the opportune moment.

I was stuck at a busy T-intersection. The sun bore down like a Greek orthodox grandmother. Stiff and heavy breathed. The seconds passed by slower then grains of sand through a clogged hourglass. My mind could not fathom the thought process of the person in the vehicle before me. 2 minutes of earnest waiting seemed like 2 weeks. Why she could not put petal to the metal and quarter the circle I know not. Every muscle in my body was tense. My fingers were sore from tapping, my upper lip cramped and my patience thinned. Every millimeter of my voice box ached from holding frustrated words within. So many breaks in traffic. It was like watching your baby sister play 'Frogga' on the 'Nintendo' your best-friends uncle gave you when he upgraded. You can see the gap so clearly. It is as though time slows and you are focused on the gap. You time it perfectly and you cross the road in your mind. But alas she cannot see the gap and yet again you wait another 2 minutes of seamless eternity.

Why do we get frustrated sitting at T intersections behind slow minded drivers, or deep down build rage when we miss the green and hit tomato red at the traffic light? Is it the diminishing time in our day? The adage of time is money and money makes the world go round. So to lose that time means you lose the money and your miscalculation at the lights makes the world stop spinning? Is it that we have become such a need and want 'right now' society that if we have to wait, it is not worth it? Is it that we rule our own lives so well we treat ourselves like royalty and expect the same treatment from others?

I believe not. I believe we try and circumvent our frustration by blaming it on time, blaming it on need or ego. If you were to remove time from the equation and destroy the inner wants of instant gratification, maybe take a step aside from what you need for one moment and look again at the T intersection scenario. The only thing left standing is opportunity.

As I sat behind the women at the T intersection, all that sat before her and I was opportunity. Gap after gap in traffic went past but she refused to seize the moment. I was not upset because she was wasting my time. I waste enough of my own time to blame it on her. The sole reason of my frustration was that deep down sense that inner whirlwind that need to see others successfully grasp an opportunity by the head and run with it. It is built within us all. The need for more. To grow. To change. To advance. so to witness opportunity after opportunity fall breathlessly to the ground hurts even the onlookers to a situation.

Humanity is built on individuals. Individuals within communities. Communities who work together for a common good. So to see another individual in absence of opportunity hurts the greater community.

When those before us miss their opportunities we miss ours. It took me a very frustrated 2 minutes in a hot car to view differently the concept of 'before you get your own vision, you must serve another mans vision'. I understand the concept very well having served other men’s visions for many years, but 2 minutes today shone a new light upon the old proverb.

I could not receive my opportunity to turn the corner until she accepted her opportunity. Here’s not to say we cannot make change and accomplish anything with our lives until those before us do, no, we must encourage those before us to take their opportunity. For each individual within the community is working for the common good. When one man flourishes we too flourish. So in helping her see the gap in the traffic. Giving my all to see her succeed I then was able to step up to the plate, having watched the traffic from another perspective, take my swing at the opportunity given and hit it out of the ball park as I had already guaranteed it in my soul having watched it pass second by second. The opportunity waited. It was now or never.

- Reuben Leigh Skewes

Valentines Cost Cutters.

ECONOMIC CRISIS IS HITTING ALL FACETS OF LIFE.... 

blogger to published writer

I was honored when Kasey Mac Editor of Enhance Magazine gave the tick of approval for an article I wrote months ago 'Floating Rib Syndrome' to be Published in the current edition of 'Enhance'. 

Totally unaware that she has even seen any of my writing I was very surprised when asked if they could run the piece. 

So purchase yourself the latest version of Enhance Magazine and track down my story. 

There is a possibility that they may publish more. This has certainly been a lovely opportunity and I look forward to the option of writing more and working with Kasey, Bel and the Enhance team. 

Certainly a dream beginning to come to fruition! 

the unveiling of Revelation

have you ever pondered on the word 'Revelation'?

You will often hear preachers and leaders speaking on receiving a revelation from God. 

What is a revelation?  a sudden idea? and uneducated guess? a farce? a cliche saying? I love to think of a revelation as an uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. 

The word revelation is made up of two words. 'Revel or Reveal' and 'Ation' The meaning for the verb reveal is obvious. to reveal something. to unveil and expose. sounds somewhat similar to revelation doesn't it. So why use the word revelation? I believe it is the suffix tacked on the end that makes the difference. Ation. Ation is the result or product of action. To receive a revelation it requires action. a deliberate change of motion from oneself. 

The original meaning of the word 'revelation' comes from the late latin word 'revelare'. 

A used to describe that which was 'stripped down and laid bare'. An amazing coincidence or perfect platform to receive a revelation. you decide...

I think too often we chase the preacher, mime all the actions and look for uplifting reactions from those around us. We are consumed with public performance and neglect private devotion when needing a revelation from God. 

A Revelation demands that we in our private devotion, strip down our identity issues, let go of our insecurities and dispose of grudges and past hurts. we are summonsed to lay bare before Christ. Like He was stripped down and laid bare before humanity. The greatest revelation. 

