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 Hey guys, its me!  I just got back from Hollywood where I received a Quilly award for my contribution to Brian Tracy’s new book “Transform” the whole experience just  was just unbelievably amazing!  Then I saw this press release.

Sandy Lawson Hits Amazon Best-Seller List With New Book, “Transform”

Writer and speaker Sandy Lawson recently hit two Amazon.com best-seller lists with the new business book, “Transform,” co-authored with best-selling author and speaker Brian Tracy.

Wentzville, MO – September 18, 2014 – Sandy Lawson serves as a Care Pastor at Element Church, in Wentzville Missouri, one of the fastest growing churches America. Sandy recently joined noted business development expert, best-selling author and speaker, Brian Tracy, along with a select group of the world’s leading experts, to co-author the book titled, Transform: The World’s Leading Entrepreneurs and Professionals Get to the Heart and Soul of Transforming your Life, Business & Health. The book was released on September 18, 2014 by CelebrityPress™ – a leading business book publisher.

On the day of release, Transform reached best-seller status in two Amazon.com categories – reaching as high as #6 in the “Direct Marketing” category. The book also reached best-seller status in the “Marketing and Small Business” category. Sandy contributed a chapter titled, “The Relationship Transformation…Taking Relationships From Terminal to Transformed.”

Sandy Lawson has over 30 years of experience partnering with her husband, Kip, in family ministry and outreach. She’s had the privilege of serving on staff at three mega churches prior to Element Church. In addition, she and her husband also had the honor of building the bus ministry of the Oneighty Youth Group at Church on the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma from 400 riders weekly to nearly 1,500 riders each week.

Her biggest joy is coaching people in their personal relationships and helping them reach their God-given potential. She and her husband have helped hundreds of couples turn failing marriages into happily-ever-afters, as well as assisting parents in their quest to create healthy thriving families. In their career, Sandy and her husband have been a major influence in the lives of thousands of children, teens, and adults around the world. Sandy is the mother of three, and the grandmother of eight wonderful grandkids. She and her husband have been married over 45 years. She was educated at Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University in California.

She is the author of a parenting book, “Parenting Through the Mirror” which explores the concept that great parenting must begin with personal transformation. She is also the author and illustrator of a children’s geology book, “Iggy and the Volcano” that teaches kids the cycle of igneous rocks. Sandy is a freelance writer, speaker, blogger and was a major contributor to an internationally distributed children’s curriculum.

Over the last 8 months leading professionals were chosen in various niches and professions who exemplify a trailblazer mentality and didn’t let the world’s lure of comfort keep them from taking chances and having HUGE Success. We were asked to co-author in a book with the legendary Brian Tracy and we were all held to one standard, we all had to be willing to share openly, no holding back, the most valuable secrets we had in our tool box. As you can imagine putting that sort of thing in writing for the world to see is a bit intimidating….but I’m excited to tell you that every single one of us agreed! And now I am able to proudly present your next “must have” book that will transform your life and business to where you want it to be.

The book we co-wrote together “Transform” is launching this Wednesday, Sept. 17^th, and we’d love to have your support and get this book off to a great start. For a sneak peek, checkout http://sandylawson.thetransformbook.com/

I appreciate you and I’ll get back with you to remind you about the launch and to tell you more about the bonuses I’m putting together!  Stay tuned.

“A word of encouragement from a teacher to a child can change a life. A word of encouragement from a spouse can save a marriage. A word of encouragement from a leader can inspire a person to reach their potential.”

John Maxwell

God never intended for us to be a solo act completely self-sufficient and in need of no one. The words of the great Christian poet, John Donne, are as true today as when he penned them in 1624, “No man is an island unto himself.” We need Godly relationships!

They say, you can know where you will be in five years by looking at the books you’re reading and the friends you spend time with. The really great news is we can control both what we read and whom we chose to spend time with. The trick is to chose wisely.  

As for me, I know I have a true friend when they love me enough to tell me the truth, even when it is not what I want to hear. A so called friend who won’t tell you the honest truth is paramount to the person who won’t tell you the “bridge is out” because they don’t want to hurt your feelings. Proverbs 27:17 encourages us that “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

From time to time, it is good to do a little self-check. First ask yourself, “Have I surrounded myself with good Godly friends? Second, ask yourself, “Am I a good Godly friend?” Third, ask yourself, “Would I want my conversations with my friends broadcast over the speaker system of Heaven?” If you can’t answer a hearty “Yes” to all these questions, now would be a great time to make some changes. We only have one run at this life, choose wisely those you surround yourself with, make sure they are the ones who will cheer you over the finish line of life.

