Essay Published in Anthology!

WOW! I am so excited and honored that my essay, Comfort Measures Only, was selected for the recently published book, A New Song: Glimpses of the Grace Journey, an anthology of essays, poems, stories and photos celebrating God's grace on life's journey (Edited by Diane Kulkarni).

Click here to order "A New Song: Glimpses of the Grace Journey"

As the year 2012 begins, may each of us look forward to what God will do this coming year as we seek His Face and experience His Grace…

Consider this quote and Scripture: “Joy: the unwavering trust that God knows what He’s doing and has blessed me with the opportunity to be a part of it. It’s not despite what’s happening in my life but because of it. When everything earthly feels heavy, He gives me an internal lightness that can’t be touched.” 

Habakkuk 2:3 The Living Bible--But these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!

In what ways are you trusting God in 2012?

Apply Your Creative Problem-Solving Skills!

In a recent interview on Book TV Thomas Friedman, co-author of the new book, That Used to Be Us, stated, "Employers are looking for individuals who utilize creative problem-solving to invent, re-invent, and re-engineer their jobs."

Creative Problem-Solving

Many investigators of thinking processes contend that there is a strong connection between problem-solving and creative production. 

The Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem-Solving Model emphasizes both divergent and convergent thinking in each phase of the process. 

Consider the following elaboration of the elements in the process:

• Objective-Finding: Awareness and a "fuzzy" statement of the problem.

• Fact-Finding: Utilize fact-finding questions, and select and answer the most important ones.

• Problem-Finding: Problem is stated and restated "In what ways might I..." and the broadest statement of the problem is chosen.

• Idea-Finding: Generation of ideas through brainstorming and other ideational techniques emphasizing the principle of deferred judgment, and selection of ideas.

• Solution-Finding: List necessary and desirable criteria and evaluate ideas against selected criteria.

• Acceptance-Finding: List anticipated problems in implementing solution, and design strategies to overcome them to insure success.

In what ways might you apply this Creative Problem-Solving process to invent, re-invent or re-engineer your life?