text:
2009 Program News
10/24/09: Cultural Learning Through ICECP
ICECP has many purposes. It creates better coaches at the national level in countries around the world. It educates participants in a variety of sports science and coaching topics. It gives coaches the power to improve the sport structure in their countries.
It also fosters international cooperation and promotes the ideals of the Olympic movement. ICECP helps coaches from around the world to learn not just about coaching and sport management, but also about each other's cultures.
The participants of ICECP came to America to learn, but they also did some teaching of their own. Throughout the program, everyone involved gained a great deal of knowledge about sport administration, sport sciences and coaching technique. They also learned a little bit more about the world they live in.
As the participants became close friends, they shared about their homelands and their cultures. Not only did they exchange sport and coaching information, but they educated each other about different parts of the world.
The following is a list of just some of the things that we learned about the nations of the ICECP class of 2009:
The steering wheel is on the right side of the car in Fiji
Bars are called rum shops in Barbados, which is top-10 in the world in bars per capita (estimation by Ian Weithers; validity of this statistic is unknown. But I trust him)
There is only one 50-meter swimming pool in Malta (there are also two 25-meter pools) and the sport of swimming has only been practiced there for about 16 years
Lions, cheetahs and elephants are common in Zimbabwe. If you ever come across a lion, look it square in the eyes and do not move. Do not turn your back to it, as it will see this as an opportunity to attack (do not try this technique with a cheetah. If you stare down a cheetah, it will attack)
Pizza and French fries are a universally accepted meal choice, regardless of national background
In Barbados, it is illegal to wear army fatigues or something resembling an army uniform if you are not in military
Military service is required for all Egyptian males who have a brother
The rate of murders in El Salvador is 13 per day (reported)
Kiribati (pronounced Kirr-i-bas) was the first island landed on in the US's Pacific island-hopping campaign during World War II. It was also the site where amphibious assault vehicles used during the campaign were first tested
The national currency in El Salvador is the American dollar
In Egypt, it is culturally unacceptable to move out of your parents' house unless you get a job in a different city, you get married or they pass away
In American Samoa, family elders are highly respected and are taken care of for life by the family. They are never sent to nursing homes
Per one million people, Peru has four fencers. The US has 74, by comparison
Kiribati has four political parties, for 110,000 people (by comparison, the US has two parties for greater than 300,000,000). Presidential candidates are selected by the parliament and the president is selected by the people by popular vote
In Togo, eating is a much more social affair. People usually invite neighbors and friends over whenever they cook and they often eat pot-luck style, with everyone bringing something
ICECP taught each participant how to be a better coach and how to grow their sport at home. It gave them the opportunity and the power to go home and make a difference in their sports' national structure.
It also created more cultural understanding and allowed 30 people to learn about each other and become friends. The program showed how sport unites people and allows them to learn from one another. Thanks to the class of 2009 for an amazing experience, best of luck implementing your projects!


text:
Save field data for an existing entity.
When calling this function outside an entity save operation be sure to clear caches for the entity:
node_save() also calls this function
This documentation generating tool does not catch when functions are called from a
$function_name() variable. Such is the case with node_save(), when it calls either field_attach_insert() or field_attach_update().
Saving Node Field's Without Saving The Node Itself
A great post about how to use this in updating a field but not the node...
by Ki Kim
That url isn't working, use this instead...
That url returns a 404 error, use this other instead:
I have a module that sometimes loads and saves many nodes in one step. This can really get ugly when a user has to wait 10seconds to continue. It looks like the more fields the nodes have, the longer it takes to process them (sounds logical to me ;)).
Basically I do the followong:
- node_load
- change field value
- node_save
Would field_attach_update solve performance issues?
I forget to mention that I
I forget to mention that I would use the method of saving single fields only as posted by shrimphead ;)
Different config
For me this setup worked:
$node = new stdClass();
$node->nid = $val;
$node->type = 'NODETYPE;
$node-field_whatever[LANGUAGE_NONE][0]['value'] = 'VALUE';
field_attach_presave('node', $node);
field_attach_update('node', $node);
I'm wondering if this is the performant way to update a node's fields. You're not using node_load so you're not creating an entire noad object from memory. Any insight?
Correcting Minor typo in
Correcting Minor typo in above exam.
$node = new stdClass();
$node->nid = $val;
$node->type = 'NODETYPE;
$node->field_whatever[LANGUAGE_NONE][0]['value'] = 'VALUE';
field_attach_presave('node', $node);
field_attach_update('node', $node);
About saving taxonomy term reference
I think that
field_attach_presave('node', $node);
field_attach_update('node', $node);
should be avoided when the field you're trying to save is of type "taxonomy term reference" (as it is saved on field_config_instance.type table)
That's because, when you have a classic term reference field, every time you add a value, it is being saved in 2 tables: One is the (presumably) field_data_field_FIELDNAME, and the other is the taxonomy_index table.
It seems that using this function, only the first table gets updated. So, during full node view, you can see your new term value appearing in the field, but when you view the node into the /taxonomy/term/tid listing, the node doesn't show up.
I noticed it while working on a custom module. Then I discarder field_attach_update(), and I used node_save() which seems to work perfectly.
Could anyone test and confirm this?
I tried this approach and got the same results. This is because the taxonomy_index table in maintained in taxonomy_node_insert() and taxonomy_node_update(). Looks like this approach won't work for taxonomy references.
I can extend
I analysed drupal core code and finished with
$node = node_load($id_value);
$node->field_field_name[LANGUAGE_NONE][0]['tid'] = 76;
field_attach_presave('node', $node);
field_attach_update('node', $node);
so taxonomy_index table was updated
Will delete file/image fields if they are not defined
When using this function, be aware of field_attach_update deletes file fields (content & file) In entity regardless of if they are included in the entity object.
I think a call to db_transaction function before using this function is highly recommended or it is possible to have consistency problems or even content loss.
Read more information here: https://www.drupal.org/node/355875
How to add with field collection without node update
I want to insert new field collection value to a node but without updating the associated node. Is there a way to do so, Since while saving any field collection value to a node the node itself is updated.
I have found this link (http://alexrayu.com/blog/saveupdate-field-collection-without-nodesave) but its not working in case of adding new field collection values to the node.
Any help would be much appreciated.
To update a field without updating the associated node you can do it this way:
$transaction = db_transaction();
try {
$node = node_load(1); // where 1 is the nid you want to change
$update_node = new stdClass();
$update_node->nid = $node->nid;
$update_node->vid = $node->vid;
$update_node->type = $node->type;
$update_node->field_FIELD_NAME['und'][0]['value'] = VALUE_YOU_WANT_TO_CHANGE;
field_attach_update('node', $update_node);
} catch (Exception $e) {
throw $e;
If you don't use db_transaction, you can lose content.
