Weekly Thought – September 19, 2017
Fred met monthly with men named “The AM/PM Group.” They met in the morning (AM) and Peter McNally (PM) organized it. The purpose was challenge and growth. The members gave Fred a photo-shopped picture of themselves as taller than real life with the inscription: “You stretched us.”
BWFLI has the privilege of relationships which continue beyond the campus events. During the hurricane disasters we have joined in prayer with several of our schools affected by the destruction. What a privilege to connect with these institutions of Christian higher education during these times.
Mentoring Questions
(The AM/PM group asked Fred to capture some of the mentoring questions they discussed monthly. Later on, the BWF Project asked him to give his thumbnail answers to them. Fred had no preparation – these are his top of mind responses while lying in his hospital bed. They will be featured for the next three weeks.)
1) How do I define integrity? To me, integrity is when all the parts do well what they are supposed to do.
2) What are my allergies (things that turn me off emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically)? I want to have an allergy to error, superficiality, and elements of a weak character. As my friend Steve Brown says, “The things that God dislikes I should dislike. The things He likes I should promote.”
3) What equally touches my head and heart? One of the most difficult things emotionally is to get the thoughts from our head into our hearts. Yet out of the heart are the issues of life. This means we must have our emotions join our mind before we are effective in what we do.
4) When do I feel guilty? A Christian should never feel guilty, but repentant in response to conviction. Once we confess we can be assured of His forgiveness. Sin should not be met with guilt, but with confession and forgiveness. One of the mystics said often our guilt is worse than our sin. This is because our guilt is self-imposed.
5) What can I concentrate on at length? Our passion should be for that which needs doing, is worth doing, and is do-able. If I can’t do it, then it is foolish to spend time thinking about it. I am strong on concentration because it is a discipline. I find focused concentration is one of the hallmarks of successful men and women. Solutions come through long term concentration.
6) How much change can I comfortably undergo? Change is always necessary for improvement. But change is not always improvement. Evaluation is required by comparing past, present, and consideration of the future to determine its value.
7) What necessary disciplines do I have (or lack)? Discipline is the ultimate result of habit. We must first decide what habits are necessary in every area of our life, and then we must practice until they becomes reflexes. Once they are reflexes then they easily become the disciplines which we do automatically. We should occasionally review our disciplines to make sure they are applicable to our progress and development.
Think carefully about this week: 1) Which of these questions should I think about this week? 2) Who needs me to ask them one of these questions? 3) How can I develop the skill of self-examination?
Words of Wisdom: “We must practice our habits until they become reflexes.”
Wisdom from the Word: “When the queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, she came to challenge him with difficult questions.” (1 Kings 10:1 NET Bible)