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I am sitting at home watching the NFL playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos. My daughter is watching with me while keeping an eye on her Twitter feed. I am amazed at how much is being said about Tim Tebow. Not because he has not been a lighting rod this year but because the people with the most negative comments start their visceral by saying that they are Christians too, but …..

Now think about it with me. What has Tim Tebow really done? He has done three things that seem to bring all the ire of these Christians. (1) He talks openly about his faith. (2) He prays before, during, and after games. (3) He wins more than he looses. And for this he is spoken of as if he is the devil himself. Most of those who are quick to criticize him do so with no knowledge of him, no relationship with him, and no real understanding of who he is in his life or what is really important to him.

Adam Wainright, St. Louis Cardinal star pitcher, has a different view. He was recently quoted as saying, “I am obsessed with Tim Tebow. I’m not afraid to say it. It’s almost embarrassing to us athletes that this much emphasis is put on Tim Tebow because that means we aren’t living our lives as we should. If we did that more often, the way he is living wouldn’t be as big a story. I’m so proud of him for living out his faith.”

I think that it would be good if Christians across America would understand that Tim is just trying to live his life in a way he feels honors God. It doesn’t have to be the way any others live theirs. And more than anything I wish Christian people would not be sucked into attacking a believer, not for his skills as a player, but for his desire to live to the glory of God.

Maybe we should read and re-read Wainright’s assessment and realize that Tim wouldn’t appear to be so unique if we all lived our lives for the glory of God.

Just my thoughts!

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I have just watched two of the most incredible football games of the season. In both games the BCS heavy weights were beaten by teams that dug deep and earned the wins. In the first game USC went on the road to beat Oregon (go Trogans!) and in the second Baylor defended its home field and beat Oklahoma for the first time ever (way to go Bears!).

In their victories both eventual winners had to hold off furious comebacks by the teams that “should have won.” And in the indomitable spirit of team, both did!

I find myself thinking a lot about the condition of the world these days and hear the prophets of the day declaring the end of civilization as we have known it. While all the indicators would cause the best minds around to agree with the prophet’s message of gloom, I believe that, just like USC and Baylor, you just never know!

What it will take to turn what is expected to be a defeat into a victory is:

1. People to refuse to let the difficulties of life rob us of our drive, determination, commitment to personal success.
2. A determination to stay the course and not to let the difficulties that will surly arise from lessening our efforts every day.
3. Staying the course when the inevitable press comes from the superior force of the opposition.
4. Learning to adapt and innovate to counter the strengths of those who would oppose what is right and good.
5. Being willing to live a life of sacrifice until the victory is won!

These two games made me really think. I hope you will consider where you are and will choose with me (and a host of others) to “stand and deliver” in this great time of struggle knowing that anything can happen when you decide to do things right! You just never know!

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As a Pastor and a business owner, I am often confronted by the stresses associated with “growth.” A church needs new growth to help expand ministries and do more to make God real in its community and of course businesses need to grow to become viable and to make a difference to clients, customers, and, as with churches, the community.

So, when considering the whole idea of growth, those in the know tell me that I need a growth strategy.  According to the dictionary a strategy is, “a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result.” With this definition in mind I have developed a five part strategy to produce growth:

1. Pray – God knows everything and so I need to consult him first. He promises that if I do, he will order my steps and make my life to prosper at his hand.

2. Listen – Once I have taken my inquiry to the Lord, I need to wait on him to open my eyes to his direction and will. Sometimes this comes immediately and sometimes this takes a little while. Either way I should not move until I listen for and “hear” his thoughts on the matter.

3. Pray – After I am comfortable that I have listened and heard the mind of the Spirit on the matter, I need to pray some more. In this time of prayer, I will be making sure that the directions I believe that have come from God are indeed from him and not from “other voices” that invade my thought processes. This praying make take the form of a single prayer in which God’s Spirit gives clear understanding to proceed or it may take a little time to get that clear and confident understanding.

4. Think – Now, I have clear direction, a God directed strategy and the indication from the Lord that this is the way to go. Next step – THINK! Notice I didn’t say question. In this stage I simply want to get comfortable with God’s direction and make sure I can implement it as he wants it done. Running off “half-cocked” is never a good idea. Following ALL of God’s directions is!

5. Do – If you never implement your strategy, you will never grow. (Not as a church, not as a business, not as a person.) God never gives us a plan, confirms that plan, and refines the implementation of the plan for us to put it on a shelf and never follow through. No strategy is effective if it is not implemented.

Now, you may not be trying to grow a church or a business, but all of us should be trying to grow an effective and powerful life (You were designed for greatness). If you will implement this general strategy that provides for direction from the Lord, you life will be one of passion and purpose.

Hope this helps ….

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I have been working online for about 2 years now. Like most new online people I have been tossed about by all the gurus out here. I have been like the guy who reads Golf Magazine and changes their swing every month because of the latest article about how to hit longer and straighter.

I have been guilty of building this blog just like that. Changing course way to often and not having a consistency that produces results valuable to you my reader or me as a writer. With that in mind, I want to announce a change to DaveWellman.net.

As of today, DaveWellman.net is going to be my personal blog. The posts here will be about how life looks through my eyes. I want to talk to people here. Those who agree and those who do not agree. I want to be challenged and to challenge my readers.

I believe my life has both meaning and purpose and I believe yours does too!

So, that’s my new purpose here .. hope to talk to you soon!

PS – If you are interested in business my blog for that can be found at Doulos Marketing and if you are interested in my newest project you can find it at Hundred Friends Project.

