For the first time ever, I discovered this year the upper limits of my cell phone’s voice mail capacity.  In fact, weeks have gone by where people were unable to leave voice mails for me because it was full.  There are more unread e-mails (legitimate ones — I have very good filtering!) awaiting my attention than at any point that I can recall.  There are even valuable relationships in my life that are seriously suffering.

Why? Well the reasons are too long to list here, but it comes down basically to one thing: focus.  This year, I found myself with a real need to ruthlessly focus on just a few hypercritical things.  And it’s been fruitful.  I highly recommend it.  At the same time, however, I’ve been forced to slash things out of my schedule — some of them other people might have considered non-negotiable.

And so, as 2007 winds down, I want more time.  No really: I’m not finished!  There’s more to do!

Today, I spotted something in Proverbs that gave me a glimmer of hope.  Here’s the passage:

The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs one’s days, but the years of the wicked shall be made short.  — Proverbs 10:27 (AMP)

In the past, I’ve always understood this to mean that you’ll have a long life.  “Days” seems to be a metaphor throughout the Old Testament for the length of your life.  However, today I happened to notice something…

The word that’s used in the Hebrew (the original language) for “days” in this verse literally comes from a word meaning “hot.”  In other words, the Hebrew thought behind this word is “the warm hours” — the time from one sunrise to a sunset.  These are the hours in which you can work.

So… putting that concept back into the verse we’re looking at today, “The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord prolongs one’s hours in which one can work….”

I don’t pretend to understand how God does this, but I’ve experienced it.  On days when I know my schedule is crammed full of more stuff than I could possibly get done, I’ve found that if I invest time sacrificially in Him and in relating to Him, I am more productive and more fruitful during the remainder of my day.  It appears that Solomon seems to have documented this as well!

Now… off I go to invest time sacrificially in relating to Father!  Hope you do the same!

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(If you’re an e-mail subscriber, the details that were missing from your recent message are in this post. Please follow the links to read the full post on the blog.)

God has been opening the doors for me and providing me with opportunities to reach out and teach about the purpose He has for You in the marketplace through business ownership and creating financial independence.

There is an increasing demand and need throughout God’s Kingdom for this instruction, and as such I am teaching a Special Teleseminar tomorrow that I would like to invite you to attend:

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David G. Johnson presents…
“Nourish The Dream: Your Destiny In the Marketplace”

Tuesday, May 22, 2007
9:00 PM (Eastern)

There are 2 ways you can listen to my teleseminar:

Listen in Via Phone:

Dial In Number: 218-486-3693
Guest PIN Number: 5728276# (please hit # after the last number)

Listen in Via Computer:

To view the teleseminar information and/or to listen to the call via Webcast on your computer, please click here:

http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=115950

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Jesus said that if you, “…know the truth, the truth will set you free.”

I will teach you how to break out of the “ordinary” and step into the life of your dreams. I want to set you free from hopeless thinking and return to you the Truth that God created You for a powerful purpose, and not only can you find that purpose, You Can Fulfill It!

Specifically, I am going to cover…

• 3 questions God will ask YOU face-to-face
• How to reduce your stress and find fulfillment
• How to position yourself for the largest wealth transfer in history
• How to go beyond the idea of just changing your financial picture
• How to identify and destroy the limitations that are holding you back!

I am looking forward to bringing God’s message to you tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 9:00 PM EST!

I am looking to reach out and teach to as many hearts as possible. If you know of 3 people (or more!) that might benefit from my teleseminar, please forward this information to them.

Thank you for taking the time to read this note.

Blessings,

David G. Johnson
Founder & CEO, Epiphany Consulting, LLC
Associate Pastor, The Living Sanctuary

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I am seriously interested in increasing the value of eChaplain to you personally, so in a few days you’ll be receiving an e-mail from me with a quick survey about what you like best and what you’d like to see in the future.

On a side note, for any of you that have children or grandchildren and are interested in how you may be able to improve their development (particularly the mental, speech, and language aspects), I want to highly recommend a new blog that my amazing wife, Jill, is writing: BeyondBabyTalk.com. She’s compiling years of her experience as a Speech-Language Pathologist working with young children in private practice (along with lots and lots of other research) and dishing it out in nifty little bite-sized nuggets. She’s also relating some great stories about our little 2-year-old wonder… our daughter, Grace. This is a great resource for parents and grandparents! (By the way, in one of the first few articles, she gives you a tip that will stop you from making one of the most common mistakes when talking to an infant!)

Thanks, and I look forward to communicating with you shortly.

(By the way, if you haven’t signed up for e-mail updates, visit our subscribe link today to be sure you get the survey.)

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From the fans here in Tampa Bay, we’ve always known this day would come.  Enjoy this moment.  You continue to set an amazing Godly example for us all.  May God continue to bless you and your family… as well as the whole Colts crew.

Congratulations on winning Super Bowl XLI!!!

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Here in Tampa Bay, we are well-acquainted with the testimony of Tony Dungy. We’ve heard him speak, we’ve watched him pray and struggle, and we’ve mourned some hardships with him. We hated to see him go. Lovie Smith wasn’t quite as well known during his time working with Dungy on the staff of the Tampa Bay Bucs, but his story is also a powerful one.

