Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 460 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Be Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise - Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 460 of our trek, and it is Tuesday and time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom each Tuesday and Thursday. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget...

Today’s quote is a well-known one from Benjamin Franklin who tells us, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Quotes such as this one are engrained in our minds, but are they factual? Although there was not as much medical evidence to support this quote when Ben Franklin originally said it, there is a magnitude of evidence in today’s medical journals and practices that prove this is factual.

Although there will always be exceptions to this saying, we now know that a person who gets adequate sleep by getting to bed at a reasonable time is generally healthier and wealthier. Because of this, they are also wiser. Proper sleep, along with exercise and proper nutrition, will truly give you an advantage when the opportunities of life are presented to you. Your body, mind, and soul all need adequate sleep to rebuild, reenergize, and recharge. If you rob yourself of proper sleep, you will not be able to make wise decisions, which will lead to poverty and poor health.

When a person's priorities are out of wack, it is evident physically. When a person does not get adequate sleep, their eyes are the windows that tell the story. As Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:21-23, "Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.  'Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.  But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!'"

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 459 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

10 Things That Money Can't Buy

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 459 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we hike the trails of life that will encourage and motivate us to live rich and satisfying lives this week.  Today let us explore “10 Things Money Can’t Buy.”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Each evening as we are unpacking boxes, cleaning cupboards, and clearing closets, we continue to decide what we will keep and what we will give away. This moving project will certainly keep us occupied for several weeks to come. We are taking our time and doing our best to enjoy the process.

I am recording this before the weekend, but my plan for the weekend is to consolidate the items in our garage so that we can have another stall for our car. It is an open five stall garage fashioned after a carriage house, but we have lawn equipment, a small tractor, and other outdoor items stored in it. We will also be going to church with my Dad and celebrating his 86th birthday on Sunday. God has been gracious to us as Dad is still in relatively good health and certainly good spirits. Being able to invest time with Dad is always a blessing. Time together with those that we love is one of the many things that no amount of money can buy.  So the title of our trek for today is…

10 Things That Money Can’t Buy

Birthdays and holidays are excellent occasions to reflect on our priorities and to focus on what is truly valuable in our lives. On our trek today, we will explore unique opportunities and make an introspective analysis of our real values, principles, and beliefs. One of the best ways to gain wisdom is to take advice from those individuals who show wisdom in their lives. For each of the 10 things that money can’t buy, I will use a quote from a wise person to allow us to reflect appropriately.

# 1. Health

Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived. – Dalai Lama

# 2. Love

If you want to distinguish between those who love you unreservedly, and those who love your money, try losing all your money. – Jordi Alemany

# 3. Happiness

Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants. – Benjamin Franklin

# 4. Integrity

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. – Douglas Adams

# 5. Respect

Money is your means of survival. The verdict you pronounce upon the source of your livelihood is the verdict you pronounce upon your life. If the source is corrupt, you have damned your own existence. Did you get your money by fraud? By pandering to men’s vices or men’s stupidity? By catering to fools, in the hope of getting more than your ability deserves? By lowering your standards? By doing work you despise for purchasers you scorn? If so, then your money will not give you a moment’s or a penny’s worth of joy. Then all the things you buy will become, not a tribute to you, but a reproach; not an achievement, but a reminder of shame. Then you’ll scream that money is evil. Evil, because it would not pinch-hit for your self-respect? Evil, because it would not let you enjoy your depravity? Is this the root of your hatred of money?

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 458 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Failure or Success on Life's Trek - Philosophy Part 8

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy podcast. This is Day 458 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy. Each Friday we are in a multi-week trek as we explore the teachings from some of my virtual mentors, such as Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Earl Nightingale.

The core of our current trek is based primarily on Jim Rohn’s book The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle. I have learned a considerable amount from reading and re-reading this book on my own trek of life, and I trust that it will benefit you also. Keeping with the continuity of Wisdom-Trek, I will be adapting it to The Five Trails on Life’s Trek.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. Our client workload has been brisk this week, so the unpacking of what we brought from our Charlotte home will probably take several weeks.

