Tag Archives: #inspiration

Spirituality

The Power of Gratitude

Are you someone who looks for the good in life? Perhaps you have been described as a “glass half full” kind of person. That’s quite a compliment.

Everyone has challenges in their lives. Everyone struggles occasionally. But we can always find something good within the difficulty. Can you see? Is your mind still working? If you answered yes, you have all the tools necessary to bring you through the mess. Add some active faith to the mix and you will be unstoppable.

Actively practicing gratitude changes your brain in a good way. You focus on the good in your life and not on what you lack. Comparison is no longer part of the equation. Peace and contentment reign, not chaos and anxiety.

Take inventory. Write, physically write down all the good in your life. Keep the list with you and add to it when something comes to mind.

Try it for 30 days. Your outlook will change greatly. What do you have to lose other than a little chaos? And that’s a good thing to lose…

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Spirituality

Caution

Are you a risk taker? Before you answer, consider that every day you are alive is a risk. Driving to work has risks. So does going out to eat. Anyone who has ever had food poisoning will attest to that.

Calculated risks are part of life. If I don’t risk driving to work, then the consequence is I don’t get paid. Life is full of trade offs. We just don’t think about them.

Consider the hell you will live with when you don’t pursue your purpose. Yes, it can be scary and difficult. There are hurdles to leap over and setbacks to pick yourself up from. But the truth is, when you are pursuing what God wants you to do, you cannot fail. God isn’t in the business of failing. We do the work, with applied faith, and He does the behind the scenes work. Trust him.

Doing what you were put here to do is going to be full of challenges. Our unseen enemy wants to keep us from living a fulfilling life. Giving glory to God, even during the painful times really pisses Satan off.

So, throw caution to the wind and believe. Believe in yourself and believe in the one who created you. He’s our biggest cheerleader…

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Uncategorized

Walking Tours

For the last three days I have been in Chicago. I’m returning home today. But man I have seen a lot of downtown Chicago!

I set out earlier this morning looking for a specific restaurant recommended by my assistant. Once again, Google directions failed me. Horribly. Oh well, I got in a nice walk before I found the restaurant. Google sent me a mile the wrong direction.

Walking is wonderful exercise. It’s easier on your knees, and we can walk farther than we can run. Walking allows us to experience nature while we are doing something that benefits our bodies.

Get outside. Walk around. Your future self will thank you…

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Spirituality

Gunned Down

One day he was living his life, enjoying his wife and children and engaged in a challenging career. The next thing you know, he was assassinated right before our very eyes. From all appearances it seems that he died instantly.

In the aftermath, his wife and children had to learn to navigate life without their husband and father. The dreams they had for their life together went cold. Life for them, and us, was forever changed.

Daily life became like existing in the nebula, a giant cloud of gas and dust. Yet, inside the nebula many stars are born. Good can come from evil. Light will shine in the darkness. You just have to look for it.

Our nation has survived since the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963. The Secret Service learned from it. And we have never forgotten the impact that President Kennedy had on the world…

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Spirituality

Cheated

Have you ever had someone cheat you out of something? Maybe you were convinced of some great deal or some “can’t lose” opportunity. No matter the circumstances, it sucks to have someone cheat you.

Are you cheating yourself, though? You have been gifted with unique gifts that can be used to benefit others. If you are not using them, keeping them for yourself, then you are cheating yourself out of a lot of fulfillment. And you are cheating others by not sharing your talents.

Use what you have been given. Take inventory of what you are good at. Write down what you enjoy doing. Then put it into practice.

The world needs what you have to offer. Use your talents before it’s too late…

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Spirituality

Super Sized

The 2004 documentary, Super Size Me brought the ill effects of fast food to the forefront of American society. For one month, the documentary filmmaker had to eat three meals per day at McDonalds. He was required to say “yes” every time the server asked if he wanted to super size his meal. The fast food diet seriously compromised his health.

Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker and star, gained 24 pounds. His cholesterol shot up to 230 from 178, and his liver developed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Spurlock became depressed, and he found himself craving McDonalds food. This only took one month to come about. Yet, it took him a year to lose the weight and regain his health.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. is catching hell for leading the efforts to clean up our food. Children have been affected the most. A majority of kids already have a chronic disease, and childhood obesity is skyrocketing. Parents want answers and they want healthier choices. Politicians want to quiet Kennedy because the money from lobbyists is enormous.

A new voice has arrived in Washington DC. In our local communities, we must demand that recess returns to the school day. Kids need to get active and work up a sweat for an hour each day. Adults do, too…

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Spirituality

Hate Me

Many people have a strong desire to be liked by everyone. They seek attention and get validation through “likes and comments.” I’m cut from a different cloth. It’s nice to be liked, even admired, but that’s not my motivation.

Telling the truth is vital for building trust, and trust is built over time. Sometimes the truth is a painful message. When you find yourself in the position of having to deliver a difficult message, do it with some gentleness and self-control.

Politicians are the worst at pandering. They will say whatever pisses off the fewest people in order to secure votes. Getting elected to Congress is a pretty good gig. I believe if we removed the fourth branch of government, special interests and lobbyists, we would attract better candidates. When the money leaves, so do the grifters, the pandering masses.

There are a small handful of people who criticize me for spreading encouragement and hope. Their hateful comments don’t bother me. I figure they need encouragement more than most if they find fault with what I write. They might need a little examination of their heart as well.

God alone is in the business of changing the heart of mankind. My job is to continue writing what he inspires me to write. The hate will continue, but so will I…

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Spirituality

Unwanted Anniversaries

Today marks the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. For months after the attack news pundits refused to call it what it was, an attack. Their favorite description was “the events of September 11th.” Well, 2,977 people died in this so-called event. Our lives were altered forever.

Everyone knows where they were when they first learned of the attack on The United States. We watched as the jets flew into the twin towers. We saw the people jump to their deaths rather than be burned alive. Anger built inside of us. We wanted to get the people responsible for this.

Americans came together. We were a united front in our desire to have justice. Not everyone was included in our newfound togetherness. If you were an Arab living in the United States, you were looked at sideways. It was guilt by association, even though they may have been your friends and neighbors for years.

The United States is strong. We have an inner strength and rebellion in us that began over 250 years ago. We have overcome innumerable challenges and we will face new ones in the future.

September 11th is an anniversary I wish we didn’t have to commemorate. Yet, we must never forget.

God bless this great country…

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Spirituality

The Politicization of Jesus

Was Jesus a Republican or a Democrat? When you read the narrative of either party, they want you to you think he was one of them.

Jesus wasn’t overtly political. He told the citizens to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.” The Pharisees were, once again, trying to trap Jesus. They were greatly outmatched.

Jesus cared for the people. He hung out with the sinners, the tax collectors and even a prostitute was in his inner sphere. He accepted all and called out the hypocrites.

Recently, Senator Tim Kaine stated that “our rights are given to us by the government, not by God.” I guess he’s never read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. It’s clearly spelled out that our unalienable rights are granted by our Creator. There are some in Washington who would love to remove God from society.

I’m unsure of Jesus’s political beliefs. I have an idea, but I might be mistaken. But one thing I know for certain is, Jesus stood for what is right. Justice transcends politics…

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Spirituality

Unsolved Mysteries

If curiosity killed the cat, then I have beaten the odds. My insatiable curiosity has outlived well over nine lives.

Unsolved mysteries fascinate me. Consider Stonehenge. Those stones weigh 50,000 pounds each, and they would have been transported twenty miles. But for what reason? They are a group of stones set in a circle.

What about Flight MH370? It left Malaysia in 2014, bound for China. At one point the transponder was turned off and the plane turned south. It eventually crashed in the Indian Ocean. Wing fragments and other debris were found, but the black box remains missing. I’m curious why the pilot turned away from his destination, yet the copilot didn’t intervene.

I love documentaries about mysteries. Mysteries of The Bible is a great one. Unsolved mysteries are a rabbit hole that is never ending.

Keeping your mind active and thinking about things will extend your life. You gotta do more than crossword puzzles. Find your interests…

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