A Man After God's Own Heart

The Bible says David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14; Acts 13:22). Actually, God called David "a man after His own heart" twice! I've always been in awe of this title, bestowed upon David by Almighty God, and yet David seemed to live a life that was far less virtuous than many other men and women of the Bible. (Joseph, Elijah, Elisha are just a few names that come to mind)

For those who might not be familiar with David's story he was chosen as a young man to be the King of Israel. But first he proved himself worthy through multiple trials and challenges. He slay the champion of one of Israel's mightiest enemies, Goliath the giant. He served faithfully under King Saul despite Saul's manic mood swings and even Saul's attempts at ending David's life. He wrote just under half of the Psalm's in the Bible. He also killed a man, Uriah the Hittite, to obtain that man's wife. He lived in non-repentance for that sin for at least a year, then expressed disbelief when confronted with his sin by Nathan the prophet. His family situation was a mess, with one of his children attempting to kill him and take his throne. One of his wife's despised his walk with God, and one of his children raped his half-sister. One of his son's killed his own brother. And yet the Bible tells us that David took no action. (To learn more about this account read 2nd Samuel 13 and beyond) His family leadership was passive at best, destructive at worst. 

Like all of us, David was human.

But what made him a man after God's own heart?

I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

Meat Loaf, who provided some of the greatest songs to the soundtrack of my life, died yesterday at the age of 74. 

New Year Resolutions (A Fresh Look)

The blog entry for this week is an article from Harvard Professor Hirotaka Takeuchi:

Ambitious, far-reaching New Year’s resolutions often end in disappointment. So instead of setting unrealistic goals in 2022, leaders should consider making smaller, simpler changes—and they just might see better results, says Harvard Business School Professor Hirotaka Takeuchi.

Here, Takeuchi explains how business leaders can use the following seven practices to guide their own self-improvement efforts in the new year:

1. Develop routines, or kata

As we gain the ability to collect and analyze more data more quickly, decision-making and problem-solving have become increasingly complex. Many people look to technology to solve modern problems, but the more technology advances, the more human reasoning and creativity is often needed to shape and apply it, Takeuchi says.

To exercise those human strengths and remain centered amid mounting complexity, Takeuchi recommends developing and using kata, a Japanese word that means specific routines, as a means to keep your thoughts and actions in sync with your mission, whether on a personal level or within the business context. For example, at Toyota, “ask why five times,” is a kata that helps employees determine the root causes of problems.

Nostalgia

Okay, take a breath - you just survived "The Holidays". In fact, go ahead and take another breath - you've earned it. Ha!

You know, for as long as I've been an adult, I've heard that phrase, "surviving the holidays". Yet in my own experience I have way more positive memories about the holidays than negative. (And I hope the same can be said for you as well)

Sure, like most people who has lived over sixty years on this planet, there have been some gut-wrenching, tear jerking, store that memory in a dark closet and throw away the key moments, but by and large, I look forward to the holiday season and the unique memories that have generated over the years.  

But there is an area that I sometimes struggle with regarding the holidays and that is an obsession with nostalgia. Now don’t get me wrong, being nostalgic is wonderful, in many cases it helps to recall good times, people and places that you might have forgotten,  or wonderful traditions that bring a warm fuzzy feeling to your heart. But what people sometimes forget is that when you blast yourself into the past, "Don't forget the way back".