The leaves are starting to turn colors in southeastern Ohio. The view from our 2nd story office windows certainly provides a beautiful backdrop for working each day. As the actual seasons change, so do the seasons of our lives. This is why it is so important that we Develop a Powerful Personal Philosophy. If you have missed the past few Philosophy Friday treks, it would be good to go back and review them to get caught up on our progress so far. We have a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s break camp and continue on the first trail of this extended trek as we cover.

Failure or Success on Life’s Trek – Philosophy Part 8

As a reminder, our overall extended trek will cover these five trails:

Philosophy

Attitude

Activity

Results

Lifestyle

Last week on our hike we focused on the importance of the decision-making process, which is so crucial for creating a powerful personal philosophy. When we want to improve our lives in any area, it is beneficial to learn from what causes both failures and successes in our lives. We will first look at:

1. The Formula for Failure

Failure is not a single, catastrophic event. You do not fail overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking and poor choices. To put it more simply:

· Failure is nothing more than a few errors in judgment repeated every day.

Why would someone make an error in judgment and then be so foolish as to repeat it every day? The answer is because he or she does not think that it matters.

On their own, your daily acts do not seem that important. A minor oversight, a poor decision, or a wasted hour generally doesn’t result in an instant and measurable impact. More often than not, you will escape from any immediate consequences of your deeds.

As an example, if you have not bothered to read a single book in the past ninety days, this lack of discipline does not seem to have any immediate impact on your life. Since nothing drastic happened to you after the first ninety days, you repeat this error in judgment for another ninety days, and on and on, it goes. Why? Because it doesn’t seem to matter. This is a great danger. Far worse than not reading the books is not even realizing that it matters!

If you eat too many of the wrong foods, you are contributing to a future health problem, but the seeming joy of the moment overshadows the consequence of the future. It does not seem to matter. If you smoke too much or drink too much, then you go on making these poor choices year after year after year because…it doesn’t seem to ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 457 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Making Wise Decisions - Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 457 of our trek, and it is Thursday and time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom each Tuesday and Thursday. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from Vonette Z. Bright, who says, "Decisions which are made in the light of God's word are stable and show wisdom."

As a person of faith, I am a Christ follower, and I consider the Bible as God’s letter of guidance to all mankind. With this world view, I also am convinced that all decisions that I make need to be in sync with the precepts found in God’s Word. As part of my decision-making process, I filter those decisions through God’s Word to make sure that they are not contrary to the truths that are found in His Word. This provides me with a firm foundation from which I can make decisions. When you are constructing a building, the most important part of the building is the foundation. When the foundation is solid, then the building will be stable and able to withstand adverse conditions. This is the same way with making decisions. If our decisions are based on the solid foundation of God’s Word, then they will be stable and wise. As Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged quote. If you would like access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.  As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy. Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 456 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Good Planning and Hard Work Lead to Prosperity - Proverbs 21:1-16

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 456 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 1st half of Chapter 21.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. On Monday we made a long day trip to Charlotte and back with our final possessions that we were unable to fit onto the truck previously. My brother Jack went with Paula and I, and we rented a smaller truck which barely fit the remaining items that we had stored in the garage. Since the house is under contract now, all we have to do is wait for the inspections and appraisal to be completed. If there are no delays, we should close on or before November 21st, which will complete another chapter of our lives with many good memories from that past 7 years. Although we do have some mixed emotions about consolidating back to Marietta, I am reminded of the quote from Dr. Seuss who said, “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.”

As we do adapt to the ever changing seasons of life, it certainly is beneficial to rely on the wisdom, insight, and understanding obtained through many years to help navigate the trails that we are hiking each day.

In every season of life, we need to seek wisdom, insight, and understanding both from God’s Word and from other wise individuals. We then need to put good plans in place, so as we break camp for our trek today let us explore the nuggets of wisdom found in the first half of Proverbs 21 where we will learn that…

Good Planning and Hard Work Lead to Prosperity

Let’s start our trek with verse 1.

