Nice question!

Whenever my two-year old son finds something delicious, or is satisfied with how he has stacked his blocks, or finds fulfillment in something he thinks he has accomplished, or sees something he thinks is beautiful, he says his classic "nice" or "mama, nice" or "daddy, nice." It might be the incorrect word on many occasions, but I let it be and even I have allowed myself to use the word increasingly.

I find the following question posed by a certain Stephen Covey nice,

"How many on their deathbeds wished they'd spent more time at the office--or watching TV?"

And the answer nice.

"No one. They think about their loved ones, their families, and those they have served."

And if I may add, probably for those who believe in a Heaven and a glorious body, and maybe even for those who don't, they also think on their deathbeds about whether they or their loved ones will go to Heaven or not.

Nice.

Kaizen

On Accountability to Others

Five Building Blocks for Relationship/Fellowship
1. Authenticity - being genuine/real
2. Courtesy - respecting differences, being considerate of each others' feelings and being patient with people
who irritate us
3. Mutuality - mutual encouragement, mutual honoring, mutual accountability
4. Hospitality
5. Unity

"Leadership is influence."

"If you want to impress people, share your success. If you want to influence people, share your failures." - John Maxwell

On Work Ethic and Professionalism

Two major points: Integrity and Excellence

On integrity - wholeness and consistency

Demonstrations of integrity
- honesty
- faithfulness
- impartiality and fairness
- concern for others' interest
- concern for the nation

On excellence
- continue to improve yourself (Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy of 'continuous improvement)
- be proactive
- proactive people focus on 'circle of influence' (things you have control of) not on 'circle of concern' (things
you have no control of)
- be disciplined
- finishing what you start
- focus
- persevere

On Accountability to God

1. Know the Lord.
2. Love the Lord.
2. Obey the Lord.

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." - Ps. 118:8

(All these are excerpts and quotable quotes during our two-day WE MEAN (work ethic, moral enrichment, accountability and integrity) workshop. Our facilitators are Engr. Sito Silva and wife, and Mr. Inan-che).

Senseless Suffering- - or Pain with a Purpose

(Below is a devotional from www.livingchrist360.com adapted from chapter 7 of Bryan Chapell’s book Holiness By Grace: Delighting in the Joy That is Our Strength (Crossway, 2001).

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

— Hebrews 12:3–6

A pastor once told me of the many challenges he encountered in his first two years of ministry: adulteries among the leaders of his church, multiple terminal illnesses and tragedies of young and old, intense political and generational battles within the congregation. He began to wonder how much more he could take. Then he happened to overhear a young woman in the church say to his wife, “I wonder what God is preparing your husband to do that requires him to face so much so early in his ministry.”

Those simple words changed the pastor’s life. He said, “They reminded me that God lets nothing in our lives go to waste. He was preparing me for more service, both by making me tender in learning to care for those who were suffering, and in making me hard so that I could endure their and my pain. Knowing that there was a purpose in my difficulties enabled me to serve God with more courage and conviction.”

God’s discipline of us can be preparatory as well as corrective. He may use a fiery trial to prepare us for greater usefulness or as a means to turn us from sin, or as a combination of both to make us both more tender and more hard than we have been. When we experience loneliness, disdain, poverty, abuse, unfair accusation, fear, betrayal, heartache, fatigue, and trial, our hearts remain tender toward those facing similar difficulties. Even when there is no direct benefit to us, the discipline we experience enables us to sympathize with those who suffer and, consequently, to maintain a biblical concern for them.

Such discipline also loosens our grasp on the temporary distractions and temptations of this world and gives us a clearer vision of the next world’s priorities and promises. Like our Savior, we learn to walk through life with eyes and energies focused on future glory.

Knowing that God has a purpose for our hardship, that his intention is always to bring an ultimate good even when it requires a temporary hurt, we will “not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him” (Heb. 12:5). May we never lose sight of this essential truth, and may we never despise the God who works so mysteriously—yet so wondrously—in our lives!

(I thank God for His love and discipline. The discipline I myself experienced was both corrective and preparatory. It is the gravity that keeps my feet on the ground and keeps me from being judgmental. It reminds me always about God's amazing love and grace. Wondrous!, wondrous!, indeed. - che)