Chris Vonada's Blog, page 14

Building Your Content: How Adventure Runs Through My Life

Always up for an adventure…

This week I was looking through my blog at some of the material that I’ve written over the past 3+ years. When you write about life in general, over time you come up with quite a variety. That’s fun, in a lot of ways. I’ve learned quite a bit about God, life, and myself. Well, I’m in the process of finalizing my third book, “All Sorts And Conditions Of People: The 7 Essentials Of Extraordinary Relationships.” You can read more about my forthcoming book at the link, this post isn’t really about that. As I was reflecting on the material that I have crunched out to date, I wanted to share with you a few thoughts on building your content, and two miracles that God has accomplished in this short season of my life:

- First of all, I had no idea that I was capable of writing. Please don’t take me wrong, I don’t think that I’m super great at it now or destined to be the next guest on Oprah. But it is a pretty cool part of my testimony, that I never had a knack for writing until some friends pointed it out to me that God had given me this gift. I’m really thankful for that, for those wonderful people who genuinely cared so much about me that they took an interest, and for God for giving me this somewhere in the midst of my life. To me, it was so pronounced that I would compare it to Jesus giving sight to a blind man who had never seen before. Yep, that powerful. Well, close anyway. And it started after I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, little more than 10 years ago…

- Two central themes in my life seem to be passion and adventure. I have to be passionate about something for it to stick around for very long. When I think about what I would describe as fun it would be adventurous. It doesn’t have to be as zany as living on the “Lost” island. My sweetheart will tell you that creating something delicious in the kitchen on Saturday night is ALWAYS a fun time together, and a sort of adventure. I guess in my little world it’s sort of like getting my ya-yas out. As far as my writing is concerned, I’ve enjoyed just sharing with you my adventure, and learning how to write along the way.

Passion and adventure… 007 is that kind of guy. He’s passionate about his work, and he is always on some sort of adventure. That’s why I dig the Bond movies, and many others like Indian Jones, Mowgli the man cub, and, of course, you know that Gump is into the passion and adventure… about his running, and life!

If you read some of the material written by what we call “the author’s authors” – you know, those authors who are making it by telling other want-to-be authors about how to do it… if you read their stuff they’ll tell you how you can write a book one blog post at a time. It’s true. I’ve done it, at least in part, with all of my books.

With that said I want to let you in on another miracle that God has worked in my life over this season: The relationships book that I’m finalizing, there is some material that I started writing last year with a specific goal of including it in my book. There is also material that I will be including that I wrote 3 years ago that fits perfectly. While I never intended to include Gump in this work, Forrest fits to a T, as you will soon see.

Why?

Well, because I followed His lead in faith, and did what my friends suggested…

Write.

Just write.

“Maybe I’m amazed at the way you help me sing my song…” Paul. You know, the other one

It’s like understanding the signs of the times, as mentioned in 1 Chronicles 12:32, to help unify God’s people. And hearing His voice, following and knowing how to respond…

“… He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. After He has gathered his own flock, He walks ahead of them, and they follow Him because they know His voice.” John 10:3-4 They may be shaken, but not stirred!

The 10 + 1 Building Blocks Of Relationships: Trust

Yahoo! Today’s post is the final in this series, The 10 + 1 Building Blocks Of Relationships: Trust.

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” Stephen Covey

If I can’t trust you and you don’t trust me our relationship is pre-determined to be pretty shallow.

I hope to share with you today why and how you should be very interested in building trust in your most treasured relationships…

Trust… what exactly is it?

Today I’m honored to be continuing this series as a guest at Carol Peterson’s blog, I hope you’ll follow the link here to Carol’s blog and to the 11th and final post in the series, The 10 + 1 Building Blocks Of Relationships – Trust .

I’ve created a page compiling the links to the previous months’ building blocks too, you can catch up over here.

Carol Peterson is a writer with a heart for encouragement, sharing parables of faith on her blog From Carol’s Quill and making learning fun in Fun with Finance and other teacher resource books.