Best regards
updating user objects
Through trial and error, it seems the way to do this with users , you need uid and email or for some reason the user.token.inc file throws annoying notices in watchdog:
$user = new StdClass();
$user->uid = $uid;
$user->mail = $mail;
$user->my_custom_field[LANGUAGE_NONE][0]['value'] = $new_value;
field_attach_update('user', $user);
One thing to be aware of when using field_attach_update() to update field values without saving the node, is that unless you specifically set $node->changed it will not get updated. $node-changed is used by node form to determine if current data is stale.
This means that if a user opens an edit node form prior to your field_attach_update() related function being called and then saves that node form after your field_attach_update() related function has run, if they both affected the same nid, any changes you make via field_attach_update() will be overwritten by stale data from the node form.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Lawsuits have become a common thing in law in the last few decades. You can practically sue anyone for anything. With the amount of rules and regulation, you are bound to break a few of them even without noticing. Here are a few lawsuits that you won't believe are real.
The Chili Finger
The classic restaurant lawsuit, I found a human finger in my chili and now I am going to sue you for millions of dollar. Wait what that's not the classic restaurant lawsuit but this did happen in an American Wendy's fast food. In 2003, one Anna Ayala, found a severed human finger in her chili. The lawsuit she and her husband did got them some money but it was even more harmful for the public image of Wendy's. A few years later after some investigations it was found out that it was all a big hoax and fraud. Anna and her husband had gotten the finger from a friend who had recently lost it in an accident. They had somehow managed to plant it in the food without detection. Well at least now they are facing charges of fraud and conspiracy.
What happened to my hair?
In 1996, Sydney, Australia, one Victoria Baldwin was getting a haircut on a warm July's day at Synergy, a hair salon chain. When the hair cut was finished, Victoria was so enraged at the result she brought the hair salon company to court. She also notably said the haircut made her look like Hilary Clinton, which is a shame for everyone concerned. The result was so bad the court agreed with her and asked the salon to pay her up $750.
My beer brings all the girls!
In 1991, Richard Overton had an epiphany, since he was a grown man he was always buying beer and enjoyed drinking it. But what he had never noticed was how the commercials always portrayed the drinker with beautiful women. This had never happened to him so he decided to sue Budweiser for false advertisement. The court didn't even bother with this one.
Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 come here.
A Swedish family by the name of Hallins, refused to give their son a real name because of their beliefs in pataphysics. Their son was five years old now without a name, the Swedish government forced them to name him and so they did. After lots of name coming up they went with a lesser known one. Which was Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116, the Swedish authorities refused it once. The couple said the decision was theirs and this name was artistic. The government didn't like what they had to say, they ordered them to change the name and pay 5000 konor.
Those were a few of the most bizarre lawsuits I could find but I am sure they are many many more.


text:
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text:
9Stucks is a dynamic business diagnostic tool. It identifies nine distinct yet interrelated business challenges that cause a company to underperform.
'You've Become One of Them' – Fifteen Rules for Directors
03/19/2015 By Jim McHugh
Note: This was originally published in the March 2015 issue of Private Company Director Magazine. Reprinted with permission of the editors.
"You've become one of them." That's what a fellow Director ("MoneyGuy") said to me after one of XYZ Company's regular board meetings. MoneyGuy was from XYZ's lead investor group and the majority shareholder. The 'them' MoneyGuy was speaking about was XYZ's management team. From his tone, I knew MoneyGuy wasn't giving me a compliment; I was being admonished because I 'sided with management' about a particular matter that was pivotal to the future of the company.
What had I done wrong? To find the answer, you'll need to read the following fifteen "rules" on how to work with owners.
These rules apply to different ownership structures of private companies. In general, the shareholders in private companies are either families, private equity/venture capital groups, management/founders, or a combination of these. The rules are indifferent to the stage of the company (early stage, mature, in decline, whatever). Hopefully you will see why these distinctions don't alter how I work with owners.
Here are my fifteen rules:
1. Remember your role as a fiduciary. MoneyGuy knew I had a fiduciary responsibility to the corporation, not just to him and his private equity firm. They put me on the Board to be 'an outside, independent voice.' Somehow that slipped his mind! This brings me to Rule #2…
2. Don't be a rubber stamp. You can get rubber stamps at Staples. MoneyGuy or any other majority shareholder should realize that you are not on the Board just to be another automatic vote for them. Another Director friend told me: "There is a fine line to walk as an independent director when those sitting around the table own the company and you are effectively their invited guest." If management knows you are truly independent and not there to throw them under the bus, this will help build trust with all.Read More
Eeeek! Invasion of the Culture Snatchers
02/18/2015 By Jim McHugh
A CEO friend recently told me that he asked three people to leave his company over the last few months. After they were terminated, there was a marked improvement in the overall morale and attitude of the other employees.
I had met these people in the past. Of the three, two were rats and one was a snake. Rats and snakes can wreak havoc with your culture and your strategy.
Introducing The Creatures…
Corporate rats are different from corporate snakes; however, both can be found in all levels of any organization, from significant investors to the rank and file employees.
Rats are Enablers.Read More
Filed Under: Leadership & Governance, People & Culture Tagged With: company culture, difficult employees, firing, hiring, leadership
Mentors and Vintage Oars
10/14/2014 By Jim McHugh
This is a picture of my 55+ year-old wooden oars after I opened up our boat this past spring. They looked pretty beat up: chipped and peeled paint…cracks in the wood…and they were graying at the edges.
Were they past their useful life? Would I need to replace them with a brand new pair?
Before trashing them, consider this –> these oars have a rich history that you could never imagine by catching a glimpse of them lying on a dock or in the bottom of a boat.
These oars have done their job quietly and well in rowboats, dinghies, motorboats and sailboats. The type of boat didn't matter to my oars.
They were always there when I really needed them.
Doesn't that sum up a good mentor, senior advisor, or board member? Versatile and at the ready when you need their capabilities.Read More
Filed Under: Leadership & Governance, People & Culture
Your Company's Spring Training: Who's On 1st? Where's What?