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Mondays seem to come and go faster than ever before for me. It seems that I just get past one and the next one is breathing down my neck! Where does the time go?

Well, as inevitable as the next Monday always seems to be, here we stand on this Monday looking forward to a new week. At the beginning of this week I have only three requirements to make this a great week:

1. That I follow God’s lead in all the events of this week. Jesus told his disciples that with God, nothing is impossible; but without him, we can do nothing. Since I want my life to count for something this week, I need to follow his lead.

2. That I makes someone’s life special this week. The greatest of the eternal gifts is love. Love is the end of the law, there is nothing that more reflects God to the world than to love. I want to show someone (or a group of someones) just how much I love them this week.

3. I need to see that my life counts for something this week. Whether it is at church, in business, or at home, I want to look back at this week and know that in the area of my influence, my life mattered. This is not a desire based in pride, rather it is one based in the desire to not just sit by and let the speed and movement of world events control my life. I want to make an impact in my world. I have been commanded to do so and I want to be visibly obedient to that command.

In the end, I am planning for a great week. My prayer for you is that you are too! If enough of us would make every week count to the fullest our world would change right in front of us.

What are your thoughts?

Talk more later ….

PS – Join me in the 100 Friends Project
Twitter @dwellmanonline

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I got on the scales yesterday and to my surprise, I have lost almost twenty pounds this year. WOW!! How cool is that!

That weight loss has me thinking about how I did it and what I might say to someone who wanted to “follow my plan” for themselves. The problem is I don’t have anything startling to say. No special diet, no exotic juices, no “special sauce” …… nothing!

All I did was to enjoy myself and eat what I wanted to. What I did do differently was to push back from the table after one modest serving (with exceptions for birthdays and holidays). Just under 20 pounds in around 300 days doesn’t provide a television commercial style change, but at least for me it worked.

So, what’s the take away in all this? I think it is that small and consistent effort in any endeavor can, over time, produce the desired results. And the best part is that you can live happily while doing it! The change will become so gradual that you may have to get on a scale to realize the true amount of the difference.

The really cool part of this is that this idea of moderation and consistent effort has filtered into other parts of my life as well. I am happier and healthier at this point than I have been in many years. All because I lost a few pounds!

Talk more later ….

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Well, its official, I am now a Mac Daddy (Just got my first Macbook Pro). I thought that the best thing to do first was to post this news to you who follow my blog. I don’t know exactly what having a Mac will do for my blog, but I am hoping that it does something!

I can say that my sitting here with this new computer is an amazing story and that it has God’s fingerprints all over it. No I don’t think God really cares about what computer I use. I do however believe that God loves me and has a desire to bless my life. This computer is truly a blessing! I won’t bore you with the story here (I would be glad to tell you in a personal message if you asked.) Suffice it to say, I am elated with my new “toy” and with the way I came to be blessed with it.

I guess the take away for Christian business people, is that God wants to bless us with way more than we can ask or think. When he does, we need to be ready to thank him and let his blessings be known.

Talk more later ….

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My birthday is this Sunday and I will be 55 years old. While thinking about this I remembered that someone once told me that the human body can, if it remains healthy and free from disease, last about 120 years. I am not sure how someone came up with that number, but I kinda like it.

Now, to be sure, I have not always lived, eaten, and exercised the way that I should have. Even though I am trying to make adjustment to my lifestyle today, I figure I have lost about 10 years of that 120 due to bad habits past and present. What that means is that I am at my “halfway” point with this birthday! (God may have other plans, but I will leave that up to him.)

At this halfway point, I have taken time to look back and look forward, and see the future to be the best years of my life. I don’t mean that they will be the easiest years or years without struggle or trials. No, I certainly cannot make those kinds of claims, but I do see them as the best.

Best because of what I have come to know. Best because of who I know. And, best because of the things I am burdened to do.

I hope that as you consider your place on the time-line, that you too see the days, months, and years to come to be the best you have ever known!

Talk more later ….

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I am out of town this week attending a Pastor’s conference in South Dakota. While here I have been able to just sit back and just listen. Listen to the preaching of the word, listen to the voice of the others who carry the same burdens I do, and above all listen to the Lord.

It has bee a great time. My son is traveling with me and that makes it even better.

I have learned a couple things that translate into every part of life:

1. Everyone needs some time off to just think. No matter what your business is, no matter what your priorities are, no matter how busy you are in life, you need to take some time off to think.
2. Even when you think you are the only one doing what you are doing, there are others out there who can be an encouragement to you.

I have the rest of this day to enjoy the time to think, and then I have a long drive home tomorrow, but I am already looking forward to getting back in the saddle. However, I will not forget what these few days have taught me! Hopefully you can learn them too.

Talk more later ….

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You know life is a complicated gig for most people and sometimes the complications of life get in the way of making good choices. I know that because I have just gone through a really rough weekend and because of that I have to take special care that I make the right choices about this weekend throughout the next week.

I think that there are lessons to be learned in all the choices that we make in life and the ones I make out of this weekend are no exceptions. So, in order to make the right ones I need to consider three things:

1. I need to pray earnestly about how to handle this weekends events.
2. I need to look for the lessons to learn so that I don’t repeat this kind of weekend anytime soon.
3. I need to look for ways to grow from the events of this weekend so that any choices I make fall under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

There is nothing particularly profound in these thoughts (maybe I just needed to get them off my chest), but I hope that you will consider these three simple steps anytime you find yourself having to make life choices. Remember that bad choices always bring with them unintended consequences while good choices always bring joy, peace, and happiness.

Consider your choices carefully!

Talk more later …

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