Chris Vonada's Blog, page 15

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?

 

Is Pinterest For Authors? Sharing The Experience…

I started doing Pinterest recently. Well, you know what I mean, right? Why? I tried it out to see how useful it is as a marketing tool. Is Pinterest for authors? So I’ve been doing it for a while now, about 3 months… let’s say I’ve got my feet wet… now what?

Now, how can I use Pinterest as a tool to help me publicize my writing? I’m still learning, but here’s what I found out so far:

- As a new author, I have to make myself known. I need to be real and let (some of) it hang out. That way, when people see me and are curious who I am, then can take a look. Pinterest does this for me as I am creating exposure that my blog, Twitter and Google + feeds do not. I’m creating places of interest, like for My Books and for Favorite Quotes.

- I use Pinterest for inspiration. 15 minutes a day. Max! I don’t hang out. I go there in the evening, not during the workday. I have some neat-o boards… “The Far Side”, “I

- The P is a place where I can develop connections. I found Radical Mentoring there (or Reggie found me, that is!). Here’s another P-erson that I’ve noticed has good vibes going on… Linda Freeman. There are plenty more!

Would I advise you to use Pinterest? Depends…

Stick your head in the toilet and flush? That would be inadvisable. As would hanging out with a bunch of rodeo clowns on Friday night. That is, of course, unless you’re a rodeo clown. Then, by all means, you’ve found God’s will for you and you should, as the Nike commercial states, “Just Do It!” Of course, everyone should do the rodeo at least once. I did. It was fun!

“Use your time wisely… and don’t hang out with a bunch of clowns.” CV Proverb. (i.e., Pinterest could be a good place, but it could also end up being a total waste of time!)

The Q: Pinterest… why or why not?

On The Verge Of Publication…

I’m so excited to be able to share with you today a glimpse of my next book, All Sorts And Conditions Of People: The 7 Essentials Of Extraordinary Relationships.

While some relationships, like marriage, are more formal than others, they all share a few key components:

Relationships are deliberate bonds between two people.
Relationships are reciprocal.
Some form of love exists in all relationships.

“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

Relationships are one of the purest blessings in our world today. We have them at work, home and every point in between. And we have to work at them to have good ones! I’ve come up with and will share with you in this book The 7 Essentials Of Extraordinary Relationships. These come into play at some point in every relationship. I’ll also share with you some of my personal experiences in relationships and some of the life lessons that I’ve learned along the way. I hope the pages of this book shine with God’s glory and will help you in dealing with All Sorts And Conditions Of People. I also hope this book will open the gate to the most incredible relationships you have ever imagined!

This title is on the verge of publication, I expect that I’ll have it released in early May. Please send me a shout if you’re interested in helping by serving on the launch team, your assistance and support would be appreciated!

The HA!! : Couples Golf And The Funk Of Having Mild-Mannered Spunk

Time for “The HA!!” – This is my mini-series on life lessons I’ve gained through my humbling sports endeavors… I LOVE sports but genuinely suck at most of them, and, therefore, I’m a “HA = Humbled Athlete.” Please check out the other posts in this series at THE HA!! page.

Moving on to golf now…

The Players Championship is a PGA Tour event that takes place right here in The First Coast area. A few years ago the PGA moved the date of this event from March to May. Usually, in Florida, that is the difference between spring and summer. One of my favorite times of year here is the spring as the world is in full bloom, with azaleas and dogwoods leading the pack. And my passion for the game of golf grew, in part, through a love for nature and the splendor of golf courses. lol… I guess maybe the golf course is such a beautiful and peaceful place to offset the frustration that so many people find in trying to play this game. Personally, I would rather just play and not keep score, enjoying the wonder of how God created such amazing beauty for us to enjoy here on earth…

“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4

On to the players of this wacky game of attempting to hit a tiny ball with a funny stick into a wee-little hole that’s a really long way away…

That’s Phil

Phil. Not Dr. Phil, if you’re a golf fan you already know who Phil is, right? He’s a crowd favorite. Why? What’s not to like about him? The critics say he never reached his potential. I guess that’s why they’re called critics. I

Couples… Fred that is!

