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“The only way to be happy, is to give happy.”

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  • Leading Through Adversity

    Speaking at Grace BaptistLast evening I had the great pleasure of sharing with the men of Grace Baptist Church and surrounding community in Cape Coral, Florida the topic of Leading Through Adversity. I really enjoyed my time with men so committed to the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of the take-aways from that talk are given below. Enjoy, and lead on!

    * Never underestimate the power of one person to make a difference

    * Anyone can lead, and in fact, everyone will be called upon to do so at many points in life. 

    * The question isn't, "will we be called upon to lead?", but rather, "will we be prepared?"

    * The way to accomplish more is to grow in our leadership ability

    * Leadership has little to do with title, authority, or position, but rather is the action of an individual to attack the status quo that results in others following that example

    * Adversity can be looked upon as a "desert experience", akin to the experience of the Jewish nation for forty years following their exodus from Egypt. It was in this period that the Lord saw fit to fashion them for the promised land. 

    * Adversity accomplishes the following:

        1. provides an opportunity for learning

        2. toughens and seasons one with increased wisdom and experience

        3. may develop a network of connections and relationships that will prove valuable later

        4. should strengthen one's faith

        5. can give one a more attuned perspective on life and what's truly important

        6. provides a platform through which the individual can glorify God by showing the world how a believer handles struggle

    * We should not be trying to "GET through" but rather to "GROW through" struggle

    * We should never squander the lessons that calamity can teach

    * We must resist the temptation to turn inward and become focused only upon our own little world

    * Looking outward to determine whom we can serve is the roadway out of adversity

    * The only way to grow our circle of influence is to expand our circle of concern. This provides a positive tension on our current situation and draws us outward and upward

    * Adversity should drive us deeper into the arms of God

    * Adversity provides the opportunity to prune the fat from our lives, shedding the fluff that is not only unnecessary, but can also hold us back from moving on to greater accomplishment

  • But God . . .

    Birds-on-wire-evening-manzanar-relocation-center-1943 

    Days begin, bright and clean,

    Little is known, most just shown.

    We don't remember, maybe none can,

    When we first realize something is wrong.

    But God . . . 

    A confine from which memory cannot serve.

    But all of us know it now, though some deny, 

    The crack, the void, the dark, the wound,

    The thorn in the flesh, the plank in the eye.

    But God . . .

    Its presence grows, its power expands,

    Splitting foundations of rock to sand.

    Time assists in its creeping way,

    The shadowy hand on our loss of days.

    But God . . .

    We mourn too, for our earlier selves,

    All the while losing cheer to the truth.

    Mirth dies on its edge, bleeding a helpless dirge,

    A blight on light, hope, and love.

    But God . . .

    The core is black, the pit is deep,

    Haunting even children in sleep.

    What was beautiful takes a tarnish,

    As all things human bear its stamp.

    But God . . .

    A cursed people, a fallen race,

    From Adam's apple to dust in a grave,

    Pinned to the ground, and stapled down,

    Held back, restrained, kept in pain.

    But God . . .

    The trap is shut, the pincers close,

    The prey fights in futile struggle.

    But God.

    Copyright Chris Brady 2009

  • Freedom Only to the Degree of Self Mastery

    Are you ready for something insightful and remarkably profound? Steve pressfield.  

    Ever wonder why many people appear so happy to be enslaved, to one degree or another?

    Ever wonder why some folks seem to search out mundane jobs and then enjoy complaining about what a dead end they are?

    Author Steven Pressfield, the creative genius behind the book (and later movie) entitled, The Legend of Baggar Vance, as well as the beautifully written historical fiction book entitled The Gates of Fire (about the famed battle of Thermopylae), among others, offers one of the keenest insights into human nature I've ever encountered. Here, in just a short paragraph, Pressfield seems to have pointed his eloquence toward the source of the lack of truly creative, free expression in human society:

    "It may be that the human race is not ready for freedom. The air of liberty may be too rarified for us to breathe. Certainly I wouldn't be writing this book, on this subject, if living with freedom were easy. The paradox seems to be, as Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them." *

    Umm hmm. Poignant stuff.

    I suggest we all read that again.

    And again. 

