life is a learning process

Doctors, Stumps, Puzzles

Dr. Mike 2026 , , ,

“Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,” Proverbs 1:5


This Scripture is part of the opening statement in the Book of Proverbs. It is applicable there and throughout life. As we are being prepared for eternity with Jesus, one gains Kingdom insight from the daily events of life.

This past week three events brought a smile to my face. In each instance, I experienced the joy of having these Kingdom life lessons reinforced.

In the beginning of the week, I had my bi-annual skin exam. He is my new dermatologist. I made the recent decision to find a younger doctor who will hopefully outlive me. Dr. D is in his late thirties and wears his skin proud of the profession. As I sat naked with only my shorts, he exam my body for any unusual markings. He found two. One on my thigh and the other on my chest. With help from his nurse, he removed both of them and sent them to the lab for inspection. Band aids covered the new extracted skin holes.

The good news is no serious cancer. The bad news is he had to dig deeper to remove tiny bits of unwanted cells. The incision and stitches afterward caused an inkling of discomfort. A temporary pain and inconvenience for the long-term confirmation that all is OK. This reminded me of how the Spirit works to remove parts of the harden heart. The short-term pain is worth the long-term gain.

Earlier this past weekend, I also checked-off an item from my to-do list. A palm tree had died from a recent cold freeze and left me with the stump to be removed. This is the third tree planted in the same spot over the last fifteen years. It will not be replaced. But it was here I experienced the grace of Jesus.

I started digging around 7am and by 9am the body was near exhaustion. While sitting on the stool making plans to finish the work later in the week, my neighbor stopped by. A very successful business man in his late thirties. Collects sports cars as a hobby. Most of the work around his house is done by outside professional services. But today I saw Jesus come alive in him.

He looked at the fun I was having the last two hours and didn’t want to be deprived of sharing in it. He quickly reviewed the situation. Went back to his house and returned with a six-foot, 30-pound steel rod and a handheld spear cutter. In less than five minutes, we had the stump out of the ground. After thanking him, I smiled and teased him for being my Jesus at the moment. He actually blushed. But the lesson was learned. I gave my best effort to remove the tree stump; didn’t have anything left to finish the job but help came to finish it. Like so many times in life, we put forth the effort and God supplies us with HIS grace to complete the work. Most of the time He shows up hidden behind the life of another human.

Lastly, my wife and I recently picked up a new hobby to share. Putting together puzzles. I chose the first one. A five-hundred-piece portray of the Statue of Liberty lit up with fireworks around it. Yesterday we finished it. At the start she grumbled how difficult and uninspiring it was. I looked at it as a challenge and time we could bond together.

We laid the pieces on a small table in the living room. As we walk by it, we would stop and put a few pieces together. One day she would stop her busy schedule and do a few; the next day I did. Sometimes we were fortunate to come together and each grab a section of the puzzle. Yesterday, we both had time and sat together to finish the last few pieces. When the last piece was placed, I thought we were finished. But she proved me wrong. She showed me places where the pieces didn’t seem to properly blend or fit together. I then realized why I married her.

I am the business-minded person who focused on results. Perfection was an illusion in my field. Effectiveness or getting the job done is my priority. She on the other hand has an artist mind-set. Beauty and perfection are her giftedness. Though the puzzle was completed it wasn’t perfect. So we both sat down and put our heads together. In a matter of a few minutes she had disrupted several corners. Beauty was not recognized there. As I took my logical mind and together with her artistic eye, we began to move pieces around. We both began to experience the joy of sharing our giftedness toward a completed project. When we were finished, we had a perfect masterpiece to show the world. We did it together. Like a faith community coming together and living out the ways of Jesus in unity and love.

Yes, the doctor, the tree stump, and the puzzle were my Kingdom lessons of the week. What were yours?

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

Click Here for more Writings Neatly Bound in Book Format Available at Your Favorite Bookstore.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Turning Prayer into Action

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , ,

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:9-13

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“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  Matthew 7:7

One business skill-set that has made the largest impact in my personal life is the development of a process. A process is the step-by-step procedure to follow towards a meaningful outcome. Though one tries to control the outcome, in most cases one learns it is the process one only can control. The outcome is usually dependent on many other considerations outside one’s influence. Thus, every important outcome is best governed through a process toward its end.

This holds true even in one’s personal life. Over time we develop meaningful goals to pursue which gives us purpose. Yet, if we don’t have a process to follow, then the goal is only a wish. A dream most likely never to happen.

