I Love Optimism, Don’t You?

Today was a great day.
I got a lot done, much of which wasn’t on my list for today, but oh-well!
Today started bright and early with coffee at 7AM for an  idea and planning session with Brandon, a young, devoted husband and dad in our church who’s headed for full-time ministry. We met to discuss the [...]

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No Splash. None.

I respect and admire athletes who can dive.  The strength. The grace. The supreme concentration. The split-second execution after endless training, nearly perfect.
And no splash.
Maybe one of the reasons I admire these athletes so much is that their skills are so far beyond mine, admiration is all I can come up with.  In junior-high I [...]

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Re-post: Feeling Poor is Not a Financial Condition

I’m looking forward to working with young marrieds, young families and young singles at Calvary Memorial this fall.
One of the things I really want to do is help those families stay out of debt (like we didn’t).   So I’m gathering helpful materials to use in classes, seminars and across the table in one to one [...]

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Positions Open: Divine Courier

If you’re in a position where you are called upon to give-give-give, you know how quickly we wear out.  It could be a special needs child, a difficult class, a demanding mate, an unsatisfiable boss, _____(enter your situation here)______.
I wrote to encourage a friend early this morning. His is a constantly-give situation.  His dad’s health [...]

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A Great Tool For Managing Time Online

Who of us hasn’t looked up at the clock and realized
“Oh, my!  I’ve been online THAT long?!”.

There’s such a wealth of great information on the web.  Last night’s news told the story of a mom who just wouldn’t quit looking for a solution to her son’s medical condition, though the doctors were out of options.  [...]

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Did You Notice the New Tab?

If  you missed it, let me be sure to point it out.
A recent contact with a church wanting Brenda to come speak for a women’s retreat started me thinking -  why don’t we place our demos here on Vibrance instead of mailing them snail mail or storing them elsewhere?
So by late evening her information (the [...]

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Clear Conscience; Sweet Confidence

The French have a proverb:
There’s no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
It’s true, of course. When you’ve nothing to worry about, there’s nothing on your “I shouldn’t have” list, sleep is sweet.
There are waking-hours benefits to a clear conscience as well:

You don’t have to hit the brakes when you see a patrol car in [...]

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You get what you emphasize…

If you work with, live with, travel with, play with, or attempt to lead PEOPLE you already know the challenge of getting behavior you want from the people you work, live, travel, play with – or try to lead.

Someone once asked Leonard Bernstein how he got what he did from the orchestras he conducted.
“I get [...]

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Thoughts on Apprenticeship

“He’s just like you!
What a champion!”
Wouldn’t it be great if that was always a high compliment?
Or maybe

“I am forever indebted to her.
She believed in me before I even knew I had potential.”
Jared’s written a great think-piece on With one Voice – and you need to take a minute and go look.
Who’s coming up behind you?  [...]

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The Ultimate Compliment

My sister Jonell quoted Mark Twain in a recent e-mail:

I can live two months on a good compliment.

.
There’s remarkable power in genuine praise, isn’t there?  When someone we respect compliments us with real sincerity, we can run a long time on that affirmation.  It breathes energy into us, motivating us to keep doing excellent [...]

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