1 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;

he guides it wherever he pleases.

This verse certainly brings some comfort in the midst of each election cycle within the USA, and I am sure it is probably the same if you live in other countries. I count it privilege to be able to live in a free country, and recognize it is important to exercise that privilege by voting. Regardless of the outcome of any particular election, God is sovereign and controls who is elected. He directs the hearts of world leaders in the same way that he directs the rivers and guides them to fulfill His will. While the world leaders attempt to build empires, God is interested in building His kingdom.

 

2 People may be right in their own eyes,

but the Lord examines their heart.

As humans, we have the ability to justify and rationalize any type of behavior as acceptable or right behavior. We truly have a difficult time examining our own hearts, but God does not. He knows not only our actions, but more importantly our motives for the actions that we take.

 

3 The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just

than when we offer him sacrifices.

This verse can be somewhat related to the previous verse. Our actions are not as important as our heart, attitude, and intentions. God desires for us to do that which is right and just. He does not desire that we just go through the motions of doing what is right if we have an incorrect attitude for doing so.

 

4 Haughty eyes, a proud heart,

and evil actions are all sin.

Pride is the seed of nearly all sins because out of pride grows an abundance of wrong actions.  When we are more concerned about ourselves that we are about others, then we think we are more important than we really are.

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 455 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Break Free of the Shackles - Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 455 of our trek, and it is Tuesday and time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom each Tuesday and Thursday. So let’s jump right in with today’s nugget...

Today’s quote is from a Samuel Lover, who says, "Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise."

Life happens to us all.  Sometimes good things happen, and sometimes not so good things occur. If you allow the circumstances of everyday life control you, then you will become a slave to the obstacles and detours of life. Those circumstances will cause you to make foolish choices and decisions that will only strengthen that shackles that bind you and prevent you from succeeding.

On the other hand, if you are wise and control those circumstances which face us all, regardless if they are good or bad, then they truly will be the instruments that will allow you to learn, to grow, to mature, and to succeed.  You will be able to break free of the shackles of circumstances and live a life that is rich and satisfying. As Hebrews 12:1 instructs us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you enjoy these quotes, I have created and published a searchable database of over 10,000 quotes that I have collected for many years. If you would like access to my database of inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Wisdom Wednesday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 454 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

What's The Rush

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 454 of our trek, and today is Motivation Monday. Every Monday we hike the trails of life that will encourage and motivate you to live a rich and satisfying life this week. Today let us slow down a bit and ponder, “What’s the Rush?”

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. As I am writing today’s journal, 2 momma and 3 baby deer are sauntering past our house munching on grass and acorns. Our vantage point from the 2nd story window allows us to watch unnoticed. The view of our lawn with its large trees and changing leaves is extra beautiful this time of year.

Last week was quite an exciting and busy week. After unloading a large truck of our furnishings from Charlotte on Monday, we began slowly working through the boxes unpacking and determining where we will place what we keep and what we will be giving away. The exciting news is that our Charlotte home was placed under contract two days after listing it. God has been gracious to us.

I am recording this before the weekend, but my plan for the weekend is to make a first pass of the lawn and pick up the few leaves that have fallen so far. We also have the blessing of celebrating our grandson Gideon’s birthday Saturday afternoon. On Monday, when this episode originally airs, my brother Jack, Paula, and I will be making a day trip to Charlotte and back to pick up the remaining furnishings that we were not able to fit in the truck on our first load. That should wrap up our home selling details until the closing of the deal in November.

These past three weeks have been even more rushed and hectic than normal for us. It is our hope that we are able to slow down and settle in a bit as fall moves into winter. This brings to my mind how rushed we are in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world. So the title of our trek for today is…

What’s the Rush?