What To Do With All Of Those Rocks?

“Sometimes in life there just aren’t enough rocks” – Forrest Gump

Those were Forrest’s words of wisdom upon reflection of Jenny’s rage of anger at her past as they stumbled upon the old house were Jenny was raised. Jenny unloaded every stone in sight on the structure, busting out a window in the process before slumping down in exhaustion to sob, maybe on that day once and for all relieved. Jenny’s childhood, from the glimpse that we saw in the movie, wasn’t all that wonderful. I’m guessing that her youth had a residual impact on her life, her pattern of running away from reality and years of reluctance to take the next positive step in the direction of God’s destiny and will for her life… a wonderful, albeit short, love that she would recognize and share with Forrest and their young offspring, little gumpster.

Last weekend we went to St. Augustine and my sweetheart sang with her chorale group in the Cathedral Basilica. It was a special experience, hearing them sing at this amazing venue filled with history. Before the concert I had a few minutes and wandered around outside. I came across a monument in a courtyard that I hadn’t noticed before, a vestige to Andrew Young and a group of civil rights demonstrators that were brutally attacked in response to a peaceful march. As we know well, St. Augustine is a city shrouded in history. It’s a fun place to go exploring, there always seems to be something new to discover in this old place – it’s filled with life lessons and legends.

As Jenny and Forrest would both tell you, if they were real people, the past isn’t always filled with the best of the best. We all have experiences good and bad that form our memories. We learn valuable lessons from both… and it’s how we use them that is omnipotent.

What to do with all of those rocks?

Well, the oppressors in St. Augustine wielded clubs instead of rocks. Just the same, when they laid them down in recognition that a new era was upon us, their symbolism was much the same as those who were throwing stones. Jenny stopped throwing rocks on that day when she remembered her childhood home and came face to face with its shattered memories. In the Bible, we’ve read about those who stood ready to keep on throwing stones… and how Jesus persuaded them to reconsider.

The Bible is filled with both symbolism and history. The book of Ecclesiastes is a philosophical search for the meaning of life, and how it is all meaningless without God. This literary gem is often attributed to King Solomon, the man who had everything. His struggle in Ecclesiastes is with mortality, but we can apply the same important lesson to just about anything. Struggles within ourselves or those we see in the form of public demonstrations are much the same. There is something that makes us want to throw the stone, and until we reckon with the root of the problem we’re destined to repeat history. Unfortunately, it’s often not so much who throws the first stone as the last. Solomon’s writing offers just one answer…

What to do with all of those rocks…

Rock cairn, or monument
(photo by planetc1 on Flickr)

Well, you may be upset with me for the simplicity of this message but I hope that it will at least provoke some thought, and not make you want to throw rocks at me. It’s basically the same message as “bury the hatchet” – go, and construct a monument. When we take the stone and build a monument with them we can start to let go. Healing takes place, and we can soldier on.

What to do with all of those rocks?

Turn it over to God. But that isn’t as satisfying as hurling rocks in a rage? Do it anyway. It may take a very long time for God to heal that hurt within you, but give it to Him and He will work a miracle every time… and in His perfect time and way. Some of the monuments that you build with your rocks in life will be larger than others. You may build some of them for a long period of time… but every time you do it you will see God’s promises in the end result.

Remember, the sturdy house was built upon a rock. You’re never going to change the past, but you can build a better life by firming up its foundation. Let God give you a hand, you will be thankful.

Stretched To Transparency

Keep Stretching…

I’m on the road today, back to Pennsylvania, the state where I was born… in a manner of speaking, since I’m writing at Jon Stolpe’s “Stretched” blog! Of course, rubber bands came to mind, as did being stretched for sharing the Gospel, all about Jesus with everyone who will listen.

If you’re not staying stretched to transparency, you’re not living. (Click To Tweet)

I’ll share with you a cool Bible verse, Jesus speaking about how you can live your life now to the fullest AND be with Him for eternity, too! Not possible, you say? Check it out by following this link over to Jon Stolpe’s Stretched Blog.

