Surely, the Heavenly Father must be shaking his head in disbelief and embarrassment.

Makes me think sometimes that “free will” is overrated.

Apparently Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is not over the ceremonious and unscrupulous way his star player, LeBron James, dumped him and Cleveland in favor of the Miami Heat earlier this past summer.

Mr. Gilbert also owns Fathead.com. You probably know them as the company that sells wall murals of various athletes. According to a USA Today article that appeared on September 21^st, Mr. Gilbert and Fathead.com have completely sold out of all of their LeBron James merchandise.

It seems that Gilbert decided to promote a “close-out” sale by reducing the normal price for James’ merchandise of $99.99 to $17.41.

Why $17.41? Because 1741 is the birth year of Benedict Arnold.

I love it. Way to go Dan Gilbert! That was probably more therapeutic and cheaper than months on a therapist’s couch.

But count on it. EVERYONE faces setbacks and obstacles. Let me define “everyone;” I mean everyone, every person, every individual, every winner, every success, every victor. You can bet the house on it.

Dennis Waitley recently told the story of a laundry worker who earned $60 a week. He didn’t want to be a laundry worker; he wanted to be a writer. His wife worked nights and while she was at work, he typed manuscripts and sent them off to possible publishers and agents. Each of them came back with the same standard form letter: “Sorry, but no thanks.” He possessed a growing suspicion that his hard work hadn’t even been read before the standard rejection letter had been mailed.

One day the standard form letter had a different slant. “Sir,” it said, while your current work does not warrant publishing, we believe you have promise and want to encourage you to keep trying.” Keep trying, he did, sending off two more manuscripts over the next year-and-a-half. But he stuck out with each one. In fact, as Waitley tells the story, their finances grew so desperate the young couple disconnected their phone in order to pay for the necessary medication for their young child.

Feeling discouraged and hopeless beyond comprehension, he tossed his latest work in the garbage. Thankfully, however, his wife believed in his talent and his dream. She picked the manuscript out of the trash and sent it to a publisher (it was the publisher who had sent the kind rejection). Doubleday liked it and the book, Carrie, was published, selling over five million copies. It got picked up as a movie and became a top grossing film in 1976.

Dennis Waitley’s lesson is worth remembering:

The main message: believe in your ability to turn obstacles into opportunities. Too often people try to storm their obstacles as if they’re forts that need to be taken. It’s better to step back and ask yourself, ‘Did I cause this obstacle by my own actions or lack of them? Did someone else cause this obstacle? Is this obstacle one that grew out of the natural progression of circumstances?’”

So let me ask the questions again: Are you a goal-oriented person? Do you have desires and dreams that you would like to attempt? Let’s decide together to not let setbacks to set us back, but to spur us on.

Oh, by the way, the laundry worker’s name was Stephen King

by Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley never ceases to amaze me with his powerful and practical application of simple Biblical principles. If you’re not necessarily where you want to be in life, or if you have a desire to live a better life, this is the book for you.

Buy it at Amazon!

I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they may have planned for you? Not much.

The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don’t have it well designed.

The guy says, “When you work where I work, by the time you get home, it’s late. You’ve got to have a bite to eat, watch a little TV, relax and get to bed. You can’t sit up half the night planning, planning, planning.” And he’s the same guy who is behind on his car payment!

by Hugh Hewitt

A wonderful book that deals with a subject too often overlooked in Christian circles: ambition. It’s a manual for making a difference in today’s world. Written for younger audiences, it’s still a good read if you’re in the second half of life like me.

Buy it at Amazon!

by Francis Chan

My wife said, “Read this book so we can discuss it.” I did, we did and both of us are the better for it. Part of my personal vision and one of our 2nd half of life goals came from this book. A quick, easy, but powerful read!

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Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.

All disciplines affect each other. Mistakenly the man says, “This is the only area where I let down.” Not true. Every letdown affects the rest. Not to think so is naive.

Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure.

Discipline has within it the potential for creating future miracles.

The best time to set up a new discipline is when the idea is strong.

One discipline always leads to another discipline.

Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.

You don’t have to change that much for it to make a great deal of difference. A few simple disciplines can have a major impact on how your life works out in the next 90 days, let alone in the next 12 months or the next 3 years.

The least lack of discipline starts to erode our self-esteem.

by Mark Victor Hansen & Robert G. Allen

Don’t let the title fool you. This is a great book with lots of practical principles and exercises along with a captivating story that incorporates all the principles taught by the authors. Well worth your time.

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by Rob Bell

One of my all-time favorite books! Read it. S-L-O-W-L-Y. Then read it again. This book helped revolutionize my relationship with Jesus Christ. And it expanded my view of the Kingdom of God

Buy it at Amazon!