As a Star Trek fan, the phrase warp speed is in reference to traveling at a speed that is faster than light. Do you ever feel like you’re living life at warp speed? If you do, you’re not alone. There are many of us who feel like we’re doing more than ever before but failing to enjoy the fruits of our labor. What’s the rush? We’re depriving ourselves of sleep to buy a few extra minutes and communicating in sound bites and bullet points, while riffling through volumes of information like never before. We all need to just stop, at least for a moment, and take a breath.

We exploit every millisecond in order to fit an additional activity into our day and then try to manage it all by what we think is multitasking. It is more like the proverbial plate spinners in the circus rushing from one plate to another hoping that they all don’t come crashing down at once. In the process, we have become a society with the attention span of a gnat. So please remind me again…why are we doing this?

Oh yes, we want to be more productive, to get ahead, to stay connected…Or is it simply out of fear that the other guy will pass us by, or the fear of missing out on something “important”? Regardless of the motivation, the risk is that what we gain in speed and quantity, we lose with shallow thinking, superficial relationships, and living only “for the moment.”

What do you consider the true meaning or purpose of life? Well, in John 10:10 Jesus gave us at least a glimpse of what it may be when He said, "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."

How rich and satisfying is your life? What are we missing?

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 453 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Decision Making on Life's Trek - Philosophy Part 7

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy podcast. This is Day 453 of our trek, and today is Philosophy Friday. Every Friday we ponder some of the basic truths and mysteries of life and how they can impact us in creating our living legacy.

Currently, we are in a multi-week trek as we explore the teachings from some of my virtual mentors, such as Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Earl Nightingale. The core of our current trek is based primarily on Jim Rohn’s book The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle. I have learned a considerable amount from reading and re-reading this book on my own trek of life, and I trust that it will benefit you also.  Keeping with the continuity of Wisdom-Trek, I will be adapting it to The Five Trails on Life’s Trek.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We are slowly making progress on unpacking and setting up the additional furnishings from Charlotte and are trying to be practical on what we keep and what we choose to give away to others. While many of the furnishings have some family tie or sentimental value, we realize that holding onto stuff that is not going to be used is not wise or prudent.

Although we have accumulated several items passed down through the family for several generations, we do try to be rather minimalistic in our approach to life. We realize that we are just stewards of what we have to take care of while we are alive. This mindset is part of a powerful personal philosophy. As we consider our personal philosophy on our trek for today, we will continue on the first of five trails on life’s trek, which is the Philosophy Trail.

Specifically, we want to continue our exploration of How to Develop a Powerful Personal Philosophy. If you have missed the past few Philosophy Friday treks, it would be good to go back and review them to get caught up on our progress so far. We have a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s break camp and continue on the first trail of this extended trek as we cover...

The Five Trails on Life’s Trek –Philosophy Part 7

As a reminder, our overall extended trek will cover these five trails:

Philosophy

Attitude

Activity

Results

Lifestyle

Last week on our hike we focused on the importance of keeping a journal of your life experiences to use as a guide for future growth. Today we will examine the decision-making process, which is so crucial for creating a powerful personal philosophy.

Whenever a new idea comes your way, you subconsciously place this idea on your mental scales and weigh it to determine what level of action you need to take on the idea. Those ideas that measure high on our scale receive immediate attention; those that measure low on our scale receive only minimal or infrequent notice.

Whatever level of action you determine to be correct will ultimately be decided by your philosophy. If you have failed to gather adequate knowledge or if you have failed to refine or add to the knowledge you possess, then a significant number of your decisions may move you away from success rather than toward it. If you are inclined to invest major time on minor things or even major money on minor things, then it is essential for you to take a closer look at your decision-making process.

The world is filled with people whose decisions are destined to destroy their chances for success. A person who does not operate from a sound philosophy often does that which he should have left undone ...

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 452 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Invest in Yourself - Wisdom Unplugged

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is day 452 of our trek, and it is Thursday and time for our 3-minute mini-trek called Wisdom Unplugged. This short nugget of wisdom includes an inspirational quote with a little additional content for today’s trek. Consider this your vitamin supplement of wisdom each Tuesday and Thursday. So, let’s jump right in with today’s nugget.

