Just Continue That Thought...

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 3). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Now this is one of the worry lies. Louie says, "We’ve all been tormented by this lie. Throughout the day, as we are confronted by different situations, we too easily tilt to the negative extreme and assume something bad is going to happen. But really, only a fraction of the things we worry about come to pass. A 2019 study from Penn State showed that roughly 91 percent of the things we worry about never even happen. 1 But worry wants to convince you of what feels like the inevitability of every possible negative outcome. It tries to guarantee that your situation will end in the worst-case scenario. "There’s a quote often attributed to French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, who framed this lie well when he wrote: 'My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened.' Louie continu

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way,

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. ix). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Worry is a difficult mental problem in the world in which we live. It really is. Louie says, "Like barnacles on the bottom of a boat, worry has a way of subtly attaching itself to our thoughts. Worry often starts below the waterline, out of sight, out of the forefront of our thoughts. At first it’s just a simple what if . . . "What if I get to the reception late and miss the moment?  What if I don’t know anyone when I get there?  What if my supervisor hates my idea?  What if it rains next week on the night I’ve planned the outdoor party?" He goes on, " Before you know it worrying becomes a way of life. And just like those barnacles on the bottom of a boat add weight and resistance and therefore slow down the vessel, worry slows down your progress and corrodes your quality of life. "Over time, t

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 41). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Now that is a very interesting thought. Erwin says, "Leaders create clarity, raise standards, and call people to more. By definition, this creates a dividing line. Great leaders are not afraid to define what it means to be on their team, organization, or movement. They know their vision isn’t for everyone, and they recognize those with a shared vision. Great leaders also know that great teams form when there is a sifting process." He goes on, "For years I allowed those most resistant to change to have the most influence on our rate, pace, and scale of transformation—even though this went completely against my natural inclination. I was an idealist. I genuinely valued people, and I thought that meant that I should act as if every person could thrive in our new reality. What I didn’t realize is that mo

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 35). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Erwin says, "You can be great and never be famous. You might be a scientist who discovers the cure for a disease, for example, but science doesn’t play well on TikTok, so you may end up living the rest of your life in obscurity. You might be a great mathematician who unlocks the mysteries of the universe and at best become a household name among a handful of physicists. Maybe your grandfather worked the coal mines, or the assembly line, or the front lines, all to create a better life for his children and grandchildren. Is his greatness any less great for the lack of fame?" He continues, "Here’s the key: Don’t try to keep up with those who use all their energy pursuing fame. They are on the fast track. You need to play the long game. But know that if you do this, it might not go well for you in the sh

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 23). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that is what we want and need. We look at our lives and realize there are some things that need to change. Going back, Erwin said, "When you make the mind shift that it’s not all about you—it’s all about the people whose lives change for the better because of you—it is transformational." He then continues, "What does this shift look like in practice? It’s choosing to be kind. It’s tipping well when people serve you. It’s taking time to acknowledge the people around you and remember their names. It’s speaking well of people when they are not in the room. It’s remembering who helped you when you needed them, and returning the favor. It’s making time for friendship. It’s refusing to have the mentality that it’s not personal, it’s just business. It’s making sure it’s always personal. It’s listening.

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 21). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) And that is so important for us to comprehend, to understand and to live out. Here is what Erwin says around this thought. He says, "I have friends who made the conscious choice to put their relationships on the back burner while they built their personal empire. There is a lot to be said about that kind of intentionality. "The danger, of course, is that you can become blind to the importance of the people in your life. No one succeeds alone. Yet some people take all the credit for the success in their lives. Success is far richer, more meaningful, and more sustainable when you build it in the context of healthy relationships. People must never be a means to an end. Relationships should never be simply utilitarian." Doing it together, whatever it is, can be, as he says, "more meaningful and mor

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 18). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is a thought that we really do need to realize is true, don't we? Erwin starts chapter 1 by saying, "The longer you live, the more you come to realize that it is inevitable that you will lose things." Later he says, "The best way to lose your life and look back with regret is to never mature past the mindset that life is all about things. We need to be careful that we’ve not simply replaced fighting over the LEGOs in the nursery with fighting over who has the most Lamborghinis. We cannot accumulate enough things to make our lives worth living. A Lamborghini He goes on, "Eventually, most of us transition into the second stage of development. For people in this stage, life is no longer about things but about experiences. Often it’s filled with firsts. Our first crush. Our first date. Our

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus in his book,   Mind Shift  (p. 9). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) That is a very challenging thought, isn't it? Erwin continues, "Life is an unpredictable and beautiful journey filled with both adventure and danger. That is, of course, if you choose life rather than existence. Life doesn’t just happen. If your life is happening by accident, you are only existing. If you are living beneath your potential, you are only existing. If you’ve surrendered your uniqueness for acceptance, you are only existing. If you are living for pleasure and profit rather than love and purpose, you are only existing." In other words "We were always just one choice away."   Maybe you are in those young years and you are striving to figure all of this out. Or maybe where I am in my older years and realizing that I still have choices. That I am not limited by my years. No matter wh