© 2009
by John Odziemek
and Geoff Pope. All rights
reserved.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any way by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the copyright holder,
except as provided by USA copyright law.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version,
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing
House. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Offi ce
by International Bible Society.
To fi nd out more about the authors, please visit www.johnodz.com and www.geoffpope.com.
Life. Who said it was
easy? It’s not. But life can be better—
much better than you ever imagined! Life can be
excellent when you follow a godly lifestyle. That’s why Geoff
and I wrote Life’s Little Roadmap. This short book is an encouraging and
precautionary guide to help you get through
life’s journey—kind of like a road sign on the side of the highway on your summer
vacation. Road signs are strategically placed to offer directions, warnings,
rules, and other information to get you safely to your destination.
So buckle up, put on your driving gloves, and get
ready for a most excellent journey:
Life.
Props.To my loving
wife, Alison and our dog, Brinkley:
two of the best road trip companions a man
could ask for! And to Mr. Young, my driver’s education
instructor, who taught me the fear of God while I was learning how to drive.
<John>
To my dad, who taught me how to drive, and who has driven in style as long
as I can remember: Mercury Cougar, Ford Thunderbird,
Porsche 914, Mazda RX7, Lincolns, Cadillacs,
and now a Jaguar.
<Geoff>
Life’s Little Lesson
#1
How can s t u d y i n g
and further-ing my education
make my life better?
#1: Further your education!Before you proceed with any project,
passion or vision, learn the proper lessons and get a valuable edu-
cation. Never stop learning!
Proverbs 19:2“It is not good to
have zeal without knowledge, nor
be hasty and miss the
way.”
Go!W r i t e
d o w n some ideas
on how you can complete or fur-
ther your education:
Life’s Little Lesson
#2
How can you keep
an honorable lifestyle with so
much peer pressure?
#2: Obey the rules!You’re cruising along and think, “If I go
faster, I can get there quicker!” Then all of a sudden you get pulled over and
receive a ticket. All it takes is one slip up, and you’re busted.
Hebrews 13:17“Obey your lead-
ers and submit to their au-
thority.”
Go!L i s t
s o m e benefi ts of
obeying rules, and consequenc-
es of breaking them:
Life’s Little Lesson
#3
What are some things
that can cause you to lose your
way in life? How can you get back on track?
#3: Ask for directions!When you are struggling for direction in
life, don’t be afraid to ask others wiser for advice. They’ve probably been
down the same road before.
Proverbs 3:13“Blessed is the man
who fi nds wisdom, the man who
gains under-s t a n d -
i n g . ”
Go!Name a
few people you can turn
to when your life’s direction is off-
track:
Life’s Little Lesson
#4
Ever run into a Dead
End? How did you get out of the
situation?
#4: Don’t take shortcuts!There’s nothing worse than taking short-
cuts, then expecting the end result to turn out positive. Keep the course—
even when it’s diffi cult—and see your character grow.
Hebrews 6:12“We do not want
you to become lazy....”
Go!L i s t
some ways you can better
attain excellence at work or school:
Life’s Little Lesson
#5
H o w does poor
planning affect opportunities for
achievement?
#5: Find the best route!Lewis and Clark were great trailblaz-ers, and without tireless planning
their mission would have failed.
Psalm 33:11“But the plans of the Lord
stand fi rm forever, the purposes of his
heart through all generations.”
Go!W r i t e
down a major life goal
and the best route to get there:
Life’s Little Lesson
#6
W h a t h a p p e n s
when you get sidetracked on a
project or goal?
#6: Keep your eye on the road!You might not arrive at your destination
because of too many distractions.
Hebrews 12:1b-2a“...let us run with perserver-
ance the race marked out for us. Let us fi x our
eyes on Jesus, the author and per-
fecter of our f a i t h . ”
Go!L i s t
s o m e ways you can
achieve your life goals without getting
too distracted:
Life’s Little Lesson
#7
Why is a good work
ethic so impor-tant? How can you
improve it?
#7: Life takes hard work!No matter what your job is, do it with the
best of your ability, knowing later on a job well done will be rewarded.
Colossians 3:23“Whatever you do, work
at it with all your heart, as working
for the Lord, not for men.”
Go!Get in-
volved with assoc iat ions
related to your career. Name a few:
Life’s Little Lesson
#8
How can n e g a t i v e
friends and ac-quaintances dis-
rupt your life?
#8: Careful who you ride with!The people you choose as friends can liter-
ally make your life better or cause you to crash and burn. Choose them wisely.
Proverbs 18:24“A man of many com-
panions may come to ruin, but there
is a friend who sticks closer
than a broth-
er.”
Go!List a
few posi-tive attributes
of good friends and acquaitances:
Life’s Little Lesson
#9
How do n e g a t i v e
movies, songs, or TV programs
affect your attitude?
#9: Listen to the right music!You’ve heard the saying, “Garbage in.