Jon is an interesting guy, a Christ-follower, husband, dad, son, uncle, engineer, runner, chicken farmer, gardener, saxophone player, operations manager, adventurer, and the list goes on…. please visit his place often!

Caught In The Undertow

Can you read the waves in the ocean, and life?

I love to swim and play in the ocean. I guess I must have  been born that way, like some dogs are called “water dogs”. Having grown up in Vero Beach, Florida, my brother and I spent a lot of time at the beach. We would play in the waves for hours on end, riding our rafts all the way to the shore whenever we caught a good wave. I remember packing up the car with rafts, blankets, towels, food and drink, and lotion, and then the satisfaction of arriving at the beach for a good wave day; it was exhilarating!

On several occasions while riding the waves I recall being caught in an undertow. Usually when this happened it was sort of fun, like riding a big wave on my raft and being out of control for just a fraction of time. It often made me giggle. Maybe that’s just my love of adventure, I don’t know. Being caught in the undertow was sort of funny too, the first few times it happened, as I was able to overcome the feeling of being out of control quickly. Well, that all changed when I experienced a strong undertow that took me to the bottom and tossed me around until I was almost out of breath. That was scary, not knowing when it would end and I would be able to overtake the strong ocean current.

Fortunately, on the occasions when this happened, I was always able to resurface and swim to safety. I quickly realized when this happens that we’re very much on our own. Sure, there were other people in the ocean, my brother was nearby, and my watchful parents we’re on the beach, but when you’re caught in the undertow and resurface a considerable distance from where you started, you quickly realize the power of the ocean’s waves. Then you realize that you really are on your own, and that there is always a possibility that help wouldn’t reach you in time to save you.

Sometimes in life we make decisions that have a pronounced, long-term effect. The Bible tells of how our decisions affect the generations to come, at times carrying over to several generations later. I know, that ‘s Old Testament stuff. I’m not sure if it’s a generational curse, or the learned behavior that parents pass on to their offspring, but there is some validity to this thought. The decisions that I make will definitely have an after effect not only on my life, but on my family for quite some time.

Playing in the ocean as a kid was lots of fun. I’m thankful for those wonderful memories with my family. I did learn to respect the ocean, and the undertow. There were days when we looked at the waves and didn’t go in. Much later in my journey I learned the appropriate adage, “live to conquer another day”.

When the Bible tells us to guard our heart, we should take heed of this sound advice. It’s just like standing on the beach, looking at the ocean, and deciding whether to grab my raft and hit the waves, or live to conquer another… there are some days when it’s going to be giggly fun, and others when I should be cautious. How do I know the difference:

- Learn to read the waves. Ok, so the life parallel is to not stray too far from familiar territory when in a foreign land, take it slow when getting to know people, learn from my past and be sure to avoid making the same mistakes.

- Learn my own strengths and weaknesses. While my older brother may have been able to go out further in the ocean, or he may have been able to ride larger waves, I had to respect that he was older and more experienced than me. Furthermore, he was a stronger swimmer. I’ve learned a few things about my weaknesses, for example that I’ve been way too open and trusting with people (yep, just a wee bit gullible). I need to seek guidance from other people who I know I can trust and depend on. Often.

I’m thankful that my parents spent lots of time with us and took us to the beach. Their protective nature and respect for the ocean taught me to learn not only about its beauty and strength, but also my own limitations. So now I’m wondering… how can I be sure to pass this on to my daughters, and to my grandchildren? Am I being cognizant of my decisions now, and how they affect future generations? Am I giving my offspring an opportunity to learn, while staying involved enough to recognize where I may want to offer some assistance, or advice?

What decisions do we make that affect the emotional and psychological health of our heart?

Have you ever made decisions that you feel with affect the lives of your future generations?

