I have been seeing a lot of thankfulness lately on Facebook.  I’m not sure what it is but there have been a lot of my friend posting a daily Thankfulness comment.  I’m sure that this is something that is leading up to Thanksgiving next week, but I really haven’t see the start of it.  That’s no big deal for me though, because I have been living my thankfulness in other ways.

There’s been a lot going on in our lives over the last couple of months and that has hampered my blogging bit.  But the growth that I am experiencing has been a joy in spite of all that is required to get it.

This morning as I woke up and as I was doing my reading, I am really feeling gratitude and thanksfulness for so much in my life.  So since we are just about to Thanksgiving, I thought it would be okay to make a short list of things that I am thankful for.

1.  My family.  This would seem obvious, but they are my reason for doing so much.  I love them and they love me unconditionally.

2.  Friends.  To have great friends that you can talk with and live life with is so great.  In this group, I include my accountability group.  Accountability group is something that I have joined into this year with a couple of men from my Church but it is something that is so powerful.  I can’t say thank you enough to these men to allow me to meet and talk with them about all sorts of matters.

3. Health.  Some that know me, may question this, and with good reason.  But I choose to look at it this way, Round is a shape, so therefore, I am in shape.  Am I where I want to be in this area, no, but I am fortunate to not have major health concerns at this time.

Well those are my top three.  What about your’s?  It’s hard not to at least think about it over the next week for sure.  I invite you to share your thoughts with me.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday.

After all the rumors had come out and then even talk about the possibility of two phones coming out, I was jazzed up.  Then was let down because of it.  I found myself thinking that surely the iPhone 5 would come out because Tim Cook would surely step up and announce it himself.  No such luck for me or the rest of us expecting the iPhone 5.  Oh well, life will go on.  At least that’s what I first thought.  Until I got news Wednesday evening about Steve passing on.  This was sad for me but made me reflect a little bit.  The more I thought about it the more I think I understand what happened at Apple to bring out the iPhone 4s.  Please indulge me here as I make my predictions for the next couple of years for Apple.

It is my opinion that Tim Cook and those in charge at Apple knew that Steve was just hanging on and that he wouldn’t be around much longer.  I even read that Steve consulted with Apple about the Tuesday announcement.  So what I think Apple has done is purposely not announced the iPhone 5 even though it is ready for release.

My reason for this is that doing so serves two great advantages that to Apple more than offsets the disappointment that customers felt.  The first is that they get to give Steve one last legacy product after his passing.  Honestly, we know that Steve had a lot of say in the iPhone 4s and 5, so Apple can make it a commemorative release of the most popular smart phone there is.  The second advantage for Apple is they have next years release ready to go and can make any necessary tweaks to make it an amazing “swan song” for Steve.  In doing this, it also gives them two years of R&D to produce the first post-Jobs iPhone.

So here is what I think is going to happen.  I really think that the iPhone 5 that has the aluminum back and tapered bottom and bigger screen does exist and is ready for release, don’t look for it until at least summer 2012.  Then Apple will be on their own for the next version be it 5s or 6.

What are your thoughts?  Are you an iPhone fan?  Are you getting the 4s or waiting on the 5?

Let’s hear it.

The world today is really needing quality leaders.  People are looking for someone to follow, someone they can put their trust in.  The question is, “Will you be that person?”  When I ask this to myself, I have to answer, yes.  I want to lead my family and others and have influence to improve who they are and what they are exposed to.  Don’t you?  Don’t you want the best that life has to offer your family and friends?  I believe we all do.

Well, who is going to show them this?  Why not take it upon yourself to be that leader and show them?  Working on yourself and your leadership skills is necessary.  While you don’t have to go to the extreme of taking a bunch of classes, just start reading about leadership a little each day.  There are tons of great books out there to read that will help you.  I am working on a page for my blog that will list books that I have read and would suggest, as well as, books that I am wanting to read or intend to read soon.

I will get this page up and published as soon as I can, but in the mean time, pick up a book and start working on your leadership skills. (Oh and keep checking back to see when the page is finished.)

It’s been two and a half weeks now since I have started a Bible study series at my Church called Disciple I.  It is a self study bible study that meets once a week as an accountability to discuss what you’ve read and learned the last week.  To me it is the accountability that is helping me to really focus and think about what I am reading, so that I can have something to add to the discussion.  It also has me thinking about it more throughout the day and trying to “live” the words.  By doing this, I am becoming a better leader and example for God.

While this blog entry is more of an update on what I’ve been doing, it is also a challenge to you to do something similar, even a one on one with a friend to help each other be accountable.

Have a great day.

but how do we do this? Well here is something that was shared with me this evening in a Bible Study Class that I attend on Wednesday evenings. It has four parts and is based on the actions of Eliezer in Genesis Chapter 24, specifically verses 10-14. Eliezer was Abraham’s oldest servant and was tasked to find Abraham’s son, Isaac, a wife. So he was given his goal, much like most of us are given a task to do. So what did he do about it?

1. Made a Plan: He gathered 10 camels in preparation for the trip and loaded all the stuff he thought he might need, including gifts for the family of the Bride to be. Notice that his plan started with his own action, he had to go to a distant land to find Isaac’s bride. He didn’t wait around to be teleported or for the Bride to come to him. He went after it with action. How many times do we sit by and wait for things to happen to us? We have to take that step and show our willingness to go get what we want.

2. Submitted the plan to God: Once he reached his destination, he prayed to God and shared this plan with God. While on his journey, I’m sure that he had plenty of time to think about how in the world would he pick the right person for Isaac. And we’re the same way. We set off on these adventures and get over whelmed with everything, wondering how we are ever going to be able to reach our goal.

3. Prayed for guidance: After he shared his plan with God, he ask for guidance. He asked for a specific outcome so that he would know that this was the one. See the well, gave him an idea on how to find the right woman for Isaac. But instead of waiting there and taking just anyone, Eliezer prayed for a specific sign from God that he had the right woman. How many times do we pray and ask for something but are very vague about what we are asking for? God please just help me to make it to my next payday or help me find a new job versus, please God help me find a way to serve others and make an extra $100 this month or please allow the door to be opened for a position that will allow me to use my talents to serve you and others. I know in my life some of the things that I have gotten, have been times when I had something specific in my mind and asked for it.

4. Devised a strategy with room for God to operate: He had a plan and was ready to execute it. His plan allowed for enough action on his part but still allow God’s will to be present. He specifically outlined a plan and asked God for a sign that he would know when the right woman was presented to him. This left plenty of room for God to show his power and will. This would lead me to ask myself, “for all the times that a pray didn’t come true, was it because I was so limiting for what God can and wanted to do in my life?” What if God wants you to be the next CEO of Microsoft or Apple, or maybe to be the leader of the local Feed the Homeless ministry in your area? But you have limited yourself to making just enough money to live paycheck to paycheck.

These four things really spoke with me and give me a new look on my goals and what I have been trying to accomplish in my life. I hope this will help you with reaching your goals along the way.

I appreciate your feedback and or thoughts on this topic. Please leave me comments below.