Author: jeffrey arbusto

   At Your Best

By Carey Nieuwhof

 

– It is said that 70% of American adult workers are experiencing some kind of burnout.  – Stress, and its cousin burnout, are spreading like a pandemic.  

– If you don’t think that stress costs you anything, you are wrong.  

– Your excuse might be that you are just in a busy season, but seasons have  beginnings and endings. If saying it’s a season is always your excuse then it’s not just  a season rather your life. Something needs to change. 

– Time off will not heal you when the problem is how you spend your time on.  

– Time off, vacations and sabbaticals are not the solution for an unsustainable pace; a  sustainable pace is the solution.  

– You get aggravated when other people don’t value your time, but the real problem is  that you don’t value your time.  

– Hijacked priorities happen when you let other people determine what you get done.  

– Many people have not learned to say no, or to say no in a way that does not offend  others and burn bridges.  

– Be truthful about time. We say we can’t do something or couldn’t finish something  because we didn’t have time. The truth is we have time but waste or do not prioritize  it.  

– We love excuses, but excuses kill hopes, dreams and goals.  

– You can make excuses or you can make progress, but you can’t make both. 

– Stop saying you didn’t have time and start being truthful by saying you didn’t make the time.  

– Although there are times that you cannot control (work), you do have control of much  of your time (before and after work, at home or with family).  

– Focus on the time and things that you can control not the things you cannot control.  – We give more attention and time to things in life that are urgent yet not so important.  

– The wrong things will always want your attention. The hard thing is to make sure the  right things get your attention.  

– If you’re waiting for the optimal time to do your best work, that will never happen.  – Turn off all notifications when you are trying to get work done.  

– Good sleep is still one of the best things to help you be more productive.  – A focused you is a is a better you.  

– Control your calendar so that others do not control you. If you do not plan and live by  your calendar, you will begin living by other people’s agenda.  

– Other people’s needs do not have to become your guilt. 

– You become what you repeatedly do.  

– You have to block out time for priorities and what matters to you.

Above life’s turmoil

By James Allen

 

– You can transform everything around you if you will transform yourself. – Every man thinks, acts, and lives in exact accordance to that which he believes. – He that criticizes and condemns believes in hatred towards others, not love. – Belief always proceeds action. 

– Whatever you are in your secret thoughts, be it good or bad, you will eventually be in  your deeds. 

– You choose by your thoughts what you will entertain. 

– No man is wise because of another but because he chooses that himself. No man is  hindered or suffers because of another, he is hindered or suffers because of himself. 

– The man that thinks hateful thoughts brings hatred upon himself, the same goes for  love.  

– If a man cannot govern his inner self, he will not be able to govern other areas. – It is by self-control that a man rises higher and higher.  

– Let a man use self-discipline, and he will live better.  

– Your greatest hindrances are your own passions and delusions. 

– There are three things which a man must be content with: 

1. With whatever happens  
2. With his friendships and possessions  
3. With his thoughts  

– There are three things which a man should not be content with:  1. With his opinions 

2. With his character  
3. With his spiritual condition  

– Brotherhood cannot exist when we are self-seeking. 

– There are four enemies destructive to brotherhood:  

1. Pride 
2. Self-love 
3. Hatred 
4. Condemnation 

– There are four chief qualities of divine brotherhood:  

1. Humility 
2. Self-surrender 
3. Love 
4. Compassion 

– Blessed is he who has no wrongs to remember, no injuries to forget, and whose pure  heart no hateful thought about another can take root and flourish.  

When Good Men Get Angry  

by Bill Perkins

– Anger management is a lack of understanding God‘s omnipresence in your  life. 

– To control your anger you must understand who you are in Christ.  – Lack of respect is a large reason many men become angry. – Pride feeds your flesh, which in turn feeds your anger. 

– An arrogant man believes he is always right. 

– Anger gives people a sense of control. 