Today’s quote is from Daniel J. Boorstin, who says, "Books are the main source of our knowledge, our reservoir of first faith, memory, wisdom, morality, poetry, philosophy, history, and science."

Have you read a good book lately? If not you are missing out on the potential for self-development that could be yours. Books, in whatever format that you prefer, will open a universe of knowledge to you that you will otherwise miss. With the resources that we have available on the internet today, there are virtually no barriers and the investment is very low, other than the time that you invest in improving yourself. An investment in yourself will always have a significant return. There are no limits to what you can learn and what you can become except for the limits that you place on yourself. As God instructed Joshua, "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

That’s a wrap for today’s Wisdom Unplugged. If you would like access to my database of over 10,000 inspirational quotes, the link is available on the main page of Wisdom-Trek.com.

As you enjoy these nuggets of wisdom, encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.

Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most importantly, your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal each day.

As we take this trek of life together, let us always:

Live Abundantly (Fully)

Love Unconditionally

Listen Intentionally

Learn Continuously

Lend to others Generously

Lead with Integrity

Leave a Living Legacy Each Day

This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow for Philosophy Friday!

Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy

Welcome to Day 451 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.

This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom

Plans Succeed Through Wise Counsel - Proverbs 20:16-30

Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 451 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 2nd half of Chapter 20.

We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. All things considered, the packing and moving of all of our household furnishings from our Charlotte home to The Big House went fairly smooth. It was certainly one of the busiest and physically tiring weeks that we have had for a long time. With the help of three of our grown children and their spouses, we were able to get the 26’ U-Haul truck fully loaded on Friday, and then Paula and I invested a long day Saturday cleaning the house from top to bottom.

We pulled away from our home at 6:30pm and arrived in Marietta at 1:30am.  After sleeping in a bit on Sunday, my brother Jack, his wife Ann, and their son Rob helped us unload. We are truly blessed to have willing and able family that is so supportive. We do have a few remaining furniture items stored in the garage that did not fit on the truck and will be making a return trip soon to retrieve them. It may take a few weeks for us to unpack all the boxes and determine where everything will go, but the most difficult tasks are behind us.

We are grateful to God for safety and the strength to accomplish all that we did in a week’s time. The home is on the market now, so we are praying that it sells quickly and for the price we desire. We would appreciate your prayers also.

As we do adapt to the ever-changing seasons of life, it certainly is beneficial to rely on the wisdom, insight, and understanding obtained through many years to help navigate the trails that we are hiking each day. Sharp turns, unexpected obstacles, and precarious ledges can come on us quickly. Being prepared for these unexpected situations will allow you to traverse the trails with the strength needed while maintaining your peace and joy.

In every season of life, we need to seek wisdom, insight, and understanding both from God’s Word and from other wise individuals. We then need to put plans in place, so as we break camp for our trek today, let us explore the nuggets of wisdom found in the second half of Proverbs 20 where we will learn that…

Plans Succeed Through Good Counsel

Let’s start our trek with verse 16.

16 Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger’s debt.

Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.

Proverbs is full of advice and warnings about borrowing money or guaranteeing debt for someone else. The converse of this is true also. If you loan money to others, you need to make sure that you obtain collateral or some sort of security. This is especially true if it is someone that you do not know personally. Make sure a deposit is obtained to offset the risk.

 

17 Stolen bread tastes sweet,

but it turns to gravel in the mouth.

When a person steals or takes advantage of someone, it may appear that it is beneficial and that they have obtained something for nothing, but in the end, it will be a destructive force within them.

 

18 Plans succeed through good counsel;

don’t go to war without wise advice.

Before making any major decisions or plans, it is best to get advice and counsel from someone who is wise and has a track record of success. This is even more important if the outcome of the decision could be harmful physically, emotionally,