| Prior Date | Back to Archive Index | Next Date |
|
WITandWISDOM(tm) - August 24, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "If you carry on, one day something good will happen - something that wouldn't have happened if not for that previous disappointment." - Mother of Thelma Hoehn ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: THE CRACKED POT - Author Unknown A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. So as we seek ways to minister together, and as God calls you to the tasks He has appointed for you, don't be afraid of your flaws. (Rod Keen, Carol Blum, Don and Rita Hilliard, Edie Ridenour) ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: For those of you who attend a lot of meetings, this should make those meetings go faster! If you don't attend lots of meetings, consider yourself lucky. How to play: Simply tick off 5 words heard in one meeting from the following list and shout out BINGO! It's that easy! Synergy Proactive, not Reactive Win-Win Situation Think Outside the Box Take That Offline On the Same Page Client-Focused Strategic Fit Gap Analysis Best Practice The Bottom Line Core Business Lessons Learned Touch Base Revisit Game Plan Bandwidth Hardball In the Loop Out of the Loop Go the Extra Mile Benchmark The Big Picture Value-Added Movers and Shakers Ball Park Fast Track Result-Driven A Done Deal Empower Employees No Blame Stretch the Envelope Knowledge Base Total Quality Mindset Put The One to Bed Quality-Driven Move the Goal Posts Peel the Onion Back Testimonials from other players: "I had only been in the meeting for five minutes when I yelled BINGO." "My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically." "The facilitator was gobsmacked as we all screamed BINGO for the 3rd time." "I feel that the game has enhanced the overall quality of meetings per se on a quid pro quo basis." "People are even listening to mumblers, thanks to Buzzword Bingo!" (E-zine: GOOD, CLEAN FUNNIES LIST http://www.gcfl.net/) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: The other day, we had a bomb scare here in Rio Rancho, NM at the Giant gas station. Of course the bomb squad had to be called out to investigate, which in turn brought the news. In the local paper the next day, they had a picture of a bomb squad member, wearing a shirt that said: "I am a bomb technician. If you see me running, try and keep up!" (Gretchen Patti via E-zine: BILL'S PUNCH LINE Mailto:bills-punch-line- subscribe@onelist.com) ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: AUTOMOBILES: Airbags explode at 200 mph. Driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph increases your car mileage by about 15%. In Los Angeles, there are fewer people than there are automobiles. There is a new type of parrot in New Zealand that likes to eat the rubber strips that line car windows. (E-zine: TODAY'S USELESS FACTS Mailto:Useless_Facts-subscribe@listbot.com) |