Monthly Archives: June 2023

#inspiration

Relationship v. Religion

What’s the difference between relationship and religion? Relationships are intimate, they are turned on, and they are a safety zone. Religion, even the word turns people away. Let’s examine this just a little further.

Think of your closest relationships. They are built on a foundation of trust. Trust takes time to build. You feel like you can be yourself around your closest friends and family. There’s no need to pretend to be someone you’re not.

Religion evokes guilt, shame and judgment. This is because many religions use these as tools to get your attendance and your money. That’s not what God wants. He wants a personal relationship with us, even when we are at our worst. Yes, you read that correctly. God isn’t looking down on us with His arms crossed condemning us. No. God created us and He hasn’t forgotten about us. We are always on His mind.

I encourage you, and myself, to pursue a deeper relationship with God. Study the life of Jesus. Jesus was a rebel and he was a badass. He took away guilt, shame and judgment while calling out the hypocrisy of some of the religious leaders of the day. He is here for us, even though we don’t see him…

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#inspiration

Hurried

It seems like I’m always in a hurry. I’m not sure if it’s because I have a tremendous energy level and want to get as much life in as possible. Perhaps it’s due to my short attention span. Maybe it’s a combination of both.

Coach John Wooden famously told his players, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” Being hurried can create unnecessary mistakes. Those are detrimental in life as well as basketball.

Let’s slow down, even just a little. You can be quick and get a lot accomplished. Leave the hurried behavior behind…

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#inspiration

Today’s Rant

As private citizens, our actions have consequences. Not so in Washington DC. Let’s take a look…

The scoundrels in DC are addicted to power. How many “crises” have they manufactured that only they, the wise politicians, could solve? Their welfare laws wreaked havoc among black families-no consequences. They endlessly fund Ukrainian defense but we still have 22 veterans taking their own lives every day-no consequences. We were supposed to run out of oil by 1992 they told us in 1979-BS. Now climate change is an “existential crisis.” BS. Teachers teach to the feckless STAAR test rather than teaching proficiency in subject material. What was wrong with Horace Manns method of teaching the head, heart and hands-the intellect, emotion and application?

It’s time to take a stand and hold our elected officials accountable. We the people have the power, not government.

Sorry for the rant!

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Uncategorized

Expectations

What are your expectations when you meet someone new? Honesty, integrity and responsibility come to mind. I believe it is important to give people a chance to show us who they are and what they are like.

By the same token, what are your expectations of yourself? At least the three I mentioned above, along with transparency and accountability. We expect the best so we give our best.

It’s a good personal policy to under promise and overdeliver. You build trust in this way…

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#inspiration

Catalysts

A catalyst makes things happen. Every chemical reaction in our bodies was started by a catalyst. In the non-scientific world, a catalyst can be a person or an event.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 were a catalyst for a renewed sense of patriotism in America. Flags were everywhere, and the demand for them was so high you couldn’t get one for months due to them being on back order. People felt unity. They knew we were in this together.

People can inspire action, too. Jesus is the greatest example of a catalyst. He started something that has not only lasted but expanded for over two thousand years.

Find your cause, your purpose for good. Take the lead and be a catalyst, too. Inspire the world…

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#inspiration

Forced

Acceptance is big to me. Accepting everyone for who they are allows people to know they are seen. Yet our radical culture of today demands we accept people who act like complete jerks. This doesn’t work for me.

Corporate America is increasingly trying to change the landscape and cow tow to political pressure. Anheuser-Busch alienated millions of beer drinkers when someone in their marketing department decided to make a transgender person their spokesperson. Transgenders represent 1% of the United States population. The company continues to pay dearly for this miscue. Anheuser-Busch clearly doesn’t know it’s market.

If you are a man and want to wear dresses, go for it. But stealing luggage from the airport is never acceptable like this guy did.

The point is, to the people trying to force agendas down our throats, I say stop it. Be yourself, and allow others to be themselves, too. You cannot make lasting change by forcing outcomes…

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#inspiration

Money

I know people who have tremendous resources, and I know people who have very little money. I treat both equally.

Money can change people, and not always in a good way. It’s important to remember that money is no more than an instrument to provide for our needs, and it’s a tool to use for good. We get to choose.

People are what’s important. Let’s focus on who people are, not what they have…

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#inspiration

Wellness Check

People are struggling nowadays more than I ever remember or imagined. Many feel alone, like they have no one to talk to. Some feel ashamed because they have never experienced the emotional turbulence they are experiencing. If you feel like I’m describing you, I want you to know that you are not alone.

I encourage you to reach out to someone. Anyone. There are crisis hotlines you can call anonymously. Talk to someone. There’s something magical about talking things out. You get some peace, even for a short while.

If you haven’t heard from someone you normally would, give them a call. You might be their last, best hope…

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#inspiration

Heartfelt

The heart connects us. We listen to those we care about in a deeper way. We listen with our hearts.

Trolls on the internet show the dark side of themselves. They don’t consider how their insults and judgements might harm someone else. They only care about making themselves feel “superior.” How do we deal with them? Here’s a counterintuitive way: pray for them. We cannot change the heart of mankind, but God can. Let Him.

Less is more, especially when we speak from our hearts. People remember how you made them feel…

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#inspiration

Obstacles

Life is going to present us with challenges. Some might be as simple as running late due to an accident on the freeway, while others might be life-altering. We are going to be tested.

How we handle life’s obstacles depends upon our attitude. If we have the mindset of going through the challenges no matter how hard, we build resilience and are eventually on the other side of it. Should we decide it’s too hard, we will cave. But it really is up to us.

And our biggest obstacle lies between our ears, not in the challenge itself…

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