Carol’s Gems: April Birthstone – The Diamond

Today’s post, “Carol’s Gems: April Birthstone – The Diamond”, is a monthly series on birthstones from one of my favorite blogger friends, Carol Peterson. Carol is a writer with a heart for encouragement, sharing parables of faith at her blog From Carol’s Quill and making learning exciting in Fun with Finance and other teacher resource books.

Every month has a birthstone. The birthstone for April is the diamond. And it reminds me of Jesus.

Cut Diamond

Have you ever seen a diamond in the rough? It’s not so thrilling. It resembles simple quartz—often dull and full of spots.

Rough Diamond

Sort of like us, before Jesus takes hold of our hearts and cleans us up from the inside out.

The diamond represents faithfulness, love, and purity, which is why the stone is traditionally used in engagement and wedding rings. But in gemstone symbolism, the diamond also symbolizes eternity. As does Jesus.

When shopping for diamonds, buyers are cautioned to always look for the “four Cs.” Those are color, clarity, carat, and cut. By focusing on the four Cs, a buyer can be assured of getting the best quality in this precious stone.

But as Christians, we too have the 4 Cs. They are the cross, Calvary, covenant, and command. And they are more precious than the most precious diamond.

The diamond is also the stone that represents a monarch’s sixtieth anniversary. Remember, Queen Elizabeth’s “Diamond Jubilee” last year? It celebrated her reign as Queen of England for the past 60 years.  There’s a bit of confusion relating to diamonds though, since they represent 60 years for royalty and 75 years for everybody else.

Tomorrow, I turn 60. Fortunately, as an adopted daughter of the King of the Universe, that I’m royalty. It means it’s also my diamond jubilee. I don’t have to wait until I’m 75.

Then again, every day lived under God’s reign is a jubilee!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for adopting us into your family. Thank you for making us royalty in your sight. Thank you that every day lived in your love is a jubilee! Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you know any diamonds in the rough who need some polishing? Is there anyone in your life who sparkles with Jesus’ love?

The 3 Keys To Overcoming A Brand Crisis

it can get pretty hot when you’re standing in the frying pan!

Corporate brands aren’t all that different from people when it comes right down to a crisis. Just think about it… yesterday’s corporate darling with a stellar reputation could turn into the red-headed stepchild in a hot second when disaster strikes or the urgent need for a recall pops up. While we can take some precautions, like quality controls for manufacturers or living by the inspired Word of God in our daily walk as an individual, virtually no one is immune to the possibility of a crisis.

Consider these examples:

a long legacy of environmental awareness and stewardship is glossed over by a natural disaster, the sheen of an oil spill covers water, birds and sand, and tarnishes our memory…
your favorite rapper is caught lip syncing at a live show…
a sticky accelerator pedal on a venerable auto model is causing vehicles to crash and burn…
worse still, a pastor is caught in a sex scandal (ok, that’s just my own judgmental take on the severity). So scandalous!!

How do I know this about brand crisis? First-hand experience, unfortunately. Nope, not a sex scandal… but still, quite embarrassing.

Here is a critical part of managing your own brand, or agenda (hopefully this won’t put a PR maven or two out of work…), the 3 keys to overcoming a brand crisis:

- Be Proactive. Don’t wait for someone else to tell your story for you. You have to take a leading role. Don’t be reluctant… you will find most reasonable people will accept that you’re human and have made a mistake.

- Be Accountable. Own up to your mistakes. Acknowledge that there’s a problem. Always shoot to be sincere, honest and upfront. This is the most effective way to douse the coals before they become an open flame.

- Stick with your own, positive agenda. Don’t dwell on the past. Learn from it, and keep moving in a positive direction. Moreover, be sure to strive to do something that is powerful enough to overcome any negative association with your brand. If you have pundits, realize that you just discovered another party to influence, or enamor. Overwhelm them with God’s love.

By sticking with this simple game plan you will stand the best chance to emerge from the crisis and be on the road to recovery.

Do brands that go through crisis get a second chance? 

