The Paradoxical Commandments

“People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.”

-- By Speaker and Author ‘Kent M. Keith’ when he was 19 years old as a sophomore at Harvard College   in 1968 (in the form of a booklet for student leaders).

Travails of traveling

Traveling can be exhausting. It can be punishing. It can be a disturbance to our routine. It can create stress in us. I have tried to list out some inconveniences arising out of frequent travel from my own experience:

v  Distress at being separated from family and friends

v  Battling crowded airports and railway stations, long trains & flights

v  Uneven hours of sleeping

v  Challenging food habits

v  Sudden and dramatic changes in:

• Climate
• Culture
• Daily routine and responsibilities
• Amount and type of contact with colleagues, friends, and family

v  Constant change in professional and social networks

v  Difficulty maintaining important personal relationship

v  A lot of time spent on the road

v  Cross‐behavioral differences

v  Language fluency problems

v  Altering living environment

v  Difficulties of crossing multiple weather conditions

v  Packing and getting organized

v  Amount of  physical and mental toll

v  Being in unfamiliar environments

v  Obvious manifestations of wear and tear and health problems

The list seems to be never ending. Being in humanitarian industry and traveling often for work creates more challenge.  

In spite of all these limitations ……I love traveling. I will tell you how traveling has been exhilarating and enriching to me in my next post.

By the way, would like to add any other discomforts to my list?

The Cause Within You by ‘Matthew Barnett’ with ‘George Barna’

‘The Cause Within You’ is a instrument to discover what our cause is. The objective is to assist us find the cause which will make our life. We will learn how to ascertain the cause God has for us. Matthew Barnett talks about the importance of undivided focus in pursuing our cause, the prominence of right attitude and the joy in this journey of pursuing the cause.

He deals with the subject in a profound way. We are ignited in our hearts and minds to pursue our passion as we complete reading this book. This book has been flooded with real life stories to encourage and motivate us. That really makes this book tick.

Some important nuggets from the book which inspired me:

o    God’s cause for our life is easier to fulfill than our self-designed cause.

o    Our true cause will liberate our passion and gifts.

o    The best time to figure out the cause within us is now.

• Sometimes our cause emerges out of our pain or hardships.
• A breakthrough in identifying your cause may come when you least expect it.
• Our investment in our relationship with God is the best investment we can make in the pursuit of our cause.

‘The Cause Within You’ is a real inspiration to people suffering from confusion and inconsistency with regard to their purpose in their life. Matthew Barnett presents the message in an adhesive way throughout this book. The importance of relationship with God in our pursuit of cause is stressed throughout the book. This book will of great assistance to anyone who is leading an aimless vagabond-style life.

I give this one four out of five stars.

Please note that I received this book from Tyndale House Publishers through its book review bloggers program in exchange for an honest review. Please be also informed that the opinions I have expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

To know more about the book, visit http://www.thecausewithinyou.com/

On Humility

A Prayer for Humility: "That of His great goodness He would make known to you, and take from your heart, every kind and form and degree of Pride, whether it be from evil spirits, or your own corrupt nature; and that He would awaken in you the deepest depth and truth of that Humility, which can make you capable of His light and Holy Spirit.”

-- By ‘Andrew Murray’ in his book “Humility” published in 1895.

Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life by ‘Eugene O'Kelly’

Chasing Daylight is the touching and inspirational memoir of former KPMG CEO Eugene O'Kelley. It is completed in 3.5 months between his diagnosis with brain cancer and his death in September 2005. It is a great reminder of the importance of living a balanced and meaningful life. I will remember this more as a sad account of someone bravely facing their own death. I also found it to be painful to read.

When incurable cancer visited him at age 53, he began wrapping up his work and letting go of the limitless future he had planned as he sought to live each moment feeling more connected to what is central to life. I found a very valuable lesson after reading this book. That lesson is to live "in the moment".

This book has a great message to all of us who lead our lives at that speed that we should slow it down, accept certain things the way they are, and value moments with family above time at work.

Gene showed extraordinary gut and clear thinking while under the gamut of knowing he was dying. To me, facing certain death with his level of peace was admirable. I was hoping for more of spiritual depth and perspective. However, he mentions cultural Christianity and something like transcendental meditation and concentration techniques, but doesn't suggest much concrete guidance on how his last days might have sharpened his focus or his relationship with God.

This is indeed a beautiful book with important lessons on how to live a fuller life. For those of us working all those long hours, we will probably think twice after reading this book.  

Absolutely recommended read.

Heaven is for Real by 'Todd Burpo' with 'Lynn Vincent'

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo is a quick, enjoyable and wonderful read. It is a book on the real story of a small boy, Colton from the town Nebraska and his ‘Near Death Experience’ during surgery after his appendix rupture at the age of four. And, it tells us about his miraculous recovery and his heaven experiences during those critical moments.

The father narrates the experience of his son in a vivid and interesting style. I was able to finish reading this book in two sitting.

This book is an inspiration to doubting and wavering Christians everywhere as it brings out the truth about eternity and heaven. Heaven is for Real is both an encouragement and thriller to the readers. It talks about Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, Baptist John, Gabriel, and many more eternal and spiritual things. The importance of faith is reaffirmed through this story and this book gives a new perspective on the existence of God and His work.

I would give this one four out of five stars.

To know more about the book, visit  http://www.heavenisforreal.net/