Monthly Archives: May 2009

May 20, 2009

Which Route To Take?

Have you ever gone on a journey, knowing exactly where you are heading and then there is a detour in the road and you find yourself lost?

I have on many occasions (even though I never get lost!) found myself knowing where I want to go, thinking I was on the right path but suddenly finding I am now unsure of the way. There has been other times when I have driven somewhere I have been a couple of times before, but forget which road to take and find myself going around in circles.

This can be like us in life. Many of us know where we are going, the destination is clear, yet for some reason or another we either find ourselves off track or we have been forced to find another route. This is me! I am someone who knows where I am going, but along this journey I have even driven off the known path trying to find a short cut, or been detoured through no fault of my own. I am in that kind of situation today and so like all good men I stop and ask for directions! Well, not exactly, but I have been looking at different routes to get me to where I am heading and investigating whether that road will take me there.

Yesterday I started reading a book (I won’t tell you the name) that is all about a prospective path I could take. I was intrigued by how it started. In the first couple of chapters it went through reasons why you should or should not go down this path, and what the characteristics were of people who went down this path. Then it said, if you are not like these people do something else.

After reading this the thought came to me, when we want to go down a particular path in our careers, education or even our social life then we should check out the type of people who have already made a successful journey through that path. Check out what kind of personality they have, what sacrifices they made and how long it took them before they saw some success.

We often want to do many things, but we are not all wired to do everything. The age old business proverb is, ‘find what you are better than everyone else at, then do it!” This is very true, and someotimes we want to take a route that we will find ourselves in over our heads.

So today, look at your personality, look at your gifts and talents, look at your past experiences and if they all align with people who have successfully gone down a path your are considering, then go for it. If not, look at some other options, it will save you a lot of time and energy in the long run!

2 comments | posted in Direction, Life in general

May 18, 2009

The Principle Of The Path by Andy Stanley

By alexpenduck

I recently read “The Principle of The Path” by Andy Stanley as part of the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program and I have to say this has to be one of the best and most life changing books I have ever read. I feel a little silly saying this because this is a very simple book and I discovered nothing new or any hidden secrets I have been looking for, but what I discovered in this book was a very real analysis of who I am and where I am in this journey we call life.

The Principle Of The Path is based on a very simple idea/philosophy. You are where you are today because of the decisions and paths you have taken in the past. That’s it! Simple as that! However, as simple as it sounds many of us make decisions that bring us pleasure today but we forget about where that decision will take us for tomorrow.

Throughout this book Andy Stanley pin points the reasons you have reached this particular point in your life, whether it be a successful place or unsuccessful. He also outlines this principle that if followed and thought through will bring you on a course or a path where you will start to fulfill your dreams and goals that may seem a long way off. The sub title to this book is called, “How to get from where you are to where you are going”. That explains this book in a nutshell.

There were three questions towards the beginning of this book that I believe everyone should ask themselves, these were:

Are there disconnects in your life?
Are there discrepancies between what you desire in your heart and what you are doing with your life?
Is there alignment between your intentions and your direction? (p34)

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, go get this book and soak in what Andy Stanley teaches you.

I have read many of Andy Stanley’s books, this one is a little different from the others I’ve read. This is a book for any person in any place of life. I recently had a big decision I had to make in my life and this book helped me stop going down a path that I would have liked to have investigated, but because of this book I realized this path would not lead me to the place I wanted to go in life.

I thought this book was not only a great read but it was challenging and very insightful. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a dream and wants to get there.

1 comment | posted in Book Reviews, Direction

May 15, 2009

Why Change Is Necessary – Change The Road

By alexpenduck

Today is my final installment of why I believe change is sometimes necessary. For those going through change it can be an exciting or anxious time. Change often means doing away with something we have done in the past. This can often be hard to do, but necessary in certain situations. We have already learnt that at times we need to change the pace, then yesterday we discovered what it means to change the lanes of life. Today is our third reason why change is necessary.

Change The Road

Have you ever come to a road sign that says “Road Closed” and ignored the sign because you think you know better? I have done it on many occasions knowing that I can get through even though it is closed. Well, I have been successful on some occasions but 90% of the time there is no way through. I don’t know why I just don’t read the sign and try to find an alternative route, but the man in me say, “I can do this!”. The problem with this attitude is that most of the time I find myself having to backtrack and it taking twice as long to get to my destination because I didn’t read the sign.

There are signs all around us and many of these signs are warning us of something in the future. I hate it when I pursue something just to find it is a closed door at the end of the road, yet many times I know before hand this is not a door I must pursue. This is why when you see the warning signs it is time to change the road. Taking a detour is not what we planned on doing when we set out on our journey, but sometimes it is necessary because circumstances beyond our control take us that way.

Maybe you went through your college years planning a route into your desired career and now door after door has closed and it feels like you have got to a dead end. Think through your route and see if there is another road you can take to get to your final destination, it may take longer but it will get you to where you want to go.

I know in my life I have to be ready at any point to change to planned route I was taking. Over the last couple of months I have seen how roads I was planning to take have been closed and now I’m having to find another route to get where I was going. This is why it is always important to map out alternatives and to know what to do if your plan A is no longer viable.

Change can be hard, but at times change is necessary and it often take us to a place we didn’t think we could get to before we made the change. Don’t resist change, but embrace it and see what God can do when you become open to his perfect plan.

1 comment | posted in Church, Direction, Leadership, Life in general