“The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.” Proverbs 27:9

Sometimes you run across a statement that just says it all.  This is one of them;  I love this quote. You can cancel your counseling appointment – here is your answer simply and aptly put – pick your problem.  I think we lose some of life’s biggest truths under a mountain of rhetoric.  This one peels back the veneer. Thank you Mr. Covey

“Every human has four endowments — self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.”

“Your true self-worth is based on what God says about you, not what you feel about yourself.”  Tommy Newberry

Have you ever said to yourself, “I can’t believe I just said that!” Believe it! Our words are the telltale signs of what we’ve been thinking. While our words influence others, our own words have a greater impact on ourselves than anyone else. Our words are a mirror into our soul that reveals what we really believe.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

I’m reading an amazing book, “Prepare Yourself to Be Blessed” by Kevin Boyd. I’m being reminded of truths I learned a long time ago, but this book reframes them and gives them greater clarity than ever before. I’m reminded that my words have the power to create. With my mouth I name things. I can name my day. God created it, I name it. I can name it a good day, or I can name it a bad day. The choice is mine. But what I call it is what it will become. This applies in every area of my life.

This amazing principle started back in the Garden when Adam named the animals. Whatever he called them, that is what they were named. The Creator was teaching the created how to create. God put this very same creative power in us and we activate it with our words.

If God spoke the entire universe into existence and we are created in His image, it only stands to reason that our words have more power than most of us would like to imagine. Because with power comes great responsibility.

As I was reading, I felt greatly convicted at how carelessly I speak at times, and at the same time, I was alarmed at the thought of the creative actions I was putting into motion with those careless words. It gave a whole new meaning to “Think before you speak.”

This thought process lead my mind to the topic of how my thought life was going. I recently read that 90% of the thoughts I think in a day are repeats of yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. If I’m thinking the same thoughts over and over and those thoughts are manifesting as words, and my words are influencing my future, maybe I better start thinking better thoughts if I’m looking for the future I want.

I’m the keeper of my thoughts and I need to take responsibility for them. I’m also the one in charge of policing them. God through the Apostle Paul, already told me what to think, it is my responsibility to make sure my thoughts line up. God does His part and I do mine.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8
So these are the conclusions I’ve come to:

1. I need to notice my thoughts. If a thought does not line up with the Word, I need to
intentionally replace it with one that does.
2. I need to take responsibility for my own thoughts and not blame anyone including myself for
any deficient thinking.
3. I need to have someone in my life who loves me enough to let me know when my words are
exposing wrong thinking patterns.
4. If I want a better future, I need to make this process a high priority and go after it like my life
depended on it, because it does.

Is there anyone else out there besides me who can honestly say, “My words are showing me that my thought life needs an overhaul.” Or, am I the only one?

What techniques or practices have you used to keep your thoughts in check?

“Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect.”

— Author Unknown

If you’re like me, you may be guilty of waiting for that exact right moment to do that one thing that might change your life for the better. Is it the fear of failure, or the fear of succeeding that holds us back? I think this author nailed it. No more hesitating, procrastinating, or excuses just a right mindset and determination! Make today . . . perfect.

Amazon Prime is offering 30% off books they sell just enter BOOKDEAL in the promo code box at checkout until December 1st. This one would make a great gift for someone you love who is raising kids!

“Work for a cause, not for applause. Live your life to express, not to impress, don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt.”

— Author Unknown

The second counter intuitive principle Jesus taught is, we rise by lowering.

Luke 14:11 “For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.”

All my life, I was taught and encouraged to be proud. After all, it is the American Way. I was taught I could be anything I wanted to be and do anything any man could do. My family were the proverbial “bootstrap” people, you know the ones who pull themselves up by their bootstraps. By the time I was introduced to Jesus, I was the queen of pride. I didn’t even know that I was a sinner and that Jesus had paid the price for all my sins until I was 22 years old. It was a very hard thing for me to wrap my head around coming from the world of the self-made man. Kip and I received Jesus at a little home Bible study over 50 miles from our house, and the people there advised us to find a church close to home.

I remember when I first walked the aisle at that little Baptist Church to make a public declaration of my commitment to Jesus, I sobbed and wept my way up the aisle. Others probably thought it was because I was so broken by the realization of all my sin, the actual truth was more like I was embarrassed that the people I was walking up the aisle in front of would know I was a sinner . . . I was proud. But God was merciful and saved me anyway.

Our whole system is we rise by rising – fight your way to the top.

This runs cross-grained to everything Jesus taught, once again we find Jesus at odds with our culture.

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be great will be the servant of all.”

So whose culture do we subscribe to?

Ephesians 2:6 says, we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies . . . we’ve got God’s perspective.

Take a seat and say God, how would you want me to be a servant?