Author name: admin

If We Cease to Grow We Begin to Slide. If a rosebud ceases to bloom it will perish. It\’s beauty may last for a season, but only while attached to the bush can it fulfill it\’s ultimate purpose…to reproduce! When I determine to advance to a new level of growth I will immediately be faced with the discomfort of new and different challenges. My old habits, thoughts and routines line up to resist change. Each obstacle seems insurmountable and creates a sense of personal defeat. The easy way out will be to simply step back into the comfort (or rather, familiar) zone and avoid the pain rather than struggle through this valley of despair. To rise to the next level of success I know that I must  press on through regardless. The only way to do this is to: 1. Think on purpose. I must realign my thinking with my vision, and remind myself of the benefits of reaching my goal and living my dream. The singular constant focus on transformed thinking is vital to this process. \”As a man thinketh, so is he.\” When I allow my thinking to slip I can rest assured that my actions will soon follow. I see this happening over and over…I see it happening now, in my presence and the sadness is overwhelming. 2. Make sure I have a clear plan and stick to it, avoiding any and all distractions that come my way. Anything outside of the track I\’m on will serve to dilute my passion…no matter whether it\’s a \”good\” book, \”good\” movie, or \”good\” company. Presently my quest is for great. There will come a time for all things. That time is not now! Start my plan early to be sure I stay on track. 3. Stay in touch with my mentor and associate with positive influences that have the same success mindset and draw from their personal experience and positive input. Taking these simple steps will clear the noise of opposition in our minds that comes from past failures and experiences and make room for courage to find a home. Remembering always that although we do have a constant enemy, he is not alive and well, nor is he all powerful. He is mortally wounded and his very best efforts can be no more than laying present traps based on our past experiences.  

A Veterans of 2 wars… WW2 and LIFE! They say Old Soldiers never die, they simply fade away. I say old heroes neither die nor fade. They live on through the legacy they leave in all of the lives they so powerfully impact. Dad is my true hero! His impact will never die nor fade. It resonates in his offspring, from sons to great grand children, to great-great grand children… musicians, missionaries, ministers, medical scientists, writers, lovers of animals and nature, corporate leaders, athletes, shifters and shakers, all pressing on to their calling to be heroes after the kind that has set this glorious pace for extraordinary living. Fond memories go into the making of these future heroes… stern coaching and disciplining of wild youthful hearts, Sunday afternoon drives to not too distant water holes where the water was cooler and deeper than the local swimming pool and not as crowded. Home cooked Sunday dinners (the roast lamb and gravy live on happily on our Texas Sunday table) with the best of friends, sometimes on the banks of a cool glass smooth lake, often followed by the thrills of a Watermelon fight.  Of proudly enduring hard pews listening in amazement as he shared those wonderful words of LIFE, always reaching out like a lifeline to some drowning soul. Never without purpose. Never without calling for the verdict! Of overnight drives to the favorite spots in the whole world, where wild waves crash and big fish bite on stinky rockbait attached to rigs of homemade lead sinkers. Of pre dawn excursions down the rocky crags to just the right spot in the East flowing Kie River to yank out a few giant pallang (eel) on a homemade “bob”, no hook needed! And then squeal with disgust at the quivering white filleted flesh as the salt teases the not quite dead nerves. Of returning from a long days adventure to the snug, cozy little homestead of my hero’s heroes to the indescribable aromatic cloud left by the “famous” Nanny Goetsch cookies (that live on in every Goetsch household to this day) and prepared with a hot cup of tea in hand to listen to the never-ending adventures of my hero’s service to his family and his country, and how that incredible journey led him to be a warrior of Faith in a different army with a greater mission. Always acknowledging his weaknesses while holding fast to grace, this imperfect hero will not have to wait for some distant moment for his final recognition and crowning… wherever he has walked if I’m still enough I see his crowns at His Saviors feet and hear Him saying, “well done, well done, well done! You have entered into My Joy” We journey on with him in joyful celebration anticipation of that day when he will meet his Super Hero face to face and the will see Him as He is, and dad will look just like Him! I love you dad! Happy Father’s day!