As Christ-followers, we have been given a macro-goal in partnership with Jesus himself. A goal larger than ourselves. A vision bigger than any one of us. Yes Jesus is the initiator and CEO. But HE has given us a community of other believers within the Church to carry out HIS instructions. He has given us an outline to follow. A process for each of us to put in place with Jesus himself. The details though is a mutual discussion between you and HIM.

Our objectives are outline through the prayer example of Jesus found in the book of Matthew (6:9-13). We are to ask God for help to focus our actions toward seven important outcomes. Each outcome begs a personal reply: What is your process?

The first is to build a meaningful relationship with our Papa God. What is your process?

Followed by surrendering our kingdom under the auspices of God’s Kingdom. Again, what is your process?

Then to learn, develop, and exercise our personal will to be one with our Triune God. Again, what is your process?

Jesus knows the importance of physical necessities. Thus, HE reminds us to ask for our daily living requirements. Food, clothing, shelter are the basics of human survival. HE knows we need them. Again, what is your process?

HE also knows we have all incurred debts through life. He did not mean the financial type. But the spiritual sins of commission and omission that we all have committed. Repentance is the process of acknowledging our need for grace. To refocus our internal drive to a deeper relationship with God. So, how goes your process?

Then Jesus moves to the importance of forgiveness within relationships. The importance of maintaining a relationship is the ability to forgive others. Just as God has forgiven us. How is your process working?

Jesus also knows the struggles of temptation in the world. He instructs us to pray for deliverance from them. Which again begs the question, what is your current process to deal with temptation?

The seventh area Jesus pointed to was evil itself. Evil is real. Evil is anti-God. Evil will knock on your door more times than you want. So, Jesus instructs us to pray asking God to deliver us from it. What does your process against evil entail?

All seven of these objectives are key areas of a Christ-follower’s life. From a personal leadership perspective, each one requires a process to manage. Our focus is to control the process. The outcome is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. As we surrender to our Lord, HE will walk with us through the process.

HE even gave us further instructions on the development of our process. HE told us to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK. We are first to ask God. We ask HIM to direct our steps. To bring people into our world to assist us. To flood us with HIS Grace as we make every effort to move through the process.

As we continue to ASK, we begin to SEEK HIS answer. We move forward. We look for HIS words, HIS touch, HIS Spirit along the way. When a door appears that may be the answer, we KNOCK. As we turn the knob, but the door remains close, we leave it alone and move on. We keep looking for another door. As we turn the knob on this one, the door slowly opens on its own. We do not have to force or manipulate anything. The door opens wide. We step through and like a champion surfer, we ride the wave to the end. Afterward, we look back and are amazed how everything fell into place.

God is a master worker. HE does good work. As you move through your process, your relationship with HIM grows deeper. Your trust in HIM becomes stronger. You learn the holy swagger walk. You experience the goodness of God.

Yes, we develop a process and follow through with our best effort. We will fall short most times. There we will see God’s grace in action. In the process, we learn how to govern ourselves and others. We also build a stronger relationship with Jesus, our Lord, Savior, and Teacher. The Holy Spirit becomes more active in your world. This all happens as you develop and execute a process of turning prayer into action.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

Click Here for more Writings Neatly Bound in Book Format Available at Your Favorite Bookstore.

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message! Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Learn to Love

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ ,

John 13:34

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

learnlove2

Some things are easier to learn than others. Learning to eat comes naturally. Walking may take a few tries but eventually most toddlers ignore the bumps and bruises and wander their way about. Learning to swim or bike may take a little longer but most people who attempt it manage to get by. But somethings are just harder than others.

Take Love.

Most of us in our early days think love is how we feel about someone. It is an emotional high that we can’t get enough. When the feeling goes away, we look for someone else to fill the hole.

Yet as we mature, most of us learn that love is an action with a heartfelt attitude toward another. It’s more about the other person than the self. In fact, the self only gets in the way to fully express love the way God does.

Take Jesus Christ.

The night before his crucifixion, when most of us would be having a self-pity party, he chose to wash the feet of his disciples before observing the Passover meal with them. Usually this act was performed by the house servants. But Jesus from his heart not only demonstrated what humility looks like but showed how serving one another is love in action.

For most of us, we choose who we love and who we refrain from loving. Yet, to become perfect like our heavenly Father, we all need to learn how to love everyone. He does.

So, life’s lessons include learning to love the obnoxious associate from work, and the loud, partying neighbor, along with the aggressive drivers on the freeway, and the narcissistic boss. Learning to love those who are like us is easy. But learning to love those whose behaviors and values we disdain, can be challenging.

Just another reason to lean more heavily on Christ.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

*  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
*  Great Business Emulates a Good God
*  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
*  Simply The Messenger
*  Unequally Married

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