No. 562 - THE ABUNDANCE PRINCIPLE

No 562

Jim Davidson NEWSPAPER COLUMN

THE ABUNDANCE PRINCIPLE

If you had the opportunity to purchase a book that had the potential to change your life for the better, would you want to know about it? Today I would like to tell you about such a book, that I can enthusiastically recommend to you. After you learn about it, I believe you will agree that this book needed to be written years ago, because it gets to the heart of the matter of why millions of people struggle through life and miss most of the real joy of living.
The name of this book is "The Abundance Principle É Five Keys to Extraordinary Living," and was written by Dr. Jeff Standridge and Rev. Tim Kellerman, two gentlemen I am blessed to know personally.
Jeff is a former college professor, and currently serves as an award-winning business consultant and Sunday school teacher. He has been invited to be a speaker, trainer and consultant for numerous businesses, organizations and institutions of higher education across the U.S., Canada and Europe. Tim is the lead pastor of the First Church of the Nazarene here in our community, and has been serving there for the past 10 years. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in pastoral ministry with an emphasis on church management. Additionally, he is a graduate of the School of Large Church Management.
To be sure, Jeff and Tim bring a special blend of talents to the writing of this much-needed book. They have captured the essence of success principles, based on a solid Biblical foundation. What makes this book so valuable is that it is a self-help, counseling, planning, people building, financial management and giving-back book, all rolled into one.
Several months ago, I got a call from Jeff asking me if I would be willing to read the original manuscript and make suggestions that would improve it. I was honored and pleased to do this, and they have incorporated a good number of my suggestions and ideas in the finished product.
If I may, I would like to go back to something I said earlier. There are millions of people in our nation today who struggle through life and miss most of the real joy of living. This is what Jesus was saying to his followers in John 10:10: "The thief comes not but for to steal and to kill and destroy; I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly."
Please understand that this is not a religious book, but it is based on a solid Biblical foundation. These two talented writers have combined their unique backgrounds to produce a book that I believe is destined to become a classic.
It is an accepted fact that the vast majority of people fail because of their thinking. The reason is because they have a Scarcity Mentality. This is to say, as a basic philosophy of life, there is not enough to go around. If I get more, you get less. If I win, you lose. It also says, get all you can before someone beats you to it. What I am saying here is never to be confused with the Prosperity Gospel, where some preacher will tell you, "Send me $100 and God will bless you with $1,000 in return." That is not Biblical.
Rather, "The Abundance Principle" is based in right thinking, right attitudes, right actions, right planning and hard work. We are creatures of habit, and when we take the time to form the right habits we will enjoy the Abundant Life. The gist of the book is based on Five Keys to Extraordinary Living and, step by step, Jeff and Tim cover these important keys: 1. Master your thoughts and change your life. 2. Plan your life and live your passion. 3. Build and maintain strong relationships. 4. No matter how much you earn, spend less. 5. Give more and you will live more.
This is a wonderful book and any of us would do well to own it, read it and put the ideas and concepts it contains into practical use in our lives. This book can be purchased from The Abundant Life Project, 813 Oak St., Suite 10A-310, Conway, Ark. 72032, or online at www.AbundantLifeProject.com.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, Ark. 72034. To support literacy, buy his book, "Learning, Earning & Giving Back.")