    * The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, Steven Pressfield

  • Caption Contest 2010.3

    You've waited long enough! It's time for a caption contest. Give it your best shot, and as always, the winner will receive a free, autographed copy of the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today best-seller, Launching a Leadership Revolution.  Enjoy! (Click on photo for larger image)

    Timber  

  • Thank You to Networking Times

    This past weekend in St. Louis, MO, Orrin and Laurie Woodward, Tim and Amy Marks, and Terri and I were recognized with awards from Networking Times Magazine for contribution to the industry. We sincerely appreciate this gesture, and the excellent work Chris and Josephine Gross and the rest of the staff and board at Networking Times do on a regular basis. You guys are first class! 

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  • The Most Rewarding Hobby?

    People are endlessly interesting. Everyone has a story, a history, a network, a past, and a future. Each one of us was a cute little baby once, and we've all also had our uglier moments. 

    May I suggest a way to entertain yourself endlessly? Learn to initiate new friendships, cultivate old ones, and in short, make a sport of investing your life into the lives of others. 

    Sound a little too "touchy-feely?" Maybe. But I give you my personal guarantee that it will be one of the most rewarding, fulfilling, stimulating, interesting, entertaining, and worth-while things you've ever done. It will become your new sport, hobby, pastime, and focus. The more you get interested in others, the more you'll discover about this world in which we live and the better you will understand yourself. 

    You're already into this, you say? Fine. Can you step it up a bit? Can you seek to add more value to everyone you meet? Can you grow in your "other-focussedness?" (How's that for a word?) Do so, and you'll never regret it. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you'll never regret the times when you sincerely take an interest in other people. It may not always be returned in kind, it might not appear to bear any fruit whatsoever, but the giving of your attention, affirmation, and appreciation to another human being always boomerangs back around to you.   

    Try it and see. I dare you.

  • Grown-ups Should Make Sure That They Have

    Children are wonderful, bright-eyed, positive, full of ideas, and as curious as can be imagined. Truly, they are a blessing from God. However, any time I want to understand a little bit of human nature, all I have to do is observe them from a different angle. 

    In addition to all the good things we practically idolize about children in our culture, there are many of the uglier sides of humanity on display, as well. These include selfishness, possessiveness, emotional immaturity, short-term focus, and a lack of taking responsibility for their actions. It is characteristics like these, when displayed in "adults" who should know better, that are most bothersome.

    Take, for instance, the concept of stewardship. This is the concept that the "things" we have are gifts and should be cared for accordingly. Included in this list is our physical bodies and health, our finances, our relationships, and the world in which we live. 

    Children are not very good stewards of anything, this is apparently because stewardship is something that must be learned. Children live through their days with nary a thought about their physical diet, muscular development, money, friendship maintenance and cultivation, and the environment. Let's take that last category of "environment" for an example: children leave messes everywhere they go, leave lights on they don't need, waste food, leave water running, and a whole host of additional behaviors that would make Al Gore wince. I could go on. 

    In short, while we can learn a lot from our children about the bright side of humanity, we can probably learn just as much about the darker side. In the area of stewardship we adults should work at becoming better caretakers of all we've been given. Neglect not your health, your relationships, or your planet. In all things, excess is usually wasteful and destructive, negligence is irresponsible, and apathy is pathetic.

    I guess what I'm trying to say is that as "grown-ups" we should make sure that we have. 

  • A Life That Risks the Wasting of Itself

    Success doesn't happen by accident, and if it does, it's not really success and it won't last.

    True success happens on purpose. It results from the accumulation of enough of the correct things done properly, over time. In other words, it is intentional.

    So what?

    Well, we must realize that this isn't as obvious as it sounds. If it were, more people would be making intentional steps toward the realization of something great, instead of bilging on distractions and wasting their days. 

    What's the holdup?

    Belief. People will only do what they believe they can do. Once they start to get doubts they also start to stop. This is why our world is crammed full of starters but crying out for finishers.

    So work on your mental picture of what you want to accomplish, who you want to become, and what you feel God has designed you to do. It's not okay to tip-toe through life trying to get to death safely. The safe life is the riskiest life there is, because it is the life that risks the wasting of itself.

  • Move or Lose

    There are two reactions people exhibit when confronted with challenges. 

