There are songs that make me want to cry and then there are songs that make me cry. Yesterday I attended a prayer summit for area pastors. About 70-100 of us gathered at BridgeWay Church in Denver from a variety of church backgrounds and environments. The morning began with worship. That's when God got me (again). The worship leader began playing "How Great Thou Art." It's not the fact that I grew up singing this hymn that makes me emotional. I grew up singing lots of hymns, many of which I hope to never sing again. The reason is simple: "How Great Thou Art" was my mom's favorite hymn. On the other hand, the reason is anything but simple. When I sing "How Great Thou Art" I'm not just singing words -- I'm remembering. The melody alone is enough to make me think of mom. I can almost hear her…
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When it comes to work or vocation, it's common to hear: "Do what you love." Sounds good ... But I love eating donuts. As much as I love donuts, I know if I only eat donuts, I'll die a fat (but happy) man. To be healthy, I can't just eat what I love -- sometimes I have to eat things that I know are good for me but may not be the most enjoyable experience. Successful people don't just do what they love (i.e., are passionate about); they also do what they are good at. They take into account their strengths and act accordingly. Satisfaction comes when passion and strengths are aligned. What do you love?
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The following is an excerpt from a great article in The Atlantic entitled "This is Why You Don't Go to the Gym" by Derek Thompson. People are way too optimistic about their willpower to work out, Stefano Dellavigna and Ulrike Malmendier concluded in their famous paper "Paying Not to Go to the Gym." In the study, members were offered a $10-per-visit package or a monthly contract worth $70. More chose the monthly contract and only went to the gym four times a month. As a result, they paid 70 percent more per visit than they would have under the plan they rejected. Why? Because people are too optimistic that they can become gym rats, which would make the monthly package "worth it." Silly them. You might call this behavior "laziness." Economists prefer "hyperbolic discounting." This is the theory that we pay more attention to our short-term well-being and "discount" rewards…
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This morning I finished reading Henry Cloud's book "Necessary Endings." Let me rephrase that: I came to the end of the book this morning and I'm already re-reading it. Some books are like that. One of the last concepts he talks about in the book is the idea of metabolizing a situation, experience, or outcome. The idea is simple. In physical terms, our bodies take in two types of foods: useful and wasteful. Useful food gets digested and put to work. Wasteful foods get processed and left behind. While the thought of creating a more graphic visual is enticing, I will leave it at that. Healthy people metabolize well. Healthy organizations metabolize well. Healthy relationships metabolize well. The problem is ... outside of the physical manifestation of metabolism, most of us never do it. We experience a setback and don't take the time to dissect what went right and what…
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"The greatest compliment anyone could give you about your preaching ministry is that the way you preach is the way you are in real life. The key word is authenticity. The preaching of truth is communicated through an individual’s personality." - James McDonald ("Two Tips for Powerful and Authentic Preaching")
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