kennethbaucum

I have been thinking a little the last few days about how much different each person's life is, while still being basically the same.  I also blend into my thoughts the idea that everybody has their own story, and how careful we should be before we judge or accuse someone of a wrongdoing or a misstep in their decision making, since we may not know their story or how they got to that decision.

With this in mind, I'd like to reprint my story from September of last year, in the hopes that those who have just begun reading here will get the information they've missed, and that those who have already seen it will be encouraged again.

Everybody has a story.

Each person around you is writing a chapter in their story every second of every minute of every hour of every day.  Each person has a timeline that they are traveling through.  For many of the people you interact with daily, your place on the timeline is not the same as someone else's place on theirs.  Everyone is taking life at their own pace.

When you interact with someone, realize this -- your story of how you got to this very moment is not always public knowledge.  You have your own thoughts, desires and passions that shape your reactions to different experiences that you've had.  Not everyone around you has had that same set of experiences.  And you have not likely had theirs, either.

As you write down your story -- based on the decisions you make and your reaction to things around you -- bear in mind that what may be the last straw for you, on your timeline, may not even be an issue in someone else's journey.  So before you get mad, consider this -- does the person you're about to respond to understand where you are and where you're coming from?  Will they really see it the same way you do -- once you've made your response?  If the answer is not 100% yes, then there should be more thought in your answer.  Period.  I'm as guilty as anyone else.

Consider others.  Everyone has a story -- don't start writing in red on someone else's pages.

"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."  -Colossians 4:6 KJV

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  -1 Timothy 4:12

According to John Lennon, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."  I agree.

Life seems to be happening to me quite a bit lately, in one way or another.  Do you know what I mean?  I'm sure you do, given the variables in the business market, jobs, education, work, your home, car and family.  I suppose I've been quite fortunate in many of these areas, but others have not been so lucky.  I serve a mighty God who takes care of me daily.  He takes care of the sparrows -- how much more is my human soul worth than they?  He is willing that all should come to Him for guidance in their daily lives.

Do you ever wonder why progress is sometimes so hard to acheive?  Oh the wealth of knowledge one must pour through in order to find a simple equation to balance the workplace and home, school and church, family and friends, time and money and to simply keep the world put together.  Throw in your own passions and dreams and you will shortly find for yourself a conundrum of thoughts and ideas that conflict with and resist each other, each one vying for its chance to be in the limelight of your 'center of attention'.  I won't claim to have all the answers, but I'm pretty sure there's one part of the equation that remains constant:

( Me + God ) = "It'll be OK"

I'm looking for your feedback:  What plans have you made in the last month or so -- and what has life actually allowed to happen?  Then comes the final question, "What are you going to do about it?"

I don't get on Facebook to play farmville.  In fact, I don't think farmville should even get a capital f in its name.

I thought I got on Facebook so I could peer into the details of a friend's life and be able to help them along life's journey.  It seems however, that some are returning the favor and asking questions I would have other wise never expected.  These people are my true friends.

Facebook has nearly destroyed the meaning of friends in its race to make its users more popular with more people.  In fact, it has diluted our sense of true friendship so much that I have been screening my friend requests more and more each day.  I don't befriend anyone on Facebook that isn't (or wasn't) a friend in real life.  I think that's fair.

The view from where I'm standing is somewhat foggy, for my friends who have asked.  I'm transitioning and I don't really know what tomorrow holds.  I'm working hard to come up with a mission for myself, and I'm realizing that there's nothing new to my mission, I just need to assign it some words.

Kenneth Baucum is building the bridge between people and technology.

The way I see it, there's several meanings, all of which can be construed as correct.  First, I'm building a bridge between people and technology.  I'm finding ways to use technology to make life easier in practical and tangible ways.  Second, I'm building bridges between people.  I enjoy leveraging real relationships and real life applications to help guide and inspire others on their quest for personal excellence.  Finally, I'm bringing technology together.  Technology is a tool that I am using and molding to make life easier.  Technology is part of my life, liberty and my pursuit of happiness.

My pursuit of happiness includes more things than can be listed in a reasonable space, so I'll stick with these three things:  I pursue God, I serve others and I enjoy being myself.  I hope you can find for yourself a mission and passion to get involved in.  Find a passion and get fully engaged in it.

Without vision (passion/inspiration/motivation/education/mission), the people perish.

This is part of my life, I like to call it -- searching.

So, Alexander Bell was quoted as saying, "When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."  Thanks, Al.  I have this door, which shall remain nameless in this public forum, which has been closed.  At least, it seems closed, I could check the lock.  It's now time for me to refocus on the bigger picture and start searching for new doors, preferably open ones, and walk through one.

On the subject of doors, should you be the one whose hand is on a door knob deciding if it should be open or closed, please look first and ensure no one is standing in the doorway before closing it.  Also, slamming the door is not nice.  If you ever have to close the door on someone, no matter how large or small, please close it gently.

And now, for my inspirational quote to wrap this thing up -- "But he giveth more grace."  James 4:6  I'm so glad I know the one who is in control.

Oh, and just as a heads-up, next on the reading list is Terry Esau's followup to "Surprise Me", titled "Be the Surprise."  Be on the lookout for some commentary and real-life applications coming soon.  Pray for rain!

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that is may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29.

God gave us the gift of communication for two purposes. Number one is to glorify Him, and the second is to edify others.  Every word flows from your heart to impact the heart of others.  God has given us the ability to write, speak and to communicate with words to others.  We will be held accountable for how we used those words to communicate.

This week I struggled with finding the right words for several different situations.  On one of those occasions I had brains enough to consult with someone else before chosing my words.  I'm glad I did.  I love making a choice, then double-checking my choices with others.  Many times, I find I messed it up.  This week, I made one correctly.  I enjoy getting confirmation that I'm on the right track. Don't you?

God created communication for good.  Go use good on someone this week and don't forget when you're done that communication is a gift from God.