– Most people cannot feel compassion for the person when they are angry. – Choose forgiveness. 

– Bitterness fuels anger. 

– Pray positive prayers about the person you are angry against. – Bitterness and love cannot be fostered in the same heart. 

– It’s easier to forgive someone you decide to understand. Decide to process  your anger alone with God. 

– Bury the past so you can celebrate the future.  

 

When Good Men Are Tempted

by Bill Perkins

When we are tempted, remember the following things: 

1. Perspective – who you are in Christ. 
2. Presence – He is with you at all times.
3.  Power — His power is on you and in you. 

Victory Over Darkness 

By Neil Anderson

– As Christians, we are not sinners in the hand of an angry God, we are saints in the  hand of a loving God. 

– We (as a Christian) are not becoming a Christian, we are a child of God becoming  more Christlike. 

– Freedom is not about a license or legalism, it’s about liberty. 

– We call a church a sanctuary, but the real sanctuary on this earth is our relationship  in Jesus Christ. 

– The important thing about faith is the object of your faith. The question is not if you  have or don’t have faith, the question is what your object of faith is in. 

– How much faith you have is dependent on where you place the object of your faith. – Your emotions have much to do with your thought life. 

– You are not a product of your past, you are a child of God!  

– You can get over trauma and let things go because you are a child of God, and you  can forgive. 

– God wants to exchange your ashes for His beauty. How could you refuse such an  offer by holding tightly to something that happened to you. 

– Instead of thinking you have a right to be treated a certain way, remember your  responsibilities to God. 

– Don’t let anyone else determine your worth, you are a child of God. 

The New One Minute Manager

By Ken Blanchard

– 80% of your results will come from 20% of your goals. Set the right goals. – Expectations must be clear to everyone involved.  

– When someone feels good about themself, they’re usually more productive. 

– Teach people how to solve problems, to think through things until they find a  solution. 

– Giving crystal clear feedback is important.  

– Help others reach their full potential by catching them doing something right.  Most managers catch people doing things wrong, but you will make a difference  if you catch people doing things right. 

– Make it clear to people that you believe in them and are confident in their work.  – The best minute you spend is the one investing in people. 

– No one wants to bowl if they can’t see how many pens they are knocking down  — and same goes with a job. A job must be clear for those working. 

– Feedback is the breakfast of champions.  

– Everyone is a potential winner, don’t let their disguise fool you. 

– When someone does not perform right, let them know their behavior and their  worth are not the same. They are valuable even if they failed in an area. 

– Deep down, people want to work for themselves, so give them a reason to do  their job well. 

– Let people know upfront what you are going to do to help them win. 

The Compassionate Shepherd  

By John Ashley

– As we serve, worship, and love the Lord, we will go through trying times. The good  that God is working, many times, is not immediately known. Truth is, we may never  know what God is or was doing. Situations that arise in our life could be what God is  using to work for good in someone else’s life. — Page 23 

– I read a quote sometime ago that said, “Someone had to go through the fire, in order  for Nebuchadnezzar to see the Lord.” — Page 24 

– We need to be careful when it comes to preaching to a broken heart. Most times  people don’t need preaching, they need a compassionate ear. — Page 24 

– God may be using our testimony through our trial to work good in someone else’s life  along with ours. — Page 28 

– It is important to realize that the trials we go through are influencing more than just  ourselves. None of us live in a vacuum. People around us can be impacted, either  positively or negatively, by our reaction to our trials. — Page 28 

– The trials we experience are to teach us to be content. — Page 36 

– Many times we discount the effect of our trials on others around us. People need to  know God is real, and we can show them God’s power by staying faithful to Him  through our trials. Our testimony isn’t so much how we act, rather how we react to  situations that arise in our life. — Page 38 

