In Yoke

My work as a technology company sales engineer, consultant, and manager has been greatly improved, augmented and complemented by our alliance and association with the folks at Clearview, the group of former Arthur Andersen, EDS, ACS,  and Accenture consultants who have built the Waco Internet Technology Gateway in Waco. This is the datacenter where we now maintain our offices in Downtown Waco. One thing I appreciate so much and have made part of my work day, and sales discipline—is taking painstaking time to prepare—especially for prospect presentations. The guys who have spent their careers as consultants know that this is very much a Best Practice. Now, when we are seeking to make a presentation to a client, or prospect, or even to have a discovery meeting to work on building a relationship, my work mate Josh and I make sure we rehearse that meeting, carefully scripting the message, carefully wording the ideas, the thought processes behind our solution or project plans. What ...

I have heard stories of men and women who were imprisoned in solitary confinement, without anything but their own hearts and their own memories to examine. These same folks tell of how whole passages of scripture, complete stories of Jesus and of the Apostles, of prophets, of Psalms, have come clear to them, untrammeled, descriptive, like medicine to their lonely, tortured soul. These “balms of Gilead” are also available to us-like myself, who have been instructed in the ways of the Lord throughout our lives…even when being spared imprisonment. I know His word has come to me many times in my lowest moments, and in my humdrum day to day existence, to enlighten, to encourage, to clarify, to inspire, to energize. Paul the apostle states- Christ dwells in our hearts through faith(Ephesians 3:17), and all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden and can be found in Christ. It stands to reason then, that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge of God can be found—in the hear...

It is no little wisdom for you to keep yourself in silence and in good peace when evil words are spoken to you, and to turn your heart to God and not to be troubled with the judgment of others. -Thomas a Kempis Most of us appreciate praise, but it is disastrous to become dependent on it. If we are going to allow our security to be bolstered up by the praise, appreciation, and applause of others, we are done for. I have heard about a well-known movie star who goes to sleep at night with a tape of recorded applause playing. This is going to make him more and more insecure.  Why should we get agitated if someone ignores us? There are, after all, advantages to being ignored. We can go anywhere in freedom. Nobody recognizes us - how good it is! In life, there are occasions when we are ignored and sometimes forgotten. That is the time for us to remind ourselves, "Why do I need anybody's attention?" This attitude can be cultivated skillfully.  Even those of us who are the most s...

Loss of discrimination is the greatest source of danger. -Sanskrit proverb The greatest source of danger to a human being is loss of discrimination, and this is the main malady in our modern civilization, where we have lost our capacity to differentiate between what is necessary and useful, and what is unnecessary and harmful. How often do we stop and ask, "What is really important? What matters most to me?" If every one of us starts asking this simple question, it will transform our daily lives and even the world in which we live. After all, we need clean air and water more than we need microwave ovens. Doing work that is meaningful and of service to others is more important than owning luxury cars.We need loving human relationships more than we need home entertainment systems. Many modern conveniences make life more pleasant and can save time. We needn't live without them, but when we begin to think such things are not merely useful but prized possessions, we may gradua...