A Veterans of 2 wars… WW2 and LIFE! They say Old Soldiers never die, they simply fade away. I say old heroes neither die nor fade. They live on through the legacy they leave in all of the lives they so powerfully impact. Dad is my true hero! His impact will never die nor fade. It resonates in his offspring, from sons to great grand children, to great-great grand children… musicians, missionaries, ministers, medical scientists, writers, lovers of animals and nature, corporate leaders, athletes, shifters and shakers, all pressing on to their calling to be heroes after the kind that has set this glorious pace for extraordinary living. Fond memories go into the making of these future heroes… stern coaching and disciplining of wild youthful hearts, Sunday afternoon drives to not too distant water holes where the water was cooler and deeper than the local swimming pool and not as crowded. Home cooked Sunday dinners (the roast lamb and gravy live on happily on our Texas Sunday table) with the best of friends, sometimes on the banks of a cool glass smooth lake, often followed by the thrills of a Watermelon fight.  Of proudly enduring hard pews listening in amazement as he shared those wonderful words of LIFE, always reaching out like a lifeline to some drowning soul. Never without purpose. Never without calling for the verdict! Of overnight drives to the favorite spots in the whole world, where wild waves crash and big fish bite on stinky rockbait attached to rigs of homemade lead sinkers. Of pre dawn excursions down the rocky crags to just the right spot in the East flowing Kie River to yank out a few giant pallang (eel) on a homemade “bob”, no hook needed! And then squeal with disgust at the quivering white filleted flesh as the salt teases the not quite dead nerves. Of returning from a long days adventure to the snug, cozy little homestead of my hero’s heroes to the indescribable aromatic cloud left by the “famous” Nanny Goetsch cookies (that live on in every Goetsch household to this day) and prepared with a hot cup of tea in hand to listen to the never-ending adventures of my hero’s service to his family and his country, and how that incredible journey led him to be a warrior of Faith in a different army with a greater mission. Always acknowledging his weaknesses while holding fast to grace, this imperfect hero will not have to wait for some distant moment for his final recognition and crowning… wherever he has walked if I’m still enough I see his crowns at His Saviors feet and hear Him saying, “well done, well done, well done! You have entered into My Joy” We journey on with him in joyful celebration anticipation of that day when he will meet his Super Hero face to face and the will see Him as He is, and dad will look just like Him! I love you dad! Happy Father’s day!

The final results of South Africa’s 5th “Free and Fair” democratic election since the dismantling of apartheid are all in and social media is buzzing with dismay. Whether it was a free and fair poll or not is not the quandary. How a political party with multiple problems could be reelected is. South Africans have just reelected a party that has yet to keep one of its campaign promises made for the last 5 elections it has won. At the helm remains a president with numerous corruption charges and character flaws exceeding the never changing spots on the proverbial leopard. A quick Google search will reveal the enormous extent of these accusations, proof and all. How can people be so deceived? The mood is certainly one of troubled mistrust and dissatisfaction. I don’t think there is one simple “silver bullet” or cure for these ails, but here are some of my thoughts to ponder. The only way real and meaningful change can come about is by means of a revolution of thinking.  To have any impact on staying the Five Laws of Decline (FLD’s) highlighted by Orrin Woodward in “Leadershift” that impact ALL modern societies (I explain briefly below), thinking needs to change across some fundamental behaviors, viz family, faith, freedom, finances, following (leadership and mentoring skills), friends, and so on (LIFE Leadership). When there are enough citizens that realize the need for this reformation, good thinking will follow, real change will result and a positive world shift can occur. Is this idealistic futurism? Not if we study history and take note of the moods prior to each of the previous world shifts that have occurred (about every 100 years), or the nature of the collapse of the worlds greatest civilizations.The critical need I believe right now is for the true South African leaders to raise up other leaders, who in turn raise up other leaders who all buy into these disciplines: voracious readers, entrepreneurial in spirit, and have a tribal mindset and who are sick and done with the status quo and have the courage to polarize rather than to placate.  The issue here is not color, jobs or lack thereof, or even political turmoil, but slavery. People who are slaves to broken thinking and to what they have become comfortable with. They don\’t see any way out, and in fact the majority have become \”Happy in their Subserviency\” (Huxley – Brave New World). The present political climate is a result of the the same poor thinking perpetuated from a misguided government who have instilled in society the concept of learned incompetence (themselves being their greatest students) and dependency – happy subserviency. In Leadershift by Orrin Woodward and Oliver de Mille, societies decline is attributed to Five Laws. Sturgeons Law – 90% of everything is crud; Bastiats Law – Given repeated  \”Handouts\” and entitlements, society will eventually habitually take whatever they can get without working for it – the line of least resistance; Greshams Law – when the bad or lesser is consistently perpetuated over time it will eventually drive out the good; The Law of Diminishing Returns – you CAN have too much of a good thing. The more you experience of the good thing, your overall happiness and satisfaction will decline; Law of Inertia – a culture moving in a particular direction will increase its velocity until an outside force acts upon it. In an earlier writing De Mille outlines a recipe for socio economic reform which has nothing to do with the socialist model being proposed by the ignorant masses. What we need to bring about reform is a grassroots movement of citizens who will commit to the following: 1. Become Voracious Readers – read good books including the bible, and give careful thought to what you read, including the small print (by laws and ballot sheets) 2. Pursue Tribal Mentality – Connect and bond with a community of similar minded Rascals who have character born out of integrity multiplied by courage. Seek them out and associate with intention. 3. Seek out Entrepreneurial enterprise. Gain control of your future by defining the life you want, associating and learning from those who have the results that you desire, and then doing the things they do. Bring the wealth back into the citizens hands through ownership of the economic enterprise so that we can take the place of career politicians. Money has power! I would add one more – with all your heart, pursue your God given purpose. We all have one. It consists of a light he has given us that was placed there for the whole world to see. It is unique and powerful and brings glory to Him when men and women see the good works that rise up as a result (Matt 5:16) Remember, be true to yourself. Your success is a byproduct if personal integrity. Fight the Good Fight!