You can read their stories on the Beyond the Ultimate website, which is operated by Athletes in Action (a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ). They’re the ones responsible for the USA Today ad.

Way to go, guys. And a big slap on the back to Athletes in Action and Campus Crusade for making the most of an opportunity.

Of course… it raises a question: if both of them are praying to win… ?

(Hat tip to Jeff MacFarlane of The Joy FM for drawing my attention to this… and to Tim Nixon…wow!)

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Recently, I received an e-mail from a friend which told the story of Dick Hoyt and his son, Rick, who was born, “…as a spastic quadriplegic, cerebral palsy, non-speaking person.”

The compelling text in the link is quite dramatic. But even more dramatic was the YouTube.com video that seemingly corroborated the information. So, as I usually do (if I’m even remotely interested) with an amazing story that makes its way to me through cyberspace, I checked it out at snopes.com, which investigates the veracity of such things. Not only is the story true, but there are plenty of references and even more information about the Hoyt family. They have even reproduced the entire text of the story. Once you have fresh tissues in hand, check out the amazing story here.

I bawled my eyes out.

Obviously, the story makes you think. Not just about how little my problems and yours seem by comparison, but there’s an amazing lesson in being thankful no matter what the circumstances.

This year, I hope your Thanksgiving finds you and the ones you love in the best of health, comfortable, and without major worries or concerns.

But if not, my prayer for you is that we all learn how to be grateful… and allow God to work as only He can.

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And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Luke 19:15 (NKJV)

Isn’t it interesting that the first question the master asked when he returned was, “What have you gained?”

Friends, God is expecting us to produce increase. He has invested valuable resources… not just the precious blood of His Son, but also giftings, abilities, knowledge and skills… in you. One question that God is asking us is… what have you gained with what I have entrusted to you?

This isn’t intended to be a guilt trip… but it is intended to provoke a little bit of thought. Here’s a question for you:

What is it about what you’re doing with your working life that is worthwhile?

Is it just a way to feed your family? Are you trying to climb the corporate ladder? Or, as my friend Eric Beck likes to ask, “Are you just trading 5 days of one thing for 2 days of another?”
Or… is there some element of calling in what you’re doing? Are you spending your days doing what you were created to do? Have you ever asked the question about what God may be doing through you? How do you fit into His plan?

Friends, I want to challenge you to spend some time answering these questions.

And, I want to let you know that some friends of mine (Michael Pink, Carlos Ramirez, Justin DeStoppelaire) and I will be discussing these questions and more like them at an event in Sarasota, Florida called Nourish The Dream on November 17th and 18th. The even is for anyone interested in pursuing God’s purpose for their lives. I hope to see you there!

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That people may know skillful and godly Wisdom…and receive instruction in wise dealing and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity…. Proverbs 1:2-3 (AMP)

Several months ago, that phrase, “the discipline of wise thoughtfulness” jumped out at me. Discipline can be defined* a couple of ways:

• as a noun: “activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training”
• as a verb: “to train by instruction and exercise; drill.” or “to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control.”

In other words, Solomon is implying that we should be training ourselves — and in particular, training our minds — in a consistent pattern or habit of wise thoughtfulness.

This says to me that the manner in which we think is important — not just the subject which we are thinking about. How many times have you or I said something or done something without systematically thinking it through first? Obviously, we can damage relationships, ruin opportunities, or just get less out of an experience when we aren’t thinking clearly.

If we’re taking this hint, we should cultivate the habit of living thoughtfully… of engaging our minds intentionally in focused, disciplined thought. If you’ve ever intentionally set aside time to think something through, you know why this requires training. It is hard work! But the rewards are unmistakable.

Do it today. Set an appointment and clear some time in your schedule to think through the challenges you’re facing. You’ll be glad you did.

—
*“discipline.” Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. 26 Oct. 2006. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discipline>

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Many a man proclaims his own loving-kindness and goodness, but a faithful man who can find? Proverbs 20:6 (AMP)

This one has always scared me a bit. Okay… maybe a lot. It’s easy for any of us to talk about how good we are – especially when it comes to business. We’re all inclined to talk up our reliability, our good service, our integrity. But Solomon’s question here is: who can find someone who actually follows through? Where are the people who are actually faithful and reliable and trustworthy?

Even a child is known by his acts, whether [or not] what he does is pure and right. Proverbs 20:11 (AMP)

Walking in integrity has nothing to do with what you say. It comes down to what you do. Period.

Is what you’re doing reflecting who you claim to be?

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One of my favorite sections of this passage is in verse 7:

The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7 (NASB)

At first glance, Solomon seems a bit redundant:  the beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom!  But in fact, what Solomon is saying is that the first step toward becoming wise is that you set your trajectory toward acquiring wisdom.  Becoming wise is not something you do casually or accidentally.  It is a lifestyle of learning to learn.  It involves a commitment to receiving instruction, seeing things differently, listening and observing.

As leaders, developing a habit of becoming wise is contagious.  It will also help you to win the trust of those you lead.  We respect those whom we trust, and we trust those who are willing to be vulnerable enough to show us that they are in the habit of seeing their own mistakes and learning and correcting as they go.  How different would your organization, business or team be if this were a habit practiced by all?

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