Garbage out.” Music affects us in many ways, including our attitude, so make
positive entertainment decisions.
Psalm 34:1“I will extol the Lord at
all times; his praise will always be
on my lips.”
Go!W r i t e
down how musicians and
movie stars can af-fect the way you feel:
Life’s Little Lesson
#10
W h a t can you do
today to get more exercise
and stay healthy?
#10: Maintain your vehicle!Regardless of your make and model,
keep yourself in good condition; you’ll run, look, and feel much better.
3 John 2“Dear friend, I pray that
you may enjoy good health and that
all may go well with you....”
Go!A s k
s o m e o n e to help you
stay on track with your fi tness commit-
ments. His/her name:
Life’s Little Lesson
#11
W h a t are several
types of food you know you
should eat, but don’t?
#11: Fuel up with good food!Even if you can’t gas up with the recom-
mended fi ve servings a day, eat plenty of fruits and veggies, and your body
will thank you—sooner and later.
Genesis 1:12“The land produced veg-
etation…and trees bearing fruit….
And God saw that it was
good.”
Go!Put the
f o l l o w i n g fruits and veg-
etables on your grocery list:
Life’s Little Lesson
#12
What ir-ritates you
on the road of life? How can you
be an overcomer?
#12: Don’t get distracted!On life’s road, people and things can bug,
delay, and even enrage us. Never-theless, stay focused and deter-
mined to overcome all bumps, annoyances, and obstacles.
Proverbs 17:27“…a man of
understanding is even-tem-
pered.”
Go!J o t
down some ideas on how
you can stay in control in frus-
trating situations:
Life’s Little Lesson
#13
W h a t two or three
things would help you be more
restful and at peace?
#13: Make a rest stop!We live in such a driven and fast-paced
society. Change lanes, slow down, and take time to be refreshed.
Psalm 16:9“Therefore my heart is
glad and my tongue rejoices; my body
also will rest s e c u r e . ”
Go!T a k e
a break, a walk, a
nap, a vaca-tion. Make a sched-
ule that includes rest:
Life’s Little Lesson
#14
How can you get
back on track after setbacks and
disappointments?
#14: Have patience!It appears at times that we will never reach
our destination, especially when there are no promising signs in sight. Keep
your eyes on the road ahead, and patiently keep going.
Colossians 1:11“...that you may
have great endur-ance and pa-
tience....”
Go!N a m e
two ways in which
you can exer-cise patience when
the going’s slow:
Life’s Little Lesson
#15
Is there a person or
point of view that confuses you?
#15: Discern right from wrongPeople will give you wrong advice that can
mess up your life permanently. Bypass them, avoid those people, and stay
on the right course.
Proverbs 4:27“Do not swerve to
the right or left; keep your foot
from evil.”
Go!L i s t
ways you can remain
discerning, ready to dismiss destruc-
tive routes:
Life’s Little Lesson
#16
What are two ma-
jor tragedies that you have
experienced in life?
#16: Accidents happen!Accidents occasionally happen. Certainly,
the journey may take longer, but remem-ber that it is not over, and “all things
can work together for good.”
James 1:4“Perseverance must fi n-
ish its work so that you may be ma-
ture and com-plete....”
Go!Despite
m i s h a p s and mistakes,
write down ways you can recover and
move on:
Life’s Little Lesson
#17
W h a t do you
know in your heart of hearts is
your biggest dream?
#17: Go for your dreams!There’s nothing worse than journey-
ing 99% of the way, then giv-ing up right before your goal is
reached. Never, ever give up!”
Philippians 3:14“I press on toward the
goal to win the prize for which God
has called me....”
Go!N a m e
some spiri-tual gifts God
has given you to serve in His King-
dom:
Life’s Little Lesson
#18
W h a t keys help
ignite love and power in your life?
#18: You’ll need keys!Like needing a key to start your vehicle
on any given day, you will need keys that lead to daily godli-
ness and lifelong victory!
Matthew 16:19“I will give you the keys
of the kingdom of heaven....”
Go!Find and
use spiritu-al and practi-
cal keys that lead to abundant life:
Life’s Little Lesson
#19
How can you better
yield to God’s will today and
the rest of your life?
#19: Yield to God!Human nature says, “Me fi rst.” God
says, “Submit to Me.” To please Him, we need to continually surrender
our will and lives to Him.
James 4:7“Submit yourselves,
then, to God. Resist the devil, and he
will fl ee from y o u . ”
Go!H o w
close are you to God
right now? List some things you need
to surrender to Him:
Life’s Little Lesson
#20
W h a t “ r o a d
sign” would aptly describe
your life right now?
#20: Pave the way with praise!Congratulations! You have almost fi nished
this short journey. Now apply the prin-ciples to your life, and add more
when you are traveling the road of life. And do it with praise!
Psalm 63:4“I will praise you as
long as I live.”
Go!Sear ch
the Bible and write down
a “life verse” which you can call your own: