Weekly Thought – April 29, 2014

Fred never tired of learning.  He stayed open to seeing life.  Even in his older age, he constantly asked questions, pursued wisdom, and explored the corners of his universe.

These Weekly Thoughts are part of our legacy which is the BWF Project, Inc.  We began as a way to “relevantly communicate the lifework of Fred Smith, Sr.”  The Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute is an extension of that mission by focusing on those coming behind.  We thank you for your consistent support.

Wonderment

Early one morning I listened to Carlos Fuentes, the South American novelist.  He described the heart of a novel as “amazement.” I stay open to this concept all the time – I call it wonderment.  It means looking openly at those things which cause within me a sense of awe and worship.  Someone has said that the true mark of genius is not creating awe in others, but in being awed.

Most of us have a tendency to be cynical, closed-minded, disinterested, even bored.  Concentrating on our knowledge rather than our ignorance, we lose our sense of awe.  I like to think of “making friends with my ignorance.”  What I do not know is my future playground.  I don’t need to compare what I know to others; I need to compare what little I do know to the vast amount I do not.  The more we learn, the more we realize we have to learn.

The more you look for wonder, the more you see.  It’s a discipline.  Too many people get jaded and say, “so what?”  That is not the Biblical spirit.  The Apostle Paul didn’t say, “so what?” – he said, “so THAT.”  Paul had a vision and a sense of wonder in what God was doing.   (more…)

Weekly Thought – February 11, 2014

Fred stressed redemption.  He talked of redeeming the time, experiences, and relationships.  He wrote in You and Your Network of the importance of enemies. This month the emails feature his thinking on the value of including them in the evaluation of a personal network.

Each week we receive emails confirming the encouragement of Fred’s words.  Thank you for your support.  And, we certainly appreciate your financial gifts which allow us to continue our work.

The Power to Take Hurt

Through enemies we learn to take hurt rather than give it, thereby redeeming the situation.  A young man in the congregation of Peninsula Bible Church (Palo Alto, CA) said, “If I meet a dude on the street and he starts calling me names, I am not going to try to understand him.  I am going to make him stop; I am going to grab him and push him into the gutter.”  Then he paused, “That is what I used to do, but I don’t do that anymore.”  He found the power through Christ to absorb injustice and discovered the truth that a soft answer turns away wrath.  This keeps the hostile situation from proliferating but also creates a question in the enemy’s mind: “What gives him the power to do that?”  This, then, becomes the witness to the spiritual power for it is not natural to take hurt when you are capable of returning it.

The Catholic monk, Thomas A Kempis put it this way: “It is good that we at times endure opposition and that we are evilly and untruly judged when our actions and intentions are good.  Often such experiences promote humility and protect us from vainglory.  For then we seek God’s witness in our heart.”     (more…)

Weekly Thought – November 12, 2013

Fred and Mary Alice showed their three children the country, teaching them the value of travel.  However, Fred was influenced by his love of efficiency and looked at family road trip from the “How fast can I get from A to B?” perspective.  They whizzed past national monuments, teepee tourist courts, and must see stops.  Later he realized the children chose to enjoy the journey, not play beat the clock with their own family trips.

Planning is underway for the Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL. on February 20, 21, 2014.  Please join in prayer with us.  Thank you for your continuing encouragement.

Choose A Pleasant Road

Too often, after selecting our destination, and making our plans, we fail to look at all the possible ways of getting there.  Recently, on the West Coast, I decided to turn off the interstate and follow an exciting scenic route.  Generally we miss the byways and endure the highways to “save time.”

Is time always that important?

Sometimes we become so goal-oriented we forget to consider the ways of getting there.  The road should be interesting.  We spend much more time on the trip than at the destination.  Why shouldn’t it bring satisfaction?  Remember, this isn’t always the fastest route.  Learn the joy of the journey and amplify the value and benefit of the goal.     (more…)

Weekly Thought – November 5, 2013

Fred sat on a tombstone when he was in his twenties thinking about the direction he wanted for his life.  To codify his thinking he wrote out an epitaph: “He stretched others.”  He said, “I enjoyed seeing people productive and growing.”  His tombstone in Dallas, Texas bears those three words for indeed, he did!

“Thank you for last week’s email.  I really needed to hear that and I am sure many others did, too.”  The Weekly Thoughts are sent as an encouragement and as a way to allow Fred’s work to keep on stretching others. As you know we are currently having a critical fundraising drive and your help in large and small contributions is needed.

Direction not Goals

Choosing a life direction is more important than just focusing on goals.  Enticing short term goals can take one off course and in a faulty direction.  Mature success and satisfaction come in the direction we move, not in the goals we attain.

I oppose setting an ultimate goal for one’s life, in the sense of a specific, definable, measurable, figure-oriented place in life — the place for arrival.  This puts too much importance on one decision.  This closes off the serendipity of life which leads to magnificent adventures.

I have known too many executives who set a title as their ultimate goal only to realize that the joy was in the challenge of achievement, not the actual job attained.  The old song says it well, “Is this all there is?”  I laugh at the picture of the man spent a lifetime climbing a ladder only to realize at the top it was leaning against the wrong wall.     (more…)

Weekly Thought – October 8, 2013

Fred believed in his body’s ability to heal itself, sometimes to the “I can only speak personally”, but I have found when I have the right attitude my body has great recuperative power.  When our children complain of a humdrum life I tell them;  “There’s nothing wrong with you that a little excitement won’t cure!”   Fred was severely immobilized in his last four or five years.  He was quoted in a national magazine:  “I am not disabled; I am delightfully dependent.” He had a joyful attitude.

Please continue to pray for the BWFLI team that is heading to East Texas Baptist University on October 22nd.  Thank you for ongoing encouragement and support.

Joyful Health

Joy can live in a sick or disabled body…the spirit can overcome the physical limitations. Joy can also reside in a body that is well-respected, protected from abuse.

Very few people miss a vacation due to illness.  Most of the school children who are sick to their stomachs are often “sick of school,” or afraid to face a pressured situation.  I have no scientific survey to prove this, but I would daresay a class led by an exciting and loving teacher experiences less absenteeism.      (more…)