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Nov 27

Daily Dose 38: Cannon Balls and Sand

How about another personal favorite Picture for My Mind?

C. H. Spurgeon wrote in his Sword and Trowel of a man filling a large box with cannon balls. Needless to say, it did not take too many balls before the box was full. Not so, says Spurgeon. The box would only be full of cannon balls, but it was not truly full. The space around the cannon balls could be filled with shot (think BBs, modern America), and when no more shot would fit, then a quantity of sand could still be poured into the nooks and crannies. There is an infinite point-number line-math lesson in there somewhere!  Read more

Nov 26

Daily Dose 37: Apprentice

Years ago, a young man “made himself” by being apprenticed to a skilled craftsman. Over many years he developed deftness with both the tools and the skill habits of the craft, starting at the bottom and bit by bit adding to his store of skill and knowledge by doing whatever the craftsman needed done.

Now a worthy craftsman knew how to bring the apprentice along step by step, explaining and showing him how to use the tools, and how to perfect the skills of the craft, from the basics through the trade secrets of success: how to stoke the fire with different woods and ores to build a hotter flame, how much time to temper the silver or the glass, how to tell when the bark was ready for carving. Subtle, expert skills became accomplished over the years, until the apprentice’s eyes, hands, and work habits became as accomplished as those of the craftsman. Read more

Nov 25

Daily Dose 36: Concentration Cycles

Let’s see, we are supposed to be automating routine tasks and attending to exceptional ones, making a process for everything, organizing files, and never neglecting a single thing we think is important (even if we never realized how much work it would be to do….) Read more

Nov 24

Daily Dose 35: From Design to Reality

Do you feel like a performer balancing seven plates and four cups atop twirling sticks—all while juggling three balls on a tightrope?  Do you find yourself fondly yearning for when the semester will be finished….when the children will be out of diapers….when they will be out of school….when taxes are finished for another year…when inventory is done…or….

Knowing God has sprinkled cycles throughout our lives does not automatically mean we skillfully use those cycles to full advantage. Whether students, housewives, employees, church workers, or executives, we all face responsibilities and take part in activities that consume various amounts of our time. The reality is time spent for one purpose can NEVER be used for another purpose. Read more

Nov 23

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Daily Dose 34: The Final Flagpole

Eternity: The Forever Flagpole:

Even though all our present life experiences are packed into earth time, we cannot neglect eternity’s reality. We must train ourselves to shift our attention on a regular basis, between daily details and the eternal outlook. This is the time to lift our sights beyond immediate pressures and to reflect on the comprehensive scene, the scene with purposes larger than our own small sphere. Read more

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