Remember you aren't prejudging them.
5. Contact your List:
The entire point of a list is to call them and take them off your list. Too many sales people find comfort in having a big list and fool themselves thinking that they have more going for them than they do. All a list really amounts to is potential, and remember the definition of potential is unused ability.
Once you have your list contact them, even if they are not prospects, even say your grandmother. You could call her and ask her who her attorney, insurance salesperson, doctor, whatever, ask if she would allow you to contact them and tell them she recommended you call them, if she says yes, add them to your list. This goes for anyone on your list who isn't interested in being your client, and again for each who chooses to be a client, be sure to ask them as well. If you will do this, you will never run out of your list.
6. Have a successful meeting:
When you contact your list, in most cases, you will not sell them over the phone. Your goal should be to make an appointment to meet with them. Most of us need to be face to face to sell our products and services. There is going to be a percentage of sales per appointments. Once you have been doing this for any period of time, you can predict how many appointments you will need to make to get a sale. When people buy from you, ask for referrals. If they don't buy, ask for referrals.
7. Follow Through:
Most of us will have to have more than one meeting to make the sale, especially if our product is higher end purchase. We should book the second appointment at the end of the previous one. If you can't make that appointment, or if you do but plans are changed you often find yourself playing phone tag, often by yourself. One of the easiest ways to make your follow through calls welcomed instead of being a pesky salesperson is to always have a reason that you are calling that you are giving them information that they have asked for. My personal goal is in every meeting or call that doesn't end with a sale, I try to end the call with a question the prospect asked that I "need to get back with them" on. I am looking for a question that I can "not know" and need to check and call them back. This way, my call is simply keeping my promise to them. I call it the Dracula approach. Bram Stoker who wrote Dracula said that vampires can't come in your home without an invitation. It keeps it light in my mind and helps me to remember it.
8. Get Mentored:
If you can find a mentor who has a level of success you would like to attain, who is not a competitor, and will be willing to coach you, do so. Keep in mind that in any coaching or mentoring situation, the student is the one responsible for getting with the mentor, not the other way around. When you find someone, find someone who will tell you like it is and not worry about your feelings. Write out your questions before you go and review your activities for each month. How did you do with your activity goals, productivity goals? Find someone who will hold you accountable. Most of us can skate and keep our jobs, but not if we want to be champions. Look for someone who will push you.
1. Find a Why.
Most of us today have never been trained in the art of either dreaming, or in the success that can be found in delayed gratification. Most of us have never been taught that buying what we want now causes us to lose the real power we can get out of our wants.
Dreams give us power, they inspire us to achieve our goals to reach them as rewards. A mentor of mine once, while counseling with his mentor, was tired of going to look at speed boats with him. One night when they were back looking at them again, he asked "Why don't you just buy it and get it over with?" The answer shocked him when his mentor told him that he "couldn't afford it" for he knew that if he desired his mentor could have bought the entire marina. The lesson he was taught came next, when his mentor said, "Do you know how hard it is for me to find something that I want? I have to milk all the want out of it I can." Wow! That is a very powerful statement.
Once I found a necktie that I wanted, and was standing in line to purchase. While standing there it dawned on me to milk the want out of it first. I put it back, and set it as my reward for achieving an activity goal that I had set before many times but had never achieved. The next week I bought it. I still have it, still one of my favorites because it isn't a tie to me, but a trophy. The wonderful thing about dreams/rewards they only have to motivate you, no one else.
One of my mentors favorite questions is "Are you chasing your dreams or working your business?" All the magic is found in the first, without that it is hamster wheel time.
2. Set a Goal:
The difference between a dream and a goal is the goal has a date on it. With goals you will need to figure out what you will have to accomplish to achieve your dreams. How many sales will it take? How many appointments will it take? How many calls will it take? You cannot control production completely, but you can control your activity goals.
3. Make a Commitment:
What are you willing to do? What are you willing to give up in other areas of your life to focus on your goals? Once you make the decision, commit to it, and make it happen.
4. Make a List:
Create a list of everyone you can think of. Everyone in your sphere of influence should be on it. Family, friends, past clients, bowling league, church, civic organization, those you knew in school, your kids schools, everywhere you know people. If you don't make a list of 200 people you haven't even begun. The average wedding has that many people.
When trying to make your list, don't prejudge anyone as if they might be a prospect or not just write them down. You can edit later, this first attempt it simply to get as many names as possible. Pull out your address books, your cell phone lists, your Christmas cards list, any list of groups you are involved with. When trying to think of people don't try to think of individual people, but think of places you know people. When you try to think of people you will go blank, but if you think who do I know at church faces pop into your head. Another really good trick to get your brain working is to pull out a Yellow Pages and go through it looking at professions. For instance, who do you know that is an accountant, an attorney, an auto dealer? By the time you get to Z you will probably have nearly 1,000 names. Remember you aren't prejudging them.
5. Contact your List:
The entire point of a list is to call them and take them off your list. Too many sales people find comfort in having a big list and fool themselves thinking that they have more going for them than they do. All a list really amounts to is potential, and remember the definition of potential is unused ability.
Once you have your list contact them, even if they are not prospects, even say your grandmother. You could call her and ask her who her attorney, insurance salesperson, doctor, whatever, ask if she would allow you to contact them and tell them she recommended you call them, if she says yes, add them to your list. This goes for anyone on your list who isn't interested in being your client, and again for each who chooses to be a client, be sure to ask them as well. If you will do this, you will never run out of your list.
6. Have a successful meeting:
When you contact your list, in most cases, you will not sell them over the phone. Your goal should be to make an appointment to meet with them. Most of us need to be face to face to sell our products and services. There is going to be a percentage of sales per appointments. Once you have been doing this for any period of time, you can predict how many appointments you will need to make to get a sale. When people buy from you, ask for referrals. If they don't buy, ask for referrals.
7. Follow Through:
Most of us will have to have more than one meeting to make the sale, especially if our product is higher end purchase. We should book the second appointment at the end of the previous one. If you can't make that appointment, or if you do but plans are changed you often find yourself playing phone tag, often by yourself. One of the easiest ways to make your follow through calls welcomed instead of being a pesky salesperson is to always have a reason that you are calling that you are giving them information that they have asked for. My personal goal is in every meeting or call that doesn't end with a sale, I try to end the call with a question the prospect asked that I "need to get back with them" on. I am looking for a question that I can "not know" and need to check and call them back. This way, my call is simply keeping my promise to them. I call it the Dracula approach. Bram Stoker who wrote Dracula said that vampires can't come in your home without an invitation. It keeps it light in my mind and helps me to remember it.
8. Get Mentored:
If you can find a mentor who has a level of success you would like to attain, who is not a competitor, and will be willing to coach you, do so. Keep in mind that in any coaching or mentoring situation, the student is the one responsible for getting with the mentor, not the other way around. When you find someone, find someone who will tell you like it is and not worry about your feelings. Write out your questions before you go and review your activities for each month. How did you do with your activity goals, productivity goals? Find someone who will hold you accountable. Most of us can skate and keep our jobs, but not if we want to be champions. Look for someone who will push you.
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