02/20/2014 By Jim McHugh
I Don't Know (wait…he's on third). Major League Baseball's Spring Training kicks into high gear this week. Red Sox position players reported on February 18th and today (Feb. 20th) is the team's first full squad workout. The players know their positions. Some players are versatile and can rotate around the lineup; however, once they are […]Read More
Filed Under: Leadership, Leadership & Governance, Management, People & Culture, Slow Lane Tagged With: business, CEO, communication, Family Owned Company, functional analysis, human resources, leadership, management consulting, manufacturing, manufacturing company, organizational behavior, organizational chart, people issues, performance improvement plan, private company, role clarification, roles and responsibilities, turnover, who's on first
Strategic Crossroads (Part 1): The Encampment
01/30/2014 By Jim McHugh
Imagine the scene: the CEO and a collection of company shareholders, directors and senior management team members have piled into their corporate Covered Prairie Wagon. The wagon is lumbering down the winding, bumpy, rutted path called the Shareholder Value Road.
Or…instead of a crowded, hot Prairie Wagon (did the Pioneers hang those 'Little Trees' air fresheners…), maybe it's just you bouncing along in your own personal buckboard.
No matter what you're driving, at some point on the journey all corporate wagons come to a major crossroad – a Strategic Crossroad. Generally, more than one Strategic Crossroad is encountered on the long Shareholder Value Road. You can hit them:
- early in the adventure
- at a mature midpoint
- unexpectedly
- and/or near the end of the trail
Whatever the natural stopping point, critical choices have to be made – you (and your traveling companions) have to pick a direction and move on. Chances are you will have to 'make camp' for a bit while the directional choices are identified, evaluated, debated, argued, rejected and decided. In some extended encampments, the travellers may need a lot of provisions!
There could be many signs in front of you…Read More
Filed Under: Business Model, Financial Condition, Industry Forces, Trends, Uniqueness, Leadership & Governance, Strategy & Planning
The 7 Potholes of Business Partnerships
09/18/2013 By Jim McHugh
I've been contacted a number of times this year by business partners who are bickering with each other and/or struggling over the condition of their business.
It seems like there have been more of these calls than in the past…maybe my blogging is the little nudge that pushed the business owners to either phone or email me.
Do you and your business partners get along?
- Yes? That's great! You are in good shape. If you want to maintain that success, I suggest avoiding the potholes by reading this post.
- No? Did you get along when you started out, but not anymore? What's changed?
There are 7 reasons (7 Partner Potholes) why conflict creeps into 'partner' type businesses and causes successful companies to fray or even break up after many fruitful years of existence. Conflict among business partners can become burdensome, intrusive, even crippling to the day-to-day operations of a company. Over the course of my business career, I have seen and/or worked with companies that have had ALL of the 7 Partner Potholes.
How can these situations be fixed or avoided? Are there some partner conflicts that can't be fixed?Read More
Filed Under: Leadership & Governance, People & Culture Tagged With: business conflict, greed, leadership style, partner conflict, roles and responsibilities, stage of career, strategic disagreement, tangled web
Lucky or Unlucky? Winning Leadership Traits
08/22/2013 By Jim McHugh
A significant reason for writing this blog is to hopefully prevent companies from developing any of the 9Stucks conditions talked about. When I see or read something worth sharing, I will share it here and on social media.
Author Morten Hansen is interviewed in the very brief HBR Facebook clip featured below. He teamed up with Good to Great author and leadership expert Jim Collins to write Great by Choice. If you haven't read the book, the 5-minute clip is a good introduction to their research findings on sustainable leadership.
What can leaders do to succeed when having good or bad 'luck'?
They need to have what the authors term "Productive Paranoia". The discussion also addresses an approach to innovation – creating the future via 'empirical trials'. Good stuff. 'Good to great' actually. Enjoy.Read More
Filed Under: Ditch, Industry Forces, Trends, Uniqueness, Leadership, Leadership & Governance, Markets, Customers, Go-To-Market Tactics, Strategy & Planning, Updates
CEOs: Don't Be Left Behind, Make Your Company Relevant
08/13/2013 By Jim McHugh
Is your company stuck in the past…is your industry slowly (or quickly) changing? Have your customers' needs moved away from your old product/service offerings? These changes can build up, and then erupt. Companies become Stuck in Another World if: They don't recognize or react to evolving industry forces and trends They have lost their core strengths and competitive advantages […]Read More
Filed Under: Another World, Business Model, Industry Forces, Trends, Uniqueness, Markets, Customers, Go-To-Market Tactics Tagged With: business model, business processes, customer needs, customer satisfaction, industry changes, living in the past
Aggressive Competition? You're Gonna Need A Bigger Boat
07/18/2013 By Jim McHugh
In New England, nothing shouts "Summer!" more than the first report that sharks have been spotted off Cape Cod beaches. Great White sharks. Six more were spotted this week cruising close to the shore in Chatham, MA.
When the island of Martha's Vineyard was used as the setting for the 1975 movie Jaws, the movie rolled out a tide of beach fears that have never quite receded. Scenes from Jaws have caused adults and children to avoid swimming in the ocean, or panic and run from the water when seeing a harmless sunfish off the beach, or learn the pounding technique for scaring a shark away.
Are your competitors sharks? When new competitors are 100 yards off your company shore, or seemingly right next to your plant (boat) do you immediately think you '…need a bigger boat?'
My experience has shown that management reacts in one of three ways when confronted with intense, encroaching competition:Read More
Filed Under: Competition, Traffic Tagged With: business model, Competition, Panic, Value Proposition
5 Pesky Plights Hurt a Family Business (Part 5): The Sacred Cows
06/20/2013 By Jim McHugh
I know you've run across Sacred Cows ("SCs")…we all have in our business careers or personal life.
Dictionary.com defines a Sacred Cow to be: "an individual, organization, institution, etc., considered to be exempt from criticism or questioning".
This is the final post in my five-part series that explains how 5 particularly disabling conditions can negatively impact the value of a family-owned company. I saved this particular subject for last. I find that the presence of 'bad' Sacred Cows is the most emotional and highly personal of all of the previously discussed performance inhibitors found in this series.
Good SCs, like a popular brand or an established, competitive business practice, are legacies that should not be messed with. However, 'bad' SCs:
- are difficult to change
- are hard to eradicate
- can't be spoken about
- can have a profound, severe impact on operations Read More
Filed Under: Business Model, Industry Forces, Trends, Uniqueness, Leadership & Governance, Markets, Customers, Go-To-Market Tactics, People & Culture, Strategy & Planning, Systems, Processes, Fixed Assets Tagged With: Family Business, Family Companies, family conflict, Family Owned Business, Family Owned Company, performance improvement plans, sacred cows, unqualified family members
5 Pesky Plights Hurt a Family Business (Part 4): The Bubble
06/05/2013 By Jim McHugh
I recently returned from my college reunion… swept back in time to the days when living in my college bubble was a secure yet liberating environment. Those were happy personal times – times of discovery, growth, socialization, and empowerment.
Based on my experience working with 'stuck' companies, executives caught in a company bubble might not be having as much fun. Operating in a company bubble suggests you are isolated, cut off from outside perspectives. Is your company operating in a bubble?
This is Part 4 in my multi-part series that explains how 5 particularly disabling conditions can exacerbate family business underperformance.
If there is a weak independent board of directors/advisors, or one doesn't exist, then governance and decision-making at the top of a family owned company is concentrated and insulated. Due to the historical, generational ownership structure, there is a tendency that a family business could be prone to operate in its own unique bubble.
I've seen first hand where the lack of solid governance makes a difference. Similar to the other issues covered in this 'Pesky Plights' series, the absence of good external, independent governance could have negative implications on company execution.Read More
Filed Under: Industry Forces, Trends, Uniqueness, Leadership & Governance, Strategy & Planning Tagged With: Board Of Directors, Family Business, family owned businesses, governance, succession planning
5 Pesky Plights Hurt a Family Business (Part 3): The Handoff
05/21/2013 By Jim McHugh
I ran outdoor track both in college and high school. Since I was a fast runner (back in the day) I always ran one of the legs of the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams. Our relay teams practiced daily on perfecting the handoff – passing the baton. We had the relay leg transitions down pat. Unfortunately family-owned businesses may not plan for a leadership transition and may bungle, delay or simply avoid the handoff to the next generation of family leaders or to non-family executives.
This is the mid-point in my multi-part series that explains how 5 particularly disabling conditions unique to a family business can exacerbate business underperformance.
This post is about companies with non-existent succession/transition plans. When owners can't or won't let go, four of the 9Stucks (Ditch, Moment, Slow Lane, and Another World) get really amped up and push the stuck company into a deeper hole.
Family company leaders often stay in their roles too long. But staying too long is not the problem; being in a zone of leadership indecision creates troublesome ripples throughout the entire company.
FamilyCo was one of my stuck manufacturing clients. I was hired by the company/family to do a 'fresh eyes' assessment of their business. The company wasn't in trouble but it had hit a wall and was stagnating. It didn't take me long to figure out there were issues with the senior team, the company's competitive position and a number of important operational functions.
The children told me: "Dad was the driving force to get the company to where it is today, but now we think he has blinders on; he doesn't acknowledge all the changes in the industry, the shifting customer demands or the need to upgrade our facilities, systems and equipment. He is living in the past. You (me) need to talk to him about letting us run the company."Read More
Filed Under: Another World, Ditch, Governance, Leadership, Moment, Slow Lane Tagged With: Bill, Board Of Directors, Business Part, business transition, CEO, entrepreneur, Family Business, Family Companies, Family Leader, Family Owned Business, Family Owned Company, Leadership Transition, ownership, private company boards, succession planning, Transition Plan
5 Pesky Plights Hurt a Family Business (Part 2): The Strategy Freeze
04/23/2013 By Jim McHugh
Innovate and grow or maintain the status quo?
The process of making this basic strategic choice can be an exciting journey forward, or a source of conflict in a family-owned company.
Why? What causes a family company to be frozen in its tracks over this fundamental question? And what can be done to thaw the ice, or better yet, prevent the business from becoming Stuck in the Moment?
You may be thinking…'Conflict among the shareholders of a private company over strategic direction is common and good.' You're right! Debate over the best go-forward strategies and tactics can be healthy and productive. In companies that are not family owned, the conflict tends to resolve itself in a timely and orderly way. This is especially true in companies with outside institutional investors who don't tolerate indecision for extended periods of time.
In some family-owned companies, the strategic discord festers and lingers. A 'strategic fog' permeates the boardroom, family gatherings and the company's hallways and cubicles. Critical decisions are delayed and significant opportunities ignored. The disagreement can go dormant but then suddenly explode. This can be debilitating to the business and to the shareholders.
What has always intrigued me is not the presence of a rift over the strategic direction of a family business. My question is why the conflict becomes so pervasive and common.Read More
Filed Under: Governance, Leadership, Management, Moment, Strategy Tagged With: Board Of Directors, Family Business, Family Companies, family conflict, Family Legacy, family owned, family owned businesses, Family Owned Company, private company boards, strategic choices, strategic decision making
5 Pesky Plights Hurt A Family Business (Part 1): The Seesaw
03/27/2013 By Jim McHugh
Family-owned companies are plentiful in number and unique in character. Like any other type of company, these businesses are not immune to being infiltrated by the 9Stucks. In fact, a family business is fertile breeding ground for a unique 9Stucks mix that is often configured with a twist and a flair for the dramatic.
I've regularly experienced 5 missteps of leadership that can exacerbate the 9Stucks:
- Family needs vs. business needs: They are strikingly out of balance.
- Strategic direction is stymied: Conflict over growth vs. maintaining the status quo freezes the business in its tracks.
- Transition/succession plan is non-existent: The owners can't or won't let go.
- Governance and decision-making at the top is concentrated and insulated: There is a weak independent board of directors/advisors, or one doesn't exist.
- Sacred cows graze in the company's organizational pasture: Top leadership spots are based on birthright or longterm 'family favorite' status rather than skills. These sacred cows crowd out talented non-family leaders.
One blog post can't do justice to these 5 'pesky plights' so I'm creating a 5-part series.Read More
Filed Under: Governance, Leadership, Maze, Rough Tagged With: Board Of Directors, excessive cash, Family Business, family company leadership, family owned, Family Owned Business, family owned businesses, Family Owned Company, sacred cows, The Family Business
Bring On The Stuck Company Cast
01/24/2013 By Jim McHugh
9Stucks is a business diagnostic tool that identifies nine distinct yet interrelated business challenges that cause a company to underperform and restrict innovation. The 9Stucks are patterns…recurring conditions I've seen and experienced fixing stuck businesses for the last 20+ years. These 9Stucks are real, not theoretical.
One reader of the 9Stucks blog said to me: "I may be stating the obvious, but when I think about your 9Stucks, I think about PEOPLE. Don't the people in a company have a big impact on creating, causing or maintaining all of the stucks?"
Hmm, good catch…
People are the driving force behind the 9Stucks.
They are the actors and actresses who have leading and supporting roles in an organization's stuck performance, a performance that can carry the same degree of drama as any stage play.
Introducing the Stuck Cast.Read More
Filed Under: Governance, Leadership, Management Tagged With: stuck antagonist, stuck bystander, stuck cast, stuck creator, stuck enabler, stuck story, stuck warrior
Quick! Exit! Uh…not so fast
01/09/2013 By Jim McHugh
Exit Planning is a trendy topic, especially for owners of stuck companies who often develop the itch to sell their business when raw emotions push aside rational thought.
Exit Planning means helping prepare the company and shareholders for an 'exit event' (aka Sale).
The idea of "It's time to sell the business" becomes more top of the mind when the owner(s) of a stuck company grow weary of dealing with their own personal collection of stucks. Here are some points of frustration…
- the owners fighting with each other (Stuck in a Ditch)
- the fun is gone for the CEO (Stuck in a Ditch)
- overbearing customers (Stuck in a Rut)
- disgruntled employees (Stuck in the Slow Lane)
- a rapidly changing industry (Stuck in Another World)
- declining margins (Stuck in a Maze)
- ubiquitous competition (Stuck in Traffic)
Since I have been asked about Exit Planning/Selling a business frequently in the last couple of months, I thought I would share an email I wrote to the CEO of a stuck company who was contemplating selling. Here goes:Read More
Filed Under: Competition, Financial Condition, Industry Forces, Trends, Uniqueness, Leadership & Governance, Markets, Customers, Go-To-Market Tactics, People & Culture, Strategy & Planning, Systems, Processes, Fixed Assets Tagged With: business exit strategy, exit planning, selling company
How Scrooge and Marley Became Unstuck
12/21/2012 By Jim McHugh
Scrooge and Marley PLC was stuck.
I don't identify my clients by name, but given the widespread publicity and overall notoriety of this particular company, I felt it would be beneficial to reveal the real 'story behind the story'. This is a case study about how Scrooge and Marley PLC became unstuck.
Jacob Marley died while he was still employed at the company. There was no key man life insurance; they were too cheap to buy a policy. After Marley's death, Scrooge became the sole shareholder and he decided to run Scrooge and Marley as he saw fit.
Little did Scrooge know that Jacob decided to maintain a Board observer role.Read More
Filed Under: Ditch, Fog, Leadership, Management, Maze, Rough, Slow Lane Tagged With: Board of Advisors, business model, CEO, leadership, low morale
CEOs: How To Deconstruct A Stuck Company Stew
11/08/2012 By Jim McHugh
Is your company's value ebbing or declining?
Do you know ALL the reasons why your company is underperforming, or can you only pull apart some of the reasons?
Figuring out why shareholder value is deteriorating can be easy if the issues are really obvious. It can be hard and confusing if the overall situation is a quagmire.
The 9Stucks collection identifies the most common causes of why a company isn't meeting shareholder expectations. For those of you who have looked at the 9Stucks, each standalone Stuck is straightforward and uncomplicated. Most of the significant, contributing issues that cause a company to be stuck are not hard to uncover if you know where to look.
However, the 9Stucks are usually not limited to just one or two. A stuck company always has A COLLECTION of the 9Stucks. The breadth of the collection determines the overall organizational 'stickyness'.Read More
Filed Under: Ditch, Fog, Leadership, Management, Maze, Moment, Rough, Rut, Slow Lane Tagged With: business model, cash flow, CEO, declining gross margins, family owned businesses, low morale, manufacturing company, stuck stew
CEO: Does Your Team Have Control of the Ball?
10/13/2012 By Jim McHugh
"The only players who survive in the pros are the ones able to manage all their responsibilities." – Tom Brady, Quarterback of the New England Patriots
Football, rugby, or any other sport organized around a finely-tuned playbook, requires players to understand roles and execute plays in both familiar or unplanned situations. Each player has defined roles and responsibilities based on his skills; that player is fully aware of his role, the roles of others and has studied the plays. A solid playbook enables a cohesive team to maintain control of the ball and win.
Does your company's playbook have:
- unclear roles and responsibilities (Stuck in the Slow Lane)
- players with missing skills (Stuck in the Slow Lane)
- undefined or unfollowed business processes (Stuck in the Rough)
This all too common, weak people/process combination creates lots of broken plays. Basic things like roles, skills, processes really should be a given in any organization.
But if that's what's 'supposed to be', then why have I regularly seen many corporate fumbles, pigpiles, tangled situations and outright conflict over 'who does what and how'?Read More
Filed Under: Management, Rough, Rut, Slow Lane Tagged With: business processes, CEO, roles and responsibilities, skills
How To Boost Cash Flow: 11 Recommendations That Worked
09/27/2012 By Jim McHugh
BuildingCo was constantly in a cash crunch.
The company manufactured a line of building products, had one production facility that supplied 12 regional warehouse/distribution centers and was founded by two entrepreneurs. BuildingCo was well positioned in a steadily growing (at the time) geographical region of the US. To help fund the company's growth, management used a combination of outside capital from 2 private equity groups, mezzanine and senior debt.
However, as the velocity of growth accelerated, the company regularly bumped up against their line of credit availability.
They were running on cash fumes.Read More
Filed Under: Management, Maze, Rough Tagged With: business processes, cash flow, inventory control, line of credit, private equity
Emotional Venting in a Stuck Company. Episode 3: Operations
09/10/2012 By Jim McHugh
This final episode explains emotional venting related to internal confusion over the company's OPERATIONS. When I stick my head under the hood of a company and listen, I often hear lots of clanking, banging and rustling from the CEO, Board, and investors about:
- the overall business model
- cash (or the lack thereof)
- the capital structure (translation – too much debt, not enough equity)
- pricing
- costs: fixed and variable
- business processes, weak systems, old equipment
- the basic forces of producing and executing
Read More
Recap of Episodes 1 &2: Episode 1 pointed out the emotional ebbs and flows associated with LEADERSHIP in a stuck company. Their voices express what they live everyday.
Episode 2 gazed outward at the emotional toll inflicted on the business by a host of ever changing dynamics broadly called EXTERNAL FORCES. What's happening to us?! Can a company be a victim? Maybe so, but maybe not…
Filed Under: Fog, Management, Maze, Rough Tagged With: business model, business processes, operations
Hostess Brands: Stuck in Their Own Twinkies
08/23/2012 By Jim McHugh
"Serving up family time, one smile at a time."
- Tag line from the Hostess Brands website
Today I'm announcing that …
Hostess Brands Joins the Top 20 Stuck List
The creator of Twinkies becomes the latest iconic corporate brand to 'get listed'. Here is my Top 20 Stuck List ranking so far:
- Hewlett Packard – Call the Handyman: These Garage Doors are Broken
- Yahoo – What Marissa Mayer Should Do To Unstick Yahoo
- Hostess Brands
- TBA (Hint: baseball team from Boston)
- Numbers 5-20…More to Come (any suggestions?)
Hostess filed Chapter 11 (again) this year. Do you Wonder (sorry, bad pun) what happened to drive them back into court a second time? How is it possible that a well known, ubiquitous US corporation that sells millions and millions of sweet, spongy, crumbly, powdery, chocolate and squishy things each year can't pay its bills?
Find out why Hostess is Stuck and my Top 10 recommendations to fix the company once and for all.Read More
Filed Under: Another World, Ditch, Governance, Management, Maze, Rough Tagged With: Chapter 11


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NOTAP Partners RMRDC on Technology Development in Nigeria
The Acting Director General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Dan-Azumi Ibrahim has called for closer partnership with the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) to promote rapid technological development in Nigeria.
He made the call when he led a delegation of NOTAP Management on a working visit to the headquarters of the Council in Abuja.
Dr. Dan-Azumi Ibrahim stated that NOTAP plays a pivotal role in the development of Science, Technology and Innovation through its programmes and projects that are geared towards demystifying Science and Technology in the country.
He said NOTAP through the registration of Technology Transfer Agreements and subsequent monitoring of the implementation of such technology agreements, has noticed a huge gap between the Industry and Academia. He said this gap was instrumental to the over consumption of foreign technologies in the country instead of developing indigenous technologies.
Dr. Ibrahim stressed the importance of the mandates of the two agencies to national development and called for stronger collaboration to transform inventions and innovations into finished products. This, he emphasized, will launch Nigeria into the comity of industrialized nations of the world instead of being a spectator.
Earlier, while receiving the NOTAP team, the Director General of RMRDC Dr. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim expressed happiness that a former Staff of the Council is now visiting as a Chief Executive of a sister agency.
He said the visit was very timely especially considering the importance of the two agencies in the development of the Science and Technology sector which is the main engine that steers development of every nation.
The RMRDC boss said both agencies have had a long standing relationship which was consummated by their predecessors and opined that the collaboration will be strengthened further to ensure that some of the inventions and innovations emanating from research centers in Nigeria are commercialized for wealth and jobs creation.
The two agencies that are under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology have agreed to set up a ten man committee that will swing into action in articulating the partnership.


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The Aran Islands: A World of Stone. History, Traditions, Landscape, Stories
Inishmore, Inishmaan, Inisheer: wild, isolated, starkly beautiful and of great historical importance. Lying in the Atlantic Ocean off Galway Bay, the Aran Islands are a place apart. Here island life has preserved many aspects of Irish culture - its language, customs and traditions. These islands bear witness to events from earliest times and have experienced Celtic occupation, the arrival of Christianity, invasions, sieges, famine and evictions. This history is evident in the massive Iron Age forts, the Early Christian ruins, and in the literature, songs and images from these 'three stepping stones out of Europe'. A comprehensive, beautifully illustrated introduction to and lasting memento of these unique islands.
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Hi all: Anyone knows any free tool you can run locally on your own machine, that you can cut and paste a vxml file into it, and it will validate the vxml for you.Just like what HeyAnita's vxml tool offers,but not run on internet. thanks a lot. KellyReceived on Wednesday, 19 September 2001 15:48:32 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:07:35 UTC


text:
"I want Connelly to train our youth so they can test into the unions and go straight to work right there. The lower Hill is an opportunity to drive wealth creation within the Black community."
There have been positive results on the North Side too, Lavelle said, noting that violent crime has gone down every year in the last four.
"Allegheny Dwelling is much better, and it's because of cooperative work with new management, adding security cameras, more patrols, and a collaborative effort with the community," he said. "There is still drug activity there, so we work with the (US Drug Enforcement Agency) on that. It's catalytic. Yes, there's more work to be done on safety, but we're getting there."
Lavelle said he also has more to do legislatively as well. He is exploring a local hiring requirement for development projects that use city funds similar to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's Sect. 3.
He also plans a bill to hold banks responsible for the condition of abandoned properties they own. It would compliment the responsible banking legislation (banks holding city funds must invest in poor communities) he passed last year, after Bill Peduto's version was vetoed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.
"Bill didn't listen when Black leaders and I said it was detrimental to the Black community. He said he had the votes to put it through and did. The mayor listened, though," said Lavelle. "But he (Peduto) also voted to keep the Civic Arena and before that backed Isle of Capri's bid to put a casino there over the community."
Lavelle admitted he supports his mentor, friend and former boss Jake Wheatley over Peduto and Jack Wagner in the mayor's race, but said he is not actively working for him.
"I'm supportive, but I'm too busy with my own campaign," he said. "I'm confident I will be reelected. But for that to happen, I need the community's support. I need their votes."
The primary election is May 21.
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Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.
2009-12-28Des Moines, Ia. | By: Wayman
And for elderly family members, it could bring changes in how they're cared for.
A new report says nearly a third of Americans are acting as a caregiver for a loved one.
Ann Black is with A-A-R-P Iowa.
She says planning ahead can lessen the burden.
Black says the holidays are the perfect time to discuss plans for the future since many family members are assembled and can give input.


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LONDON — The many characters in the science-fiction show "Doctor Who" will be zooming through time and space on the edge of letters in 2013.
Britain's Royal Mail is marking the 50th anniversary of the popular show with a series of stamps featuring each of the 11 actors who have played the title role, known as the Doctor. Those featured include the current Doctor, Matt Smith, as well as past Time Lords such as David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston.
The series will also include a miniature sheet that brings together Second Class stamps featuring the Doctor's TARDIS, a machine that travels in space, and time and four of his iconic foes — a Dalek, an Ood, a Weeping Angel and a Cyberman.
The stamps honoring the cult British television program will be available starting at the end of March.


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|Pin It
Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella, Foxtail Forest 11 Total
Each 1/2 Yard measures: ~18" x 44/45"
You will receive a 1/2 yard of each of the following:
Scallop Dot Tangerine
Foraging for Funghi Multi
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Woodcut Tan
Beyond the Brush Fern
Prickly Pear Tan
Fern Bouquet Navy
Scallop Dot Navy
Beyond the Brush Navy
Fiber Content: 100% Cotton
If you would like to have 1 full yard of each, please enter 2 in the Qty Box.
Yardage is cut in one continuous piece when possible.
HoverĀover image for a larger, better view.
Care Instructions: To increase the longevity of your fabrics, hand-wash, or wash on a gentle cycle in cold water with like colors using a fragrance free, non-chlorinated detergent. Dry your fabric on a low/ medium cycle or line-dry.


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text:
A shopper's guide to tax-free weekend
Aug. 11, 2012 at 3:11 a.m.
Updated Sept. 3, 2012 at 4:03 a.m.
From polos to protractors, pencils and more, a lot goes in to prepping for a new school year. And, while expenses can add up, a reprieve is on its way.
