Photo by Madoline Markham.
Tony Cooper
When Jimmie Hale Mission’s executive director addressed the Greater Shelby Chamber at its annual Prayer Breakfast, he began with the story of two foundations.
Tony Cooper turned to the book of Matthew in his Bible and read aloud the story of a house built on rock and a house built on sand.
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).
Cooper used this story to show the chamber members the difference between a life built on a solid foundation of faith and one that was not. He said that if a person is going to live a successful life, one that lives up to its potential, there are some steps you have to take to build a good foundation.
1.Conviction
Cooper said every person needs to have conviction, which he defined as faith and what people use to determine right from wrong. He said that these are fixed beliefs that are non-negotiable, and those convictions are how you determine what choices you make.
2. Choice
Everyday people make decisions, Cooper said. Everything is a choice, and every person is a product of their choices in life. He also said that some of those choices will be good and some are not so good, but choices are only as good as your conviction.
3. Consequence
The consequences of the choices we make tell us if they were good of bad decisions. Cooper said you have to look at the effect of the choices you make through free will, and to be careful about what you do with your free will. While you may celebrate the good choices, he said you should re-examine the choices that lead to bad things.
4.Change
When you re-examine your bad choices, they should lead to a commitment to change, according to Cooper. Sometimes we get caught in the status quo, but Cooper said if we aren’t moving forward we are backing up. He encourages people to see what the bad choices are, and to figure out how you can change it in the future.
