To be really honest with you I do struggle with the holidays – in my middle age I seem to have gotten a little jaded in my thinking – the nice relaxing holidays of my youth do not seem to exist anymore. It is one big hurry here and hurry there. The ads are screaming at us with buy, buy, buy – get, get, get, me, me, me. And now it all seems to start in the beginning of October. Gives me a stomach ache just thinking about it.

Well this year I am praying that my family and I can slow down and enjoy this wonderful time of year. That we can reflect on all we have to be thankful for in our lives and to help those who are not as blessed as us and need some holiday cheer.

What I am thankful for:

To start I have a God in whom I trust. I am thankful that through His Son, Jesus Christ I can have a relationship with Him and I will be with Him in eternity. His hand is upon me and my family and He is just awesome! I cannot image life without Him. I am thankful that I can rest in HIM.

My hope and prayer is that for those who do not know the saving grace of Christ in this season of Hope that they will turn their hearts towards Him and start on a journey like no other.

I am thankful for my wife, Sally.

Talk about a woman. We have been married 21 years. (Mostly great) Without Sally at my side I am not sure where I would be. She is my inspiration, my encouragement, my lover, my friend, my business partner, she is the wind in my sail, she is the love in my heart and I could go on and on. I think you get the picture – she is my gift from God.

I am thankful for my three daughters, Hannah, Abbey and Grace.

I love being a girls’ daddy. I see all the boys out there and I am thankful I do not have one. My girls are, well AWESOME! I am amazed at how different they are and I treasure those differences in each of them. God has blessed each of them with unique gifts and talents, and it is so exciting to see each day how those are growing in each of them as they discover the plans and purpose God has for them.

I am thankful for my parents.

They are the best parents hands down on the planet. Without them I would not be who I am today. They set the example and showed the way for me to have a relationship with Christ. My dad showed me what it was to be a real man, how to honor and love my wife, how to raise my children. My mom showed me how to love and serve others, how to put others first – how to treat your neighbor.

I am thankful for my sisters and their families.

I have great sisters. They both have fantastic hearts and love their families. All of the children just love being together, and (at least ours) are always asking when the next time we can get together is. It is a joy to watch them grow up together.

I am thankful for Sally’s family.

Her parents of course gave me Sally. But they also are wonderful grandparents to our children. Her sister Susan is a great aunt and our kids just love her so much. She is also a great sister to Sally and is a wonderful support for her.

I am thankful for our country.

We still live a free land where we can pursue our dreams. America is still the greatest. We are going through a rough spot but I believe that we will remember our roots and return to the principles our founding fathers passed to us through the constitution. God Bless America.

Of course I am thankful for so many more things: great employees, (Tamara Rivers and Nathan Schaad); great customers (too many to list); great partners around the world; a group of terrific people that are praying for the success of RevBuilders and helping me stay the course (my Board of Accountability).

There are just too many small things I could start counting as blessings – God is so good to me and my family. If you do not know the saving grace of Jesus Christ and would like to understand the peace that only it can bring feel free to call me. I would love to talk to you about it.

I am just so thankful that I can be thankful. What are you thankful for? Let me know! I would love to hear.

I was recently invited to a luncheon hosted by WPER 89.5 & 90.5 by my good friend Jamie Gorman, who was giving a talk on Christian leadership to some of the partners of the radio station. His talk was fantastic. It sparked excellent conversation after, and my mind went to the book sitting on my desk, Christian Morals.

I invite you on my travels through Christian Morals to discover with me the timeless principles presented in the greatest book ever printed – the bible. The author takes us on a journey I am sure will challenge us and hopefully prompt us to pause, as it seem humans have been struggling with the issues of morality since the beginning of time. So let us endeavor to unlock the secrets of times past and bring forth a new generation of Christian Morals.

Shall we begin?

What rich language! I don’t know about you, but I don’t encounter writing like this everyday!

The author, Hannah, immediately captures our thoughts and reminds us that just because this is a “religious book” does not mean that is it perfect in any way.

I love the statement “good is separated from evil by such sight partitions”. How true is this in our lives everyday? Maybe this is where we get the idea that it is the small things that matter because it is the small things that separate good from evil. For Christian business owners this is a daily struggle, and quiet frankly, many of us fail on the side of evil everyday. But then “all things” are imperfect as Hannah states. She wants us to understand that she does not have all the answers and that she is not infallible.