– I have heard many Christians say, “God will never give us more than we can handle.”  I have even said those words myself. I heard one man even relate a quote of a friend  that said, “I wish God didn’t think I was so tough.” The truth is, the Lord will regularly  give us more than we can handle!! The life of a child of God is to be a life of  

dependence upon Him. — Page 40 

– We, as shepherds, need the power of God on our lives! People don’t need to see an  example of our intestinal fortitude, they need to see a living example of the power of  God!! — Page 41 

– When we as shepherds can come to the place of realizing that our trials are an  amazing source of God‘s power, it will change how we lead, teach, and preach the  word of God. — Page 41 

– I cannot emphasize enough the importance of being a listener. People that are  hurting need a listening ear. They don’t need anyone to “fix” the situation, they just  need someone they can talk to. They need to talk through their situation, how they  feel about things. — Page 54-55 

– We are all called to bear one another’s burdens, but you, shepherd, will be called on  to be the chief burden bearer in many situations. Your presence will do more to  comfort someone in need than you will realize. — Page 59 

– One of the best ways of dealing with our own personal hurt is to help others that are  hurting. Getting involved in groups that help people that have gone through similar  circumstances can help to ease the pain we are feeling. It is therapeutic to help bear  someone else’s burdens. — Page 67-68 

– Correct to counsel, like grief itself, is a process. We can help, little by little. It’s not a  “one and done” kind of a work. It also doesn’t need to be formal type of counsel. You  don’t need to sit in an office and have a set agenda. A lot of good counsel can be  

done by just being a friend; someone who is willing to show an interest in another’s  pain and be patient with them. By doing this, you show others the action of  compassion. — Page 85-86 

– Be of good cheer Christian! Every attack of the Devil is filtered through the hand of  our Loving Heavenly Father. He can’t touch us without the Lord allowing it. — Page  96 

– Many people look to the Lord to bring them a physical healing, and God is able.  However, as we seek after the physical, we miss out on the emotional and spiritual  healing that we need during our times of pain and grief. As we look for an outward  miracle to take place, we miss out on the internal miracle He is working in our lives.  — Page 108 

– The Christian life is to be a life of faith in God. We are saved by grace, through faith,  but saving faith is elementary faith; it is the beginning of a life that should be lived by  sustaining faith. The sad truth is that most Christians go no further in their  relationship with the Lord than saving faith. They are thankful that God has saved  them by faith, but they choose to live by sight and self-control. — Page 112 

– Our trials and sufferings are a sure thing. How we react to those trials will make us  better or make us bitter. — Page 113 

– Trials are needed in our life because we are too self-sufficient most of the time.  However, when trials come into our lives, we look to the Lord in a more dependent  way. We find more of His grace and strength in times of trial, and He always proves  Himself faithful. — Page 115 

– “God will take us where we do not want to go, in order to produce in us what we  could not achieve on our own.” — Paul Tripp — Page 118 

– I enjoy hard preaching, but if the preaching is all passion, and no compassion, it  comes across as dictatorial. That type of preaching may feed the intellect, but it  never enters into the heart. — Page 140 

– So many today look for someone to care. Our compassion needs to move us to do  something substantive. We need to be motivated to move. The Bible teaches that  people will know we are Christ’s disciples by our love one to another, but love is  more than words or emotions. That must be demonstrated. — Page 141-142 

 

Self-Discipline Book

By Armani Murphy

– Getting clear on what your goals are will help you avoid procrastination. In other  words, if you put exactly what needs to be done or the time it needs to be done, it  will help you avoid procrastinating. 

– Your goals should be achievable and attainable. If you set them too high, you might  look at them and become discouraged. 

– Put a concrete time to start and finish a project. Without placing a time, there’s no  urgency or real need to finish your project/goal. 

– Habits are important to accomplish your goal, but your habits have to be specific.  Instead of just saying you want to wake up earlier, put an exact time you will wake up  or do what is on your list.  

– The top three habits of highly effective people are:  

1. The 80/20 rule (also known as the Pareto Principle).  
2. Waking up early.  
3. Eliminating distractions.