April 30. Quiet Yourselves. Take Two And Action.

It is a pleasure to meet you. What do you do? It is a common question. It is one of the easier starter points in a conversation with someone new. If you have a specific job, a label of the job or career might be easily described. When you talk to a business owner though it can get complicated.

Some business owners own a service of some kind which really provides just an income. They might choose to focus on income building instead of business building. Other entrepreneurs are more focused on building a transferable business. Either way they are self-employed, so what do they do?

Entrepreneurs want to introduce themselves in an appropriate fashion, but they do so many tasks the message can get polluted. How many times do you get the opportunity to reintroduce yourself? If you do not do a good job the first time, do you get another chance? If not, I ask why not?

I think you can. I think that there is no barrier to doing another introduction except yourself. Our own ego can get in the way. We just need to be clear in what we want to have happen the next time we do it. If you need a take two moment, you should be able to ask for one. What do we have to lose, if anything?

The time used in the first meeting is past, it is done, and we cannot get it back. It is part of your past experiences. We can choose to be in relationship to meet again though. Where would you like to have a take two from the last week? What is the first thing you can do in the next seven days to make it happen?

As Christians, God has granted us a take two by giving us forgiveness through Christ. But we can often miss the mark. We can miss the opportunity to do great by not doing a good thing. That seems like a really good use of a take two moment to me.

What have you done this past week that you would replicate again, which would glorify God? What benefit could be had by you if you were to do it again? What benefit would someone else

have if you did it again? Taking another take two allows one to improve something that did not go as well as it could have.

What has not gone according to your plan this past week? Maybe a take two is an appropriate use of your time. But if you do the same thing as take one you will probably have the same experience. Let us prepare differently for the take two. In Judges 13, we start to read the story of Samson.

Samson was the first born of Manoah. An angel of God is reported to have told Manoah's wife of the birth of the special child. She hears all the information but she wants Manoah to hear it right away so she runs and tells what she can. Manoah though wants more information, so he prays for a take two.

God grants the request, and the angel appears again. This time, his wife runs to Manoah when the angel appears, and Manoah is part of the second appearance. We know that God is ok with a take two because that is what forgiveness is all about. What can you do to prepare for a take two in the next seven days?

Let us pray, Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for your forgiveness. We know that we need you in our lives. We seldom do everything to the full glory of you. We seldom do it to the full expectations of even those we are in relationship with. Help each of us to improve ourselves when we do a take two.

The only behavior that we truly control is our own. Help us to better prepare our agenda for the next meeting. Influence our agenda to be acceptable in your sight. May others be able to interpret our messages with you receiving the honor.

Come and assist us to put our ways aside as we shape our take two to do it your way. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen,