What people
are saying about Crossroads of Life
Some of us
have so many options to choose from on a given circumstance that we become
overwhelmed trying to make the right decision or just to make a decision
period. Others see no alternative to very simple or extremely difficult
situations. What is wrong with this picture?
During a
conversation with Richard Godfrey about the difficulties families experience
with their teens, he told me the reason that families are in the situations
they are in, meaning precarious, was because they did not know how to make
decisions. Richard then continued to share about a book he was writing to help
people make decisions based on Biblical principles.
When I heard
Richard talk about the steps people have to take to make sound decisions in
their life based on the Bible, I could not be happier that there were others,
Richard in this case, interested in empowering and helping people improve their
own lives. It sounded similar to what I was offering to families through a
program I had been offering at a public school, where I met Richard, by the
way, only without the biblical references.
When Richard
briefly explained to me some of the nine steps to making sound decisions, based
on Bible principles, as he suggests in his Crossroads
of Life book, I immediately suggested that he develop some kind of workshop
where he could interactively present his material to the world. I thought it
would be much more meaningful to put to practice what he was trying to convey
abstractly, in other words, I would want as many people as possible, such as
the families in the program I coordinated at that time, who would not
necessarily be impelled to buy a book or who do not necessarily obtain their
knowledge in a literary form, to actually benefit from the experience that a
live presentation would provide.
The ideas in
Richard’s book would have greater impact on people. I thought if they could
actually be walked through them. Real-life situations would be more effective
and provide the opportunity for participants to rehearse the process and aptly
apply it to their daily life; others would benefit and could be self-taught
from the book.
Soon I found
out that my advice can only be true if the person interacting with the content
of the workshop, or the book for that matter, can only provide results if the
person is willing to make him or herself vulnerable in the eyes of others in
the workshop. Even more importantly, a person needs to be true to the self. Why
do I say this? You will find a response a little later, but what you need to
know first is that Richard took my advice and ran with it! He developed a
workshop based on his book. He soon contacted me, informing me that he had a
workshop ready and wanted to know if I would be interested in offering the secular
version to families with school-aged children in my school district. A
conversation with educational staff in charge of parent training took Richard
nowhere in his pursuit, but hearing his discouragement, I promptly suggested he
ask his church leaders to allow him to offer the workshop to their church
community.
The Crossroads of Life workshops are now a
part of history. Yes, Richard was able to offer his decision-making courses at
his church and he invited me to participate. Remember that I said that it was
easier said than done? What I meant by that is that going through the process
and steps Richard suggests is easier said than done. As a participant, I first
needed to identify a situation where I could apply the process. Identifying a
situation was not the difficult part, since in life we are constantly faced
with decisions. The difficulty resides in that if the situation is personal,
more than likely it is going to involve discussions about those with whom the
participants interact on a daily basis; family, friends, co-workers. Therefore,
if these other people are no present to take part in the process, it really
becomes uncomfortable, to say the least, to make them a part of the
conversation. Then it would be talking about this other person or persons in
their absence. For example, in a conversation about a spouse’s desire to have
the whole family attend church as a family (mom, dad, son, and daughter) when
their spouse does not, inevitably the discussion brings that other person into
the conversation. A lot of assumptions can be made about that person who is not
present to respond.
In addition,
there is ample opportunity for self-reflection and that can be “mind and soul
drilling,” so to speak. The latter not bad within itself, in fact, possibly the
core intention of the whole process Richard developed.
In my case,
attending Richard’s decision-making course helped me do exactly that, dig into
the depth of my own consciousness about both my individual responsibility for
developing a closer relationship with God, and for how listening to God in
making decisions regarding my interactions with others impacts, the outcome. In
that sense, the decisions become more manageable. Nevertheless, I felt that had
I been willingly to expose my thinking and doubts in the TOTAL sense with
course participants, I might have been able to resolve my current dichotomy in
life, not explicit herein.
But again, in
reviewing the nine steps to decision-making, I not only as an educator, but
also culturally need to reach out to “experts” and individuals with whom I feel
more comfortable, disclosing my most profound thoughts on a particular personal
situation. Therefore I will continue to strive for making decisions that are
more difficult and those that manifest more hesitation, based on my ability to
listen to God first, but also by following the well thought out steps offered
in Crossroads of Life by Richard
Godfrey.
I encourage
you, the reader, to discover your own contradictions and beliefs about how to
attain resolutions in every aspect of life and hope this book provides a great
insight into that process. In case I did not clearly communicate what my
position was while interacting with the material, let me restate that I found
it very helpful and in line with my own beliefs. Utilizing the process for
making decisions in a systematic manner led me to conclude that I do experience
the proposed steps in my daily life. It also helped me to confirm that, when
all the steps are in place, and most importantly, when the voice of God takes
precedence, the results of the decisions are soothing to the mind, the body and
the soul. Proof of a positive outcome, and in my opinion, that the decision was
the appropriate one.
There is then
no reason to remain overwhelmed by the plethora of options to choose from.
Neither is it necessary to be overcome by simple or difficult situations. It is
all a matter of knowing what we want, or what God wants us to do, and making
the decision. It is all in the Bible.
—Flor Amaro, an urban educator with
classroom instruction experience, extensive knowledge in site-based decision
making and parental involvement in education in Denver, CO
Crossroads of Life
Making Tough
Decisions using Biblical Principles
Author: Richard
Godfrey
For anyone struggling
with life’s decisions. Because most of
us were never taught how to make decisions this book is a must read. It will
empower anyone to be a great, sound decision-maker whether it is in finances,
relationships, retirement, marriage, regardless of the area.
Order Crossroads of
Life Today at:
Based on sound
biblical principles this book is for you.
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