So what is a revelation? Yes it is the uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. Yet I believe it is more then the unveiling of a passage or a new found idea or the Holy Spirit giving you the answer, rather I believe true revelation is the action of us as humanity unveiling of ourselves before God. stripping ourselves down and laying bare before God. it is then that we receive revelation. 

hope for the hopeless.

There is hope in every situation.
check this fantastic website
'www.iamsecond.com'

you cant go past personal experience

Brian Welch - Ex member of band 'KORN'

The Powell Principles

I have just ordered Colin Powell's book 'The Powell Principles'...

The Powell Principles details the decision-making habits, success strategies, and leadership philosophies of Secretary of State Colin Powell. Filled with insights that are as refreshingly honest as they are grittily real, this concise, no-nonsense book reveals the keys to Powell's unprecedented success, keys that include:

• Walk the talk
  
• Be a dis-organizer
  
• Let change lead growth
  
• Be prepared to piss people off
  
• Check your ego at the door
  
• Push the envelope
  
• Let situation dictate strategy
  
• Challenge the pros
  
• Trust those in the trenches
  
• Prepare to be lonely
  

I look forward to the read!

other books i am currently reading:

• Axiom - Bill Hybells
• The Shack - William P. Young
• The Essay Collection - C S Lewis

exploit greatness

opinions tweak not truth. It is our personal convictions which shape our greatest exploits.

- reuben leigh skewes

Insanity.

It a choice that each of us must face. the choice to remain ordinary, deplorable, beat-down, coasting through a mundane existence, like sheep herded by fate and lead to the slaughter - or we can take control of our own destiny, releasing the caged wolf we have inside, that howling desire for more, that feeling that teases us with the snapshot of a conscious eternity. Our purpose is to maintain stability in an unstable world - to change one and save a thousand. Within the fabric of this world, every life hangs by a thread. We are that thread - The Fellowship Of The Unashamed. we fight not with the weapons fate or history, yet we fight with the knowledge of eternity an understanding of a saving grace which holds that thread together.

This is the decision that lies before us now: the sheep, or the wolf. The choice is yours.

People call me insane for believing we have this choice, I don't believe Insanity is the state of being seriously mentally ill; rather, insanity to me is living an ordinary, deplorable & mundane life when we were born with the seed of greatness within us.

We chose daily. choose wisely.

Faith?

Having always being taught and pushed to live by faith I felt it time to challenge my own belief on faith. Shake my own foundations and stir my emotions. What is faith? Is it positive thinking? A feeling? The belief that Jesus died for your sins? Confidence? Hope? Or is there something more?

I dont think there is any quick way to 'sum up' faith. But here is a small look into the beginning of my understanding...

We are taught so often to just 'step out' in faith. As though we are walking in the dark and into the unknown. blindfolded, confused and so often, mislead. To me you cannot have faith without first understanding the evidence of faith.

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things unseen.

Although faith is not based purely on evidence, it is definitely supported by evidence. Faith is not about turning off the brain and merely relying on the heart, or squashing reason in favour of emotion. That is 'blind faith', Rather faith is about seeking and knowing Jesus with all facets of the human character. It's a "calculated faith" based on a continual preponderance of the evidence.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Did you notice that faith involves “evidence” of things “not seen”? The marginal rendering of “substance” is “assurance.” Faith involves an assurance “of things hoped for.” But, if something is hoped for, that something has not yet been received. Therefore, where faith is involved, there is an assurance that it will be received!

Real faith, in any promise made by God, is actually the evidence. It is the belief that is the evidence. If God promises to do something, it is impossible for Him to lie. Your evidence that He has and will perform it, is the very unwavering faith that you hold. If we have true faith, we do not need to search for the evidence — we already possess it!

I have faith that Jesus is the Son of God and He came to this earth 2,000 years ago to offer true and lasting hope for mankind because I have experience the evidence of this unseen salvation.

I think we must look at faith like this... Find the chair closest to you. Look at it closely. Examine its design. Is it structurally sound? Is it sufficiently engineered? Will the materials chosen by the manufacturer support your weight? Most likely, you picked a chair that you believe will support you. That's belief. You applied logic, knowledge and experience to make an informed intellectual decision.

Now sit in the chair... That's faith! Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof. Intellectual assent only goes so far. Faith requires more then logic, knowledge and experience. It requires that we continually put our beliefs into action. Intellectual belief without actionable faith is hollow and meaningless...

I believe Faith is persistently propelling 2 questions at mankind. there is no intelligent wording or hidden meanings, but rather 2 simple questions which challenge us to go further then we have before. These questions being 'What are you believing for?'
& 'What are you willing to do about it?'

Faith isn't faith until it's all you're holding on to. I believe we block our dream when we allow our fear to grow bigger than our faith. too often we are not willing to put our faith into action, for what we believe is based on fear and not faith. We must decide to have confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time, and we must understand we need not physical evidence but understanding that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. When we let go of fear, only then can we gracefully move from what was into the miracle of what can be. Faith Begins when fear ends.

"Miracles are not a contradiction of nature. They are only in contradiction of what we know of nature." - St. Augustine