    The first is the most common. It involves the wearing of a long face, the art of moping, and the self-protective mechanism of retreating into one's shell. Picture a rolly-polly bug. At the first sign of trouble he curls up in a ball, hoping nobody can see him and hoping beyond hope that some snot-nosed toddler doesn't pick him up, roll him around, and ultimately squish him. I'm not sure why this is the case, but when people come under financial pressure specifically, their reaction is usually the exact opposite of what it should be. Their reaction to the problem amplifies the problem instead of erasing it. They become paralyzed, their activity slows down, they over-think every angle of their situation, and, in short, they haul off and do a lot of nothing.

    The second reaction is the correct one. It involves the taking of massive action against the problem. It is the old maxim, "It's time to do something, even if it's wrong." This reaction may or may not be perfect, but because it involves action it usually leads to adjustments over time and therefore becomes more and more productive. As it has been said, a car is easier to steer once it's moving. 

    Action is the key. Character is exhibited by the action of the individual in the face of paralyzing pressures. When the average person would curl up like a bug, the champion comes out swinging. Never underestimate the power of massive action to initiate a whole train of events that can pull you out of your problem. Its cumulative impact is often hard to believe. Progress stacks upon progress, challenges recede, breaks seem to happen in an increasingly positive direction, and the sky begins to clear.

    But none of that will happen if you sit on the couch, mope, blame, or stay paralyzed by your problems. Get up and get moving. The world is passing by and takes little notice of those who play the victim.

    Quit losing and get moving. 

  • Freedom for Leg Jigglers

    He was jiggling his leg like crazy, he was. Up and down, up and down, and the result of his mindless entertainment was that my seat-back tray was bouncing around like a dog in the back of a pickup truck coming home from church on a dirt road. It was one of those commuter flights between some big town and a smaller one not yet large enough to warrant a real plane. For this reason space was at even more of a premium than usual, and in such tight quarters leg jiggling was extra annoying.

    "Er, uh, excuse me, sir. Could you please refrain from shaking the entire plane with your habitual childish habits? I am afraid the rivets on the wings are going to work themselves loose."

    It was these types of phrases I rehearsed in my mind while pretending to myself that I was reading my book. There were more polite ways to say it, of course, but there were also some funnier ones, too. However, out of respect for his personal freedom to be a goof-ball, and my suspicion that I was a tad bit on the irritable side and just might be on the verge of losing my Christian testimony, I kept quiet (until now. Oh, the power of blogging)!

    It was not until later, in the shower, of course, when I had a thought (they don't come often, but when they do, it's worth writing about). It occurred to me that, just as with me and that man on the plane, we humans have an innate desire to control the behavior of others. I arrived at this not-so-profound insight by starting with the innocent little question:

    "How can any idiot think that a bigger government is good?"

    Then I remembered that jiggly leg fellow. Here I was wanting to control HIS behavior. Maybe, just maybe, all these people clamoring for "a law for this" and "a bureau for that" aren't really proponents of bigger government, per se, but rather they just want to control the behavior of others.

    I really think that's it.

    Control the behavior of someone else? 

    What kind of monster would aspire to such arrogance, such haughty holier-than-though (or should I say atheister-than-thou?) demagoguery? And exactly WHICH behavior should be controlled? To what standard? And how? And who says?

    See how this gets so sticky so fast?

    Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. The very blokes who want to do all this controlling of the rest of us (what we drive, what we buy, what we say, who we get for our doctor, how we can or cannot defend ourselves against people nobody can control, etc., etc.) also conveniently don't believe in any moral absolutes. Nope. They make it up as they go! 

    So there you have it.

    A bunch of control freaks want to MAKE you behave according to THEIR arbitrary value system. And, by the way, they don't allow themselves to be held to any higher standard beyond themselves, because they have convinced themselves, conveniently, that there is no God. 

    So you see? They become the highest authority and dare to command you according to their own self-made set of principles. Comforting, isn't it?

    By instinct, I guess, being a freedom-loving liberty defender and all, I allowed Mr.Leg Jiggler to have his jollies. But, I must admit, when he stopped jiggling and started swaying them back and forth, back and forth, opening and closing them incessantly, I almost reached the limit.

    And then there was the whole, "What would Jesus do?" thing, and that really stopped me in my tracks. Yup. He'd have walked.

    So I think the moral of the story is thus: It's better to suffer a few leg jigglers along the way than to lose our personal freedom to be just as annoying to someone else.

    And to those of you out there whom I have ever similarly and unknowingly annoyed, I have this to say: "Hey, it's still a free country!"