Absolutely, remember Tylenol? They faced crisis and survived. You can too, by stepping up to the plate and controlling the narrative of the event. There are many others… Mattel had to recall toys on many occasions… and Taco Bell is accused of putting something other than beef in the burrito’s.

Yikes!

For goodness sake, even Tiger has cleaned up his act and found a new girlfriend, right? btw, I love his story. No, not the bad part… the part about him getting it all together again. Just you wait and see, he’ll be doing Accenture commercials again before you know it!

Crisis… it could happen to anyone, eventually…

Hoping this never happens to you, if it does, just remember we’re not in high school any more, and there’s something to be said for grace, and His inspired word…

“… make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge, and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly love. For if you posses these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-11

Stumble… you betcha!

Fall… not likely.

Have you ever been in a situation of crisis? How did you handle it?

From Suffering To Joy… Seeing In The Mind’s Eye To It Is Finished

Will you be taking the next step?

Easter is a special kind of holiday for many. As we remember Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, we’re reminded that we have an opportunity for a new beginning.

He gave us hope.

We remember that, without Jesus, we would be lost.

There are no exceptions.

God’s finished work in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is our opportunity to step through the open door where He stands waiting.

It’s up to each of us to decide, and take the first step.



Incredible miracles happen each and every day. Sometimes it seems like God’s will is so obvious we should just know how to proceed, but we resist. When we finally decide to do things His way… the pieces fall into place… good things start to happen. It is very much like what Psalm 22 says, we step from suffering to joy.

You can be sure there will be new challenges ahead.

Few would offer testimony that the way of the follower of Jesus is always an easy road.

Worthwhile? Indeed.

Psalm 22 is a neat little package that includes posterity… encouragement to look beyond our own situation to share the riches of abundance with the future generations. The greatest example to them is how we live our lives… every day of the week.

The Easter conversation at the family dinner… did you go to church? Seeing in the mind’s eye to a personal relationship with Jesus… and the invitation that is open to everyone.

Thankful.

Taking the spirit of remembrance all the way around the calendar.

It Is Finished.

Is there anything holding you back from finishing strong?

What Brings You To The Cross?

It’s my pleasure and honor to welcome Lynn Mosher as a guest writer here at I’m Just Thinkin’ today!

Lynn lives with her hubby (since 1966) in their Kentucky nest, emptied of three chicklets and embraced three giggly grand-chicklets and an inherited dog. Lynn’s passion is to encourage others and glorify the Lord with her writing. Stop by for a refill at her website, Heading Home.

What Brings You To The Cross?

Standing at a distance, she gazed at the man’s crucified body, dying on a cross, as her heart pounded in agony. Deep sobs heaved her chest. Her knees began to buckle.

What brought her to the cross? A mother’s love. For this was Mary’s son, dying for the world.

John the disciple, who had leaned upon this Divine Man so many times, stood with Mary, in utter dismay.

What brought him to the cross? Genuine love and deep gratitude.

With John and Mary stood Mary Magdalene, trembling. Tears of grief streamed down her cheeks.

What brought her to the cross? Love, for the forgiveness of the sins in her life, for scripture says, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.” (Luke 7:47a NKJV)

Kneeling on the ground at the foot of this Man’s cross, the soldiers cast lots for His tunic.

What brought them to the cross? Their duty. And now their greed.

Two thieves hung on either side of this cross.

What brought them to the cross? Violation of the law.

Simon the Cyrenian was there.

What brought him to the cross? Bearing the burden of the cross to the hill of sacrifice.

The multitude gathered, murmuring to each other.

What brought them to the cross? Anger. Belittlement. Wonderment. Doubting.

The chief priests stood with the scribes, poised in pride and defiance.

What brought them to the cross? To mock Him, thinking it all utter foolishness.

What did all these have in common? They all needed the very thing for which this Man Jesus was dying on the cross: Salvation and the forgiveness of their sins.