I remember going to the TPC one year with a non-golfing client. At the time, Fred Couples was a crowd favorite and we were looking for him. Around mid-morning, the client guy spoke up and asked about the rules of “couples golf”, i.e., thinking it was something like playing doubles in tennis. We never did find “a couple of Fred’s” playing together that day. Smooth, Freddie, smooth…

Fred Funk

Funk. Yep, there is a golfer named Funk. Fred is his first name, and he lives right here in Ponte Vedra Beach. FF has been widely popular, he even has fans who wear T-shirts proclaiming to be “Funk’s Punks”. I like FF. And I LOVE his last name. Funk. Maybe if he had been pared up with Couples more often things would be less funky around this time of year!

Chi Chi

Chi Chi. If you remember this flamboyant golfer there wasn’t much mild-mannered about him. He was comfortable being himself on the green, and, win or loose, he was a true gem to watch. He added mild-mannered spunk to golf. A true champion, this Rodriguez still is!

Tiger Woods

And then there was Tiger. I wrote about Tiger a while ago and about trying to bring him to know Jesus. Embattling life’s temptations, Tiger continues to be in somewhat of a funk. A funk? We say he’s not at the top of his game, but he remains among the PGA’s top golfers. Interesting point about Tiger: The media has been pretty user friendly when it comes to his temper tantrums… here’s the thing about golf: Because of the brilliant camera coverage of this sport, it’s very difficult to hide your emotions. For a while, it seems the media stalked Tiger through the jungle like a wild animal in an attempt to expose a darker side. Tiger showed his true colors, and the media has done a good job of covering the sport and focusing on the positive. Kudos! Oh for the love of Phil…

And me? I play(ed) this sport. My only claim to fame was being able to change clothes while driving and running late for my tee time. Still playing the game? No more. Now I just write about God and my many stories of being a HA!! (That’s a Humbled Athlete).

Who is your favorite golfer, or one that you enjoy watching and that has character?

Why We Should Avoid Becoming Just Like Our Parents

The Holy huddle is good when it breaks to bring glory to God.

How many generations have said it…

I don’t want to grow up to be just like my parents.

What was it about our parents that we didn’t like? They were old-fashioned. They didn’t understand us. They couldn’t relate. We don’t want to be that way, but, unfortunately, many of us end up just that way in our children’s eyes. We’re old-fashioned. We don’t understand them. We can’t relate. We end up being just like our parents.

This dichotomy in life extends into our churches today. Indeed, whole congregations and, dare I say it, denominations, end up segregated from an important portion of our society. Ok, so maybe I’m stretching it a bit here… but seriously, maybe we could be more focused on our youth than we have come to be.

What happens to churches when they start focusing too much on the insiders? They quickly lose touch… and footing on solid ground in the mission to spread the Gospel. Young, vibrant churches are filled with young people and are leading people of every age group to Jesus Christ.

That’s the one mission of our existence here, more than any other. I’m good with the “we all need a place” concept. Maybe think of this as inspiration focused on those who strive to have influence, and lead others within our communities…

Why are the young people today so important?

Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population is 25 and younger. On top of that, our youth are said to be maturing more slowly now than in the past. I keep reading that 26 is the new 18. Compile this trend with the fact that 45% of the workforce is composed of the baby boomers, a group who are heading toward retirement, and we’ve identified what could possibly be the most important opportunity that we have today: Mentoring the next group of leaders in our society.

Influence through connecting with them. Building trust by developing authentic relationships with them. Making disciples out of them, so that they can then move forward in the process of leading others to Jesus.

Maybe it’s time to break up the holy huddle and focus outwardly on a different group that needs us.

Just solid food for thought today…

Shedding A Flood Of Light On The World

In Isaiah 45:7 the Lord says, “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.”

I guess the symbolism of the light of Jesus and the light on the world is pretty obvious then. We need it. I mean both.

Today I’m excited to be writing at Terrie Thorpe’s blog, Light for the Journey. My post is about the light of the world, Jesus, and how He shines through the brilliance of light on our world. Since Terrie’s blog is about laughter, joy, hope and peace, I’m also trying to add flair over there with 3 components for seeing the light of the rainbow. I hope you’ll check my post today by following this link!

A treetop shout of thank you to Terrie for hosting me there today! I LOVE Terrie’s story and her passion for the Lord and writing, you can read more about her at this link to her author page.

This is my first post for “Catching Souls”, a small and casual group that enjoys writing about our faith and daily walk with Jesus. Watch for a page compiling information about the participants - Coming Soon!

 

Catching Souls

 

Rainbow image courtesy of rakratchada torsap @ freedigitalphotos.net