There are many days I have to preach these to myself.
Grab onto this if you need it today!
Meditating on Psalm 144:2
God is called “my stronghold and my deliverer.”
One surrounds you in the midst of difficulty while you are in it. The second pulls you out of the difficulty.
God doesn’t always deal my struggles issues and problems the same way. Sometimes he keeps me in them but protects me. Sometimes he pulls me out. He does this all for the greater purpose of building our trust in Him and conforming us to Christ.
I need to accept both methods of His presence.
The best musicians, in my opinion, are the ones that can listen and respond the best. Yes, a drummer can bash away at 2 and 4 like a metronome, but there is an added layer when they really listen to other players around them and respond/react.
Drummer Brian Blade is perhaps one of the best at this. You can hear him listen and respond in each of the pieces below.
And this one.
Super tasteful. Super musical. So good!
I need to apply this to listening to others in life, as well.
I thought I had lost this. But I found it deep in the archive of my email.
THE EXPULSION OF SIN BY A NEW AFFECTION by Thomas Chalmers. Whew!
One of the best writings on how to expel sin from our lives not by hyper-focusing on the sin, but on the goodness of God.
As part of spiritual disciple, I used to grab Puritan writings and modernize them to force me to slow down and meditate on what these rich authors were saying. Their language is typically difficult to read. I leave the original in the left hand column and put the modernized version in the right hand column.
I thought I’d throw it up on my personal blog in case any of you want to download it for reflection. It truly is a powerful work.
CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PDF
The Expulsion of Sin by a New Affection Thomas Chalmers
Hope you enjoy it!
An audio message on why we lie and how to stop this detrimental practice with which we ALL struggle. Find freedom in the the truth. (Teaching graphics included.)
I love reading the stories of lives changed at Milestone Church. Also, Pastor Jeff Little offers some great thoughts. Moon & Owl was privileged to help move this blog to a new platform that is more user friendly. You can also email subscribe for more inspiration. God IS making difference in people’s lives at Milestone.
Read some of the powerful life change stories at Milestone Life.
I had fun creating my daughter’s bedroom look.
This was a great read and it isn’t “heavy” history. The author, Frederick L. Allen covers everything from fashion, to sexual norms, to the average workday of a married couple, ramifications of prohibition to the financial collapse of the stock market. You’ll feel like you KNOW the 20’s after reading it. It’s a highly acclaimed NYT Bestseller. Available in Kindle and Paperback. I bought his work on the 1930’s, after reading this. (Click the cover to get it on Amazon.)
Fresh Factor ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ (1 rehash; 5 New information . . . for me at least)
I had not read much on this period other than Calvin Coolidge biographies and autobiographies.
Fun ♣ ♣ ♣ (1 not that enjoyable; 5 barely put it down)
Pretty entertaining, some chapters more than others.
Easy/Difficult ♣ ♣ (Kid’s comics being 1, Finnegan’s Wake by Joyce or War and Peace by Tolstoy being 5)
Practical ♣ ♣ (Affects everyday living. 1 is not that practical; 5 is life shaping/ paradigm transforming)
Lessons: Don’t repeat the mistakes this period in history such as “playing the market” in speculation. It will ALWAYS self-correct.
Some of you might know I’m a YUGE Snarky Puppy fan. The compositional skills of Michael League and the talent in the band, along with guests they bring in, is simply mind blowing…..and they have Denton, TX ties. Go see em’ live if you want your mind blown.
With guest Jayna Brown
With the Metropole Orkest
With Jacob Collier & Big Ed Lee
In a practical follow up to Working From Second Chair, here are three simple questions to provide clear Guidance. You can use this tool with your boss or with those you supervise. I even made laminated cards to pass out. When a new initiative comes up or you need to clarify an ongoing program or process, review the 3 simple questions.
1. WHY are we doing this?
This is the 50,000 foot view.
How does “this” tie into our overarching vision and values? This will determine if the initiative should even see the light of day.
2. WHAT is the 1 thing you would most like this to accomplish?
20,000 foot view.
This is where it gets tough because the leader must boil down the entire initiative to a singular purpose that is measurable. It requires the leader to prioritize between all the good things which might be accomplished and declare a bull’s-eye for the team to hit. This is the measure by which its success will be judged– did we accomplish X?
3. HOW are we accomplishing this one thing?
5 foot view.
If you are a leader of leaders –and not just a manger of doers–it is imperative you hand them some of the rope at this point. Leaders must be empowered to decide their tactics that meet the answer provided to question #2 based upon their connection with their people.
If you provide them exact tactics, they are no longer leaders working under you but simply doers. If you completely provide every detail of the tactics to be used, good leaders will get frustrated because they are stifled from leading. If you release the tactics to your team with clear guidance on what you want them to accomplish, you can spend your energy on other 50,0000′ and 20,000′ feet ideas.