John Pape Online Blog

“He who every morning plans the transactions of the day and follows out that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through the maze of the most busy life. But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incident, chaos will soon reign.”
– VICTOR HUGO

Have you ever wondered why you exist?  Do you feel like you wander aimlessly though life?  These are questions that each individual has pondered.  I believe that each one of us in the world has a unique and special purpose.  And with that in mind I wanted to write about this discovery process.  The get started, here are two stories about two individuals.

The first story is about a man call Maxwell. He decides he wants to go on a trip.  But he doesn’t plan his trip.  As a matter of fact, he doesn’t care if  he heads north, south, east, or west. His attitude is to let the wind take him where ever it may take him. He gets in the car and puts on and actually puts on a blindfold.  He presses the accelerator and is off on his trip. Miraculously he misses the telephone pole at the end of the driveway. He immediately turns right. However he ends up on the wrong side of the road. Cars are honking, swerving to get out of his way. Well, doesn’t take too long before Maxwell crashes into the neighbor’s living room and thus ends his trip in disaster.

Now let’s look at the second character in our story about Alvin. He also wants to go on a trip. However, he believes it is best to plan the trip ahead of time. For sake of example let us say. Alvin is going to go to the grocery store. His purpose of course is to buy food to feed his family. Alvin prepares by deciding which store will best suit his needs. He makes sure he has enough resources to get there. Things like enough money to buy food, gas, oil, water, air in the tires. He even checks a street map to find the quickest and easiest way to help him get to his destination. He prepares a list of items he is going to buy. Within an hour he has completed his task successfully.

Now if you were to examine these two men you would notice quite a difference between them. One was successful the other was not. Each had a different philosophy for their life. The primary difference between these two men is simply a matter of having a well defined purpose.

Through this is a simple illustration we can see how important it is to have a purpose before beginning any task. To know and understand your life purpose is just as vital in building the basic foundation for successful living. Without any purpose there is no direction and the ultimate destiny is frustration.

What is your Purpose in life?

Each one of us on this planet was created to exercise our life purpose. Having your life purpose clearly defined makes it easy to envision your future. Plans are easily made. In addition, it is easy to understand your role and contribution to mankind.

An excellent example of a statement of purpose that we are all familiar with is the Constitution of the United States of America. Within this timeless document lie the values, principles and the philosophy by which Americans live. We determine the laws of the land through this document. It gives each citizen an understanding of what this nation stands for and believes.

Using the Constitution as an example.  We can apply it to our own lives by creating our own Personal Constitution. This would be a document to  help you define your Life Purpose. It helps you set goals. It helps you make important decisions. It provide life direction.  It will help you succeed.

What Is Your Life Purpose?

To help you get started in your quest I have compiled a series of questions to help you. Once you have answered these questions, write out a Personal Mission Statement that will reflect your answers. At this point it is vital for me to say this exercise will require tremendous effort it may take weeks, months or even more to develop. Set aside a special time where you can concentrate and not be disturbed. Once you have begun this project you will soon learn that the benefits you will reap will be more than you could ever imagine. It is also a good idea to look at other Mission Statements for inspiration. Take the challenge today.

1. Write out some things you want to do with your life.
2. List what you would like to be.
3. List the talents and strengths that have great value in your life.
4. List all the attitudes that best reflect your life
5. List those qualities that are most important to you.
6. Complete this sentence: When I examine my life in perspective these are the activities I value most….

Hopefully this will help you in defining who you are and discover your unique purpose in life

Resources

Technorati Tags: Constitution, encourgement, Goals, Life, Mission Statement, processes, Purpose, Victor Hugo

By Edwin Joseph Sotomango Villagomez

How do you define a ministry? Is it about supporting every church activity and gathering? Or joining the music team? Or is it about being active in church evangelism programs? etc…

As I analyze the term “Ministry”, it seems that there will be 2 types:

1. General Ministry – this is the type of ministry where most people get joined with. Just like what the term implies, this is intended for the general public who is interested. For example, music team, ushering team, pastor support team, evangelism team and many more.
2. Personal Ministry – this is not about any other people, its all about you. We all have our own calling, own destiny to live in, own skill to use and develop, and own life to dedicate for God.

God has a very unique plan for all of us. Hard to imagine and think of but easy to know especially if we will truly seek God.

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”
Romans 12:3-8

It clearly states that we all have our own spiritual gifts to nurture and use everyday. We may have different capabilities but what matters most is that we all use it to fulfill God’s plan in our lives.

Daily Devotion Conclusion:

God will judge us not based from all those things we did but on those things we obeyed. If you still don’t know yet your spiritual gift, try seeking God because it will be the only solution.

You may start by sharing His marvelous Word. Believe me, we are all called to share the Gospel. It is a fact that you should consider.

Edwin Joseph is a former self help and personal development writer which is now focused on writing christian devotionals which aims to share the Word of God online.

To read daily devotionals, visit http://www.InstantDevotion.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/instantdevotion

Technorati Tags: Bible, encourgement, ministry, Personal Relationship, Romans 12

Here is a list of resources to help improve vocal performance.  If you have any others you would like to include please contribute a comment to this post.

Singers.com
Primarily A Cappella is the world’s oldest and largest company specializing in all styles of unaccompanied vocal harmony. We are involved in many aspects of the a cappella music scene – from recording the best of the new vocal bands, to making the music more accessible thru our mail order catalog, along with producing a cappella music festivals and events around the country. Our goal is to expand the growing world wide interest in this wonderful art form. By discovering new talent and developing larger audiences, we hope a cappella will find it’s rightful place as a significant contributor to the greater world of music.

I Lead Worship: Singers
FREE referrals provided to individuals, groups, churches, communities needing a worship leader, musician, singer, team or band to minister or perform for an upcoming event, venue or position.

Singing In Worship Part I and Part 3
Singing has a very definite place in worshipping God in spirit and in truth. We glorify God in our singing praises to His name. There are only nine scriptures in the New Testament which specify the kind of music in the worship of the church that God wishes in order for us to worship Him in spirit and in truth. This is an interactive Bible study on the role of singing in the believers life.

Singing Praises
Article by by Tom Gilbert

Singing The Psalms
Article by Dr. Richard Leonard.  Psalmody is the use of the biblical psalms in worship, as distinguished from hymnody, the creation and use of extrabiblical poetic and musical compositions in worship.

Prophetic Songs
WHAT IS A PROPHETIC SONG? This is a excert from the book, “Songs of the Spirit”

Sight Singing
The Mission of this Web Page is to provide help to those wishing information about the various aspects of the art/skill of sight singing. Whether you are looking for general information on the subject, classes to take, choirs or chamber ensembles to sing with, techniques to improve your sight singing skills, ear-training software or interesting websites about matters related to sight singing

Secrets of Singing on Pitch
Ebook reveals 11 innovative steps to help you sing accurately on pitch. If you’ve had tin ears or been called tone-deaf your whole life, this easy method is for you. Say goodbye to singing off key and singing flat.

Voice Training
The Ultimate Voice Training for Singers.  A complete voice training program on CD or high quility cassette by one of southern Califonia’s premier voice technique and performance teacher.

Choir and Organ
Choir & Organ, the classical music magazine for organists and musicians, directors of sacred and secular choirs, singers, organ builders, and everyone who loves choral and organ music. Choir & Organ provides insights into the careers of leading organists and choral conductors, examines important instruments and provides comprehensive news and reviews of new publications, recordings and events.

Technorati Tags: encourgement, Lessons, Lyrics, singing