Some accepted it; some rejected it. Paul later wrote to the Corinthians, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18 NIV)

What brings you to the cross? Love? Gratitude? Grief? Duty? Violation of God’s Law? Bearing a burden? Anger? Belittlement? Wonderment? Doubt? Pride? Defiance? Mocking?

Do you come weeping in pain, sorrow, or loss? Emptied of hopes and dreams? Feeling lost in your circumstances?

Without the cross, there would be no Garden of Easter Gladness…to lift you up, to wipe away your tears, to remove your grave clothes of fear and depression.

Walk that trail from the cross to Easter’s Garden of resurrection. See your Savior Jesus standing there, waiting for you.

He compassionately whispers your name and says, “Do not wear the grave-clothes stained with the tears of grief. Come into My garden of beauty and I will give you the robe of Easter’s resurrection gladness. Take My Hand and let Me lead you along the path to life everlasting. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I gave My life that you might live eternally with Me.”

Jesus always brings us hope of resurrection as on that first Easter morn. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NKJV)

Do you believe this? If so, weep no more. May you experience the salvation and forgiveness of the cross, the power of the resurrection, and embrace the risen life in a new way this Easter season.

What brings you to the cross? May it be…Genuine Love.

Just Add Water

Freeze-Dried Ice Cream

Freeze drying food is a fairly simple but amazing process that we can use to preserve food by freezing it and then removing the moisture from the substance. This process leaves intact the flavor and nutritional value of the substance. Perishable foods, like Ice Cream, can be freeze-dried and sealed, then left at room temperature, without refrigeration, for long periods of time. An additional benefit of the freeze drying process is that it makes the food light-weight, ideal for taking these tasty treats along when you’re hiking. Some of them may last for many years in their freeze-dried form… but not forever. Sooner or later, if you want to enjoy these treats, we have to consume them or they’ll go bad. Just open up the sealed packaging and add water.

Maybe our journey through life is sort of like hiking with a backpack loaded with freeze-dried supplies. We can go quite a distance before we have to refuel, but eventually we get hungry and need to stop and eat. When we’re hungry we add water and it’s delectable. We may even resist the temptation to refuel at times… right now, I would love to lose a few extra  pounds. Our we may be fasting in private as an act of obedience to God. When we’re on the trail, we may be looking off in the distance to a nice shady spot that’s near a babbling brook to enjoy our next meal. Whatever the case, we wouldn’t make it too far on our hike without food. It satisfies the hunger we experience as we ascend the pathway.

But do we really need our freeze-dried food, or water for that matter, to reach the next resting place, or mountain peak? Well, of course, that depends on your perspective. We may be able to go considerable distance hiking along the trial before we need to recharge… either a drink to quench or thirst, or to devour our lightweight packets of provisions (remembering to just add water!).

Sooner or later, if we want to keep going, we’re going to have to consume water. Isn’t life that way, too? I personally know tons of people who walk down the trails every day without God. In fact, I’m no different: I traveled considerable distance before accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. For that matter, I may still take steps along my journey without Him. Whatever the case may be, that trail would someday come to an end, a cliff, or an impasse without God. I would love to keep on keeping on, finding a way around, over or through. And sometimes we do find a workaround for our dilemma, situation, pickle or plight. Without God, there is a definite end in sight. From our point of view, that may be quite far off in the distance, like viewing a mountain peak from the comfort of base camp. Then the journey begins. We get hungry, and thirsty too! I can resist that feeling, for quite a while sometimes. I may even make it up to the next summit. We often resist God too, in the same way we resist our hunger. Eventually, for most of us, that hunger for something more than this life grows and we come to know Him… receive Him… accept Him.

Whenever we accept Him we receive a gift. Yep, it’s refreshment. Water. Just add water and you’ve got eternal life. And, just as importantly, a comforter for the journey, the Holy Spirit. How do we know that?

“Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.” Psalm 70:4

Yep, just add water… that would be the starting point.

How far down the trail of life did you make it before realizing that you needed God to keep going?