Texas' sales tax holiday spans Friday through Sunday, giving shoppers throughout the Lone Star State a chance to stock up for school without shelling out that 8 percent sales tax.
Savings apply to qualifying school supplies, clothing and footwear priced at less than $100.
Here's a guide to what's taxed, what isn't, and the best way to plan out your shopping excursion.
Tax-free school supplies:
Book bags
Cellophane tape
Blackboard chalk
Composition books
Folders - expandable, pocket, plastic and manila
Glue, paste and paste sticks
Index cards
Index card boxes
Legal pads
Lunch boxes
Markers (including dry erase markers)
Paper - loose-leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board and construction paper
Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes
Pencil sharpeners
Writing tablets
Tax-free clothing and footwear:
Baby clothes
Backpacks for use by elementary and secondary students
Belts with attached buckles
Boots - cowboy and hiking
Caps/hats - baseball, fishing, golf and knitted
Coats and wraps
Diapers - adult and baby
Gloves (generally)
Gym suits and uniforms
Hooded shirts and hooded sweatshirts
Jerseys - baseball and football
Jogging apparel
Neckwear and ties
Pants and trousers
Raincoats and ponchos
Shoes - sandals, slippers, sneakers, tennis and walking
Socks (including athletic varieties)
Suits, slacks and jackets
Sweat suits
Work clothes and uniforms
What doesn't qualify for the tax exemption?
Accessories (generally) - barrettes, elastic ponytail holders, wallets and watches
Backpacks, unless for use by elementary and secondary students
Baseball cleats and pants
Belt buckles without belt
Boots - climbing, fishing, rubber work boots, ski and waders
Buttons and zippers
Cloth and lace, knitting yarns and other fabrics
Dry cleaning services
Football pants
Golf gloves
Handbags and purses
Hard hats
Helmets - bike, baseball, football, hockey, motorcycle and sports
Ice skates
Laundering services
Leather goods, except belts with buckles and wearing apparel
Pads - football, hockey, soccer, elbow, knee and shoulder
Personal flotation devices
Rented clothing (including uniforms, formal wear and costumes)
Roller blades and skates
Safety clothing and glasses
Shoes - bicycle
Did you know ... ?
The average person with children in grades kindergarten through 12 will spend $688.62 on their kids for back-to-school.
Those K through 12 expenditures include an estimated $129.20 on shoes and $95.44 on school supplies.
College students and their families will spend an average $907.22 on school supplies, dorm gear and more.
Combined spending for back-to-school and back-to-college will reach $83.8 billion nationwide.
About half of those surveyed plan to begin back-to-school shopping three weeks to a month before school begins.
Sources: National Retail Federation news release, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts news release
What's the best way to tackle tax-free weekend? We asked those in the biz.
Have patience and be prepared for the crowds. Some people get angry because they're around so many people and have to wait in lines.
- Monica Maloney, Rue 21 manager
Shop early in the day. Heavy traffic means some stores get pretty torn up by closing time.
- Brian Patteson, J.C. Penney manager
Take a list. It helps determine exactly what you need and which stores to visit.
- Marisol Valderrama, Maurices manager


text:
Replacement Power Cable for Andis AGR, AGR+ and Powergroom Clippers. This is not a variable speed cable, but can replace the battery and the cordless models.
When carrying out repairs on your clipper it is always worthwhile disconnecting the power supply before fitting your replacement parts. please do not force any spares into place as this may cause damage to the products.
Carrying out repairs may void any warranties from your suppliers please read their warranty or guarantee information before commencing a repair.
Andis AGR+ Power Cable
- Brand: Andis
- Product Code: Andis AGR+
- Availability: 5
- Ex Tax: £23.08
Tags: Andis AGR Spare Parts


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A vicar debunks superstition : detail from painting of the crucifixion by Michael de Mukacay
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Re: What databases have taught me
Date: 28 Jun 2006 07:45:38 -0700
Message-ID: <1151505938.141954.327490_at_x69g2000cwx.googlegroups.com>
Robert Martin wrote:
> C++ is a fine language for many kinds of applications.
For systems that need tight O/S integration and high performance, it's better than C. I'd say "many" is overstating it, and I think the number is dwindling.
> I think it's
> getting a little long in the tooth nowadays; but it will be around for
> a long time to come.
Agreed, but so are COBOL and Fortran.
> Though I used to be a C++ programmer and
> evangelist, my interests lie elsewhere these days. I now do most of my
> programming in Java, and am about to start investing heavily into Ruby.
Lisp has all the niceties Ruby does, and many more. I think Ruby shows O-O aficionados just a glimpse of the power that other languages already have (closures - sort of, DSLs, other hooks into the runtime / metaobject system).
On the other side of the coin, I'm learning Ocaml and Haskell. I think the attention on the dynamically-typed languages is due primarily to the problems with the major statically-typed languages; that doesn't mean there aren't better statically-typed languages with good type inferencing, and I think many strides are still being made on the strongly-typed front.
- Eric


text:
Download and Print Lesson with Questions
Lesson 6: Salvation in Jesus
When Adam and Eve joined Satan in his rebellion against God's authority, they separated themselves from God. Created beings have no life except as God gives it to them. In separating from their Creator, Adam and Eve separated themselves from their Source of life. There was only one possible solution to save man. If man was to live forever, as God created him to, he must become sorry and repent of his rebellion, and again want to obey God.
The Love of God
1. What leads us to be sorry for our sin (rebellion) against God? Romans 2:4.
"Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?"
Note: A very important part of Satan's plan to trick Adam and Eve so that they would join him in disobeying God, was the idea that God didn't really love them. You see, in telling Eve that God had kept something very good from them, Satan was saying that God was very selfish and unloving. It was because Adam and Eve believed this lie that they joined Satan in rebelling against God's rules. God's answer to this accusation was to show them how very much he loved them. He did this in a way no one had ever imagined possible.
2. How did God show His great love for us? Romans 5:8.
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Note: In giving Jesus, God gave the most valuable of all gifts—a part of Himself.
3. What did Jesus say His sacrifice would do? John 12:32.
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."
Note: Jesus knew that if men would only look to Him, and see Him dying on the cross, many would ask, Why? Why did He die such a death? What was the reason for this great sacrifice? When they realized that it was God's great love for them that caused Him to do it, it would fill their hearts with love for Him. It would also help them to see what a terrible thing sin was if it took such a great price to redeem the sinner.
4. When we are sorry for our disobedience, what is the next step in coming to Jesus? Acts 3:19.
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."
