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Along the Grain
The wise writer of Proverbs states, “All wisdom comes from the LORD and so do common sense and understanding”( Proverbs 2:6) This reminds us that there is a way to live our life “along the grain” of the way God has structured the universe. Common sense and understanding might be found through various means, but all true wisdom comes from the LORD. This summer I read Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday and found the author’s thinking and storytelling helpful…
9/13/24: Fighting Shadows
The wiseman who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes makes a series of observations about the futility of life. Listen to what he says in Chapter 6:7-12: “All a man’s work is for his mouth…yet this appetite is never satisfied.” You work all your life to feed the beast – your family, your ego, opinions of other people. Yet those appetites are never quite satisfied, so without the correct perspective it can feel like futility. “There are many words which only…
Shadowlands
“Farewell to Shadowlands” is the title of the last chapter of C.S. Lewis’ book The Last Battle, the last book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. Lewis used the word “Shadowlands” to refer to life on Earth, and in the last chapter, time in the “Shadowlands” comes to an end. He writes, “The term is over, the holidays have begun…this is the morning.” This is an excellent way to describe our time on Earth. Shadows are created when light is…
Finish Well
(Audio transcription below) This morning I am going to use the sermon from the smart man in Ecclesiastes, who we think is Solomon, and then I’m going to show a video called Between Days which captures the ending mood of the preacher. The video is titled Between Days and is about Abdulah and Sehaveta Kadenic, a Bosnian couple displaced from their home in the 1990’s by war. They moved to Norway for 12 years, but Sehaveta had a series of…
Nurture Your Children
(Audio transcription below) Today we’re going to talk about our connection to our children. If you don’t have any children, or even if you do, I think there are a lot of parallels here just as leaders leading other people. If there’s anybody in your down line at your business, there’s a lot of overlay here, how you as a boss work with employees or how you as a dad are with your sons and daughters. I’m going to use…
Sharks in the Water
Leadership takes real courage. So often you are ready to jump into your next leadership challenge and immediately encounter resistance! You certainly need to use wisdom on when to jump into your next challenge, but there will always be threats. Err on the side of courage, not fear! Randy Alcorn offers a good reminder about our work Roger Whitney hosts an excellent podcast on all things retirement. If you are over 55, this will help you. If you are younger,…