My thoughts go to the only perfect man – Jesus – and how through grace we are saved by His blood.

What thoughts does this short, but powerful passage bring to you? What emotions does it bring up in your heart? Let’s talk and share and grow.

Just as mentors can help you navigate through your business life, having a spiritual map for your life will act as a compass in both your business and personal endeavors. Having a strong spiritual life enables you to rise above obstacles, removes limitations, and empowers you to achieve more than you once thought possible.

Success is attainable by anyone who is ready to make the necessary adjustments to their life in order to achieve it. A wish without action is simply a wish. Begin taking the necessary steps to create success in your life and you’ll find yourself making amazing progress on journey through this thing we call life.

Enjoy the weekend.

We all remember the character of Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Life who sits before the mirror and chants to himself, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!” As corny as it sounds, there is a basic truth there, the more you tell yourself that you’re smart, creative and able to reach your goals, the more you begin to believe it and, once you begin to believe it, you make yourself ready, subconsciously, to achieve your goals and receive your rewards.

Being positive is a state of mind, which is better than the alternative choice. The Good book tells us to think on the good things – so maybe that would be good advice to follow.

Becoming a success is no different. We learn how to be successful from those who have achieved success in their own lives. This might be someone you know already, someone you would like to know, or someone who has trail blazed many years before you.

Modeling your success after the success of another allows you to avoid potential pitfalls and provides you with a map of how to achieve your own success.

If this is true, then why do so few apply this in their lives?

The reasons are as many as there are people. Excuses abound in our world and as I heard some where once before – “Excuses are like armpits – everyone has two and they both stink.” …unknown

The only way I know of for most of us to really excel is to find someone or some group we can learn from and be accountable too, otherwise we will slip into our old habits and continue along the same path to nowhere.

Personally the best thing I have done in a long time is form what is called an accountability board. I have four very successful businessmen who are willing to meet monthly with me and mentor me. It has been powerful – both from a personal level and a professional level.

Click to learn more about setting Boards of Accountability.

While it seems easy to say that the money, success, and effort is your own, the truth is success cannot survive in a vacuum. You must be willing to give and share in that success and remain open to the needs of those around you.

“To whom much is given, from him much will be required” – (Luke 12:48)

We are in desperate need of those who will serve others. Each of us is gifted to accomplish this in some capacity.  From serving just one to serving many, to serving your own family to serving the needs of families everywhere, or as a business leader serving your employees and keeping their best interest at heart instead of your own. Developing a servants heart comes in many forms and to truly be successful you must serve.

We can not escape the condition of our heart.

No one reaches the top alone. There are those who you’ll find helping you along the way. Whether it’s your family or a stranger, you’ll be surprised at the people who will somehow be able to help you on your road to success. Like Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road, you can’t afford to turn your back on the man who seems to only be worth a bail of hay. You simply never know when that person will be there to return the love you once showed them.

Next: Develop a Servant’s Heart

Failure is one thing and one thing alone. Failure is when you give up. While you will, no doubt, face many obstacles, dead-ends, and hard times, you haven’t failed. Success begins with picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and starting all over again until you get it right. Failure is an event, it is not you.

One way I look at it is – I was successful in discovering how something did not work. If you keep this attitude you will never fail.

Next: Love People

When Jon Krakauer faced the seemingly impossible climb up Everest, he knew the risks. He knew that there had been many that had gone before him and never made it back. As he climbed upward, battling sub-zero temperatures and passing those who had fallen before him, he knew he was taking a very big risk. However, he survived and became a national celebrity for it.

While you don’t have to climb Mount Everest to succeed in your goals, you must be willing to take risks. Without risk, success will forever elude you. Talk to any successful individual and they will tell you that, without risk, they wouldn’t be where they are today.

Next: Failure Is Not an Option

If you’ve dreamed of being CEO of your own corporation, yet you are – again – limiting yourself and begin telling yourself that such a goal is absurd and unattainable, then the outcome is undeniable. You’ll remain where you are until you begin to understand that everyone who has accomplished seemingly unattainable goals has begun from right where you are: the beginning.

Next: Be Willing to Risk