Note: Do you know what it means to repent? It means having a deep sorrow for sin and what it has done and a desire to turn away from the old ways of sin. Remember, it is sin that takes our life from us and separates us from God. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, He gives you a change of heart; you turn about in the other direction, toward eternal life and God. This turning around is called conversion and Jesus also calls it being born again.
5. After we repent, what should be our next step? 1 John 1:9.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Note: Not only does God promise to forgive every sin we confess, but He will also cleanse us from all unrighteousness (wrongdoing), through Jesus' blood.
6. If we have wronged someone, what is our first duty after confessing our wrong to God? James 5:16.
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Note: If we have stolen anything that belongs to someone else, or lied about them, or in anyway injured another, it is important that we go to that person and confess the wrong. We should seek to make things right as far as possible. Wrongs done to another should be confessed to that person and to God. Some sins should be confessed to God alone.
7. What has God promised to do with our confessed sins? Micah 7:19.
"He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."
Note: Isn't it wonderful how great God's love is for us? He will subdue all our iniquities (wrongdoings). In our last lessons we read where God promised to separate our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. In this verse He has promised to cast them into the depths of the sea. Did you know that in some places the ocean is as much as seven miles deep? The light of day never reaches that deep. Anything cast into the depths of the sea would never be found again. How completely God deals with our confessed sins!
None Are Refused Salvation
8. Will Jesus refuse to save anyone who truly repents? John 6:37.
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
Note: Jesus says "Whosoever will, may come." Whosoever means anyone, and that means you. Won't you give your heart to Jesus just now?
Living for Jesus
9. What kind of works does God want us to have in our lives? Ephesians 2:10.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
10. Can we, by ourselves, do these good works? Romans 7:18.
"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."
Note: Though we may want to do only good things, we find that we are not able to do them by ourselves. We may have the most wonderful plans, but unless the power of Jesus is in us, we will fail and fall.
11. How can we have good works in our life? John 15:5.
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
Note: Here Jesus compares works to fruit. Just as a branch, or vine, that has been broken off the main plant cannot bear fruit but only withers and dies, neither can we do any good works when we are separated from Jesus.
12. In Christ Jesus, what do we become? 2 Corinthians 5:17.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Note: Jesus was our Creator to start with and He is also our Redeemer and Savior. Only He can recreate us into a new creation.
13. Whose mind is then in control of our life? 1 Corinthians 2:16.
"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
14. What was Jesus' attitude toward God's commandments? John 15:10.
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."
Note: If Jesus is in control of our lives, we will also love to do those things God asks of us.
Helps in Christian Living
15. Who do we find revealed when we read God's Word? John 5:39.
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." [Jesus]
Note: The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians; 3:18, that in looking at Jesus, we become changed into His likeness. This means that as we read God's Word, there is a power in that Word to work in our lives, making us like Jesus in character.
This is also a warning that if we are spending our time looking at people or things that are not like Jesus, reading or watching fiction and untrue stories—we will become more like Satan, who is the source of things that are wicked and untrue.
16. What effect does the study of God's Word have on our lives? Psalm 119:11.
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."
Note: God's Word shows us how to live for Jesus. We dare not follow what anyone tells us unless we know that it agrees with what the Bible teaches. That is why it is so important we study our Bibles for ourselves. In the final judgment we shall be judged by the standard of God's Word.
17. What has God promised to put in our hearts? Hebrews 8:10.
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."
Note: It was by His Word that Jesus healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead to life. It is by His Word that God speaks His Law into our hearts.
18. In addition to a study of God's Word, what is absolutely necessary in living a daily Christian life? 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
"Pray without ceasing."
Note: When Jesus was on earth, His disciples asked him to teach them how they should pray. At that time, Jesus gave them the beautiful prayer that has become known as the Lord's prayer. If you don't already know it, now would be a good time to memorize it. See Matthew 6:9-13.
The Bride of Christ
Paul tells us that the church [God's true and faithful people] is to be married to Jesus. He says: "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." 2 Corinthians 11:2
19. What is Jesus' church to be wearing? Revelation 19:8.
"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."
20. What is our righteousness compared to? Isaiah 64:6.
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
Note: If all our righteousness is as filthy rags, it is very certain that this righteous robe isn't something that we have ourselves, so where do we get it?
21. Jesus says to buy it from Him. Revelation 3:18.
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
Note: This 'white raiment' or 'fine linen' comes only from Jesus.
22. When we come to Jesus, what does He give us power to become? John 1:12.
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
23. As sons, what do we receive from God? John 3:16; 10:10.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
24. What is it that takes life from us? Romans 6:23.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Note: Sin and death cannot be separated. There could be no death, were there no sin, and wherever there is sin, there is also death.
25. How does the Bible define sin? 1 John 3:4.
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth [breaks] also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
26. How do we show that we truly know and love Jesus? 1 John 2:3.
"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."
Note: Being saved means more than receiving life. It means that we are no longer choosing to live in disobedience to any part of God's law. We need to understand that if Jesus is to be our Saviour, He must also be our Ruler. We cannot expect that Jesus can save us, giving us eternal life, while we are still living in disobedience to His commandments.
It was because of their disobedience that Adam and Eve lost their garden home. Wouldn't it be most unfair if God took us back to heaven while we were still living in disobedience?
27. What are we then covered with? Isaiah 61:10.
"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."
In Luke 15:11-24, Jesus told a story of a son who chose to leave his father's home and five a wicked life. After a time the son found himself hungry, without any money, poor and alone and the only job he could get was feeding pigs. He remembered that in his home even the servants lived better than he was living now. So, he decided that he would go home and ask his father if he could come back as a hired servant.
While the son was a great way off, the father saw him returning. He ran to meet him. He told the servants to bring out the very best robe and put it on him, and welcomed him home.
This son represents us. We have all gone away from our Father and have done many wrong things. When, however, we are sorry for our sin and rebellion against our heavenly Father, and decide to return, He meets us and welcomes us home. He takes away our filthy garments of selfishness and sin, and covers us with the robe of Jesus' own righteousness.
The life of Jesus, while on earth, was one of perfect obedience to all of His Father's will; in everything, He was obedient. This righteous life he offers to give each one of us. Not only will He write His law in our hearts and minds, but He will cover us with the robe of His righteousness.
Take the first step toward Jesus. If you fall, go to Him in prayer. He will help you rise again. But never give up! Jesus promises, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Revelation 2:10
The word gospel really means good news. It is the good news that, if we are willing, God will re-create us into His own divine likeness. When this happens, we once again reflect His image. Then, instead of being disobedient, we will live the obedient life of Jesus.
Let's kneel and repeat the Lord's Prayer:
"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Matthew 6:9-13.