The final results of South Africa’s 5th “Free and Fair” democratic election since the dismantling of apartheid are all in and social media is buzzing with dismay. Whether it was a free and fair poll or not is not the quandary. How a political party with multiple problems could be reelected is. South Africans have just reelected a party that has yet to keep one of its campaign promises made for the last 5 elections it has won. At the helm remains a president with numerous corruption charges and character flaws exceeding the never changing spots on the proverbial leopard. A quick Google search will reveal the enormous extent of these accusations, proof and all. How can people be so deceived? The mood is certainly one of troubled mistrust and dissatisfaction. I don’t think there is one simple “silver bullet” or cure for these ails, but here are some of my thoughts to ponder. The only way real and meaningful change can come about is by means of a revolution of thinking.  To have any impact on staying the Five Laws of Decline (FLD’s) highlighted by Orrin Woodward in “Leadershift” that impact ALL modern societies (I explain briefly below), thinking needs to change across some fundamental behaviors, viz family, faith, freedom, finances, following (leadership and mentoring skills), friends, and so on (LIFE Leadership). When there are enough citizens that realize the need for this reformation, good thinking will follow, real change will result and a positive world shift can occur. Is this idealistic futurism? Not if we study history and take note of the moods prior to each of the previous world shifts that have occurred (about every 100 years), or the nature of the collapse of the worlds greatest civilizations.The critical need I believe right now is for the true South African leaders to raise up other leaders, who in turn raise up other leaders who all buy into these disciplines: voracious readers, entrepreneurial in spirit, and have a tribal mindset and who are sick and done with the status quo and have the courage to polarize rather than to placate.  The issue here is not color, jobs or lack thereof, or even political turmoil, but slavery. People who are slaves to broken thinking and to what they have become comfortable with. They don\’t see any way out, and in fact the majority have become \”Happy in their Subserviency\” (Huxley – Brave New World). The present political climate is a result of the the same poor thinking perpetuated from a misguided government who have instilled in society the concept of learned incompetence (themselves being their greatest students) and dependency – happy subserviency. In Leadershift by Orrin Woodward and Oliver de Mille, societies decline is attributed to Five Laws. Sturgeons Law – 90% of everything is crud; Bastiats Law – Given repeated  \”Handouts\” and entitlements, society will eventually habitually take whatever they can get without working for it – the line of least resistance; Greshams Law – when the bad or lesser is consistently perpetuated over time it will eventually drive out the good; The Law of Diminishing Returns – you CAN have too much of a good thing. The more you experience of the good thing, your overall happiness and satisfaction will decline; Law of Inertia – a culture moving in a particular direction will increase its velocity until an outside force acts upon it. In an earlier writing De Mille outlines a recipe for socio economic reform which has nothing to do with the socialist model being proposed by the ignorant masses. What we need to bring about reform is a grassroots movement of citizens who will commit to the following: 1. Become Voracious Readers – read good books including the bible, and give careful thought to what you read, including the small print (by laws and ballot sheets) 2. Pursue Tribal Mentality – Connect and bond with a community of similar minded Rascals who have character born out of integrity multiplied by courage. Seek them out and associate with intention. 3. Seek out Entrepreneurial enterprise. Gain control of your future by defining the life you want, associating and learning from those who have the results that you desire, and then doing the things they do. Bring the wealth back into the citizens hands through ownership of the economic enterprise so that we can take the place of career politicians. Money has power! I would add one more – with all your heart, pursue your God given purpose. We all have one. It consists of a light he has given us that was placed there for the whole world to see. It is unique and powerful and brings glory to Him when men and women see the good works that rise up as a result (Matt 5:16) Remember, be true to yourself. Your success is a byproduct if personal integrity. Fight the Good Fight!