John Harrell's Blog, page 48

Lost

Every week, I encounter many people and have a lot of conversations. By the end of the week, I’m pretty exhausted, but in a good way. What’s more telling to me are the people I don’t have an opportunity to engage with.

People look lost, merely drifting through life without any real sense of purpose. Life has beaten them down. They are existing, not living. I get it. We all have highs and lows to navigate through. It’s very expensive to live nowadays, and there’s no end in sight to the effects inflation. But you gotta keep going.

If you are experiencing a dark period in your life, I encourage you to get rid of any negativity. Turn the television off. Read great works and listen to podcasts that feature inspiring stories. You will make it if you refuse to give up.

Just keep going, no matter what happens…

Red Flags

We are familiar with the term “red flags.” Red flags are a warning sign that something isn’t quite right. So why do we ignore them when we know they are warning us for a reason?

We ignore red flags when we are trying to force outcomes. We want the relationship to work, so we overlook glaring character flaws. Or our sense of greed kicks in, and we don’t ask the right questions. Ultimately the responsibility for ignoring the warnings and going ahead lies with us. And we must accept the consequences of our decisions.

The next time life presents a red flag, pay attention. It might save you from a lot of heartache…

A Nation In Decline

The United States is heading for trouble. We can fool ourselves for only so long, but a time of reckoning is coming. It’s not too late to right the ship.

Our fall has been happening slowly. I was fortunate to attend a college whose curriculum was “to teach a student to think.” Today’s colleges and universities are telling students what to think. Groupthink produces robots, not creativity and innovation.

Personal responsibility is being erased. People who took out loans to get an education are having those obligations forgiven, paid for by taxpayers who didn’t take out the loans. This reinforces bad behavior.

Take a moment to review proficiency scores in our public education system. They are abysmal, and have been for a long time. Unions demand more money, but they use it to hire more teachers rather than put those resources in the hands of the ones who need it to teach effectively. Yet hiring more teachers means more union dues. Make sense?

Morality has taken on the slogan, “if it feels right just do it.” Over 70% of black children are born in fatherless homes. Planned Parenthood strategically places their clinics in minority neighborhoods. In the past 50 years over 19 million black babies have been aborted. This is genocide under a different wrapper.

Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Take a stand. You won’t win a popularity contest, but you’ll be doing what’s right…

Unnecessary Roughness

Football is a violent sport. Every play is fraught with danger, up to the point of a permanent injury and even death. There’s a penalty for unnecessary roughness. Penalties hurt your team, so losing yardage is a pretty good deterrent to bad behavior.

In 1993, scores of federal agents descended on Mt. Carmel in Waco, Texas to arrest the Branch Davidians leader, David Koresh. When the assault was over, 82 people were dead, including 28 children. It didn’t have to happen. You see, Koresh played guitar at the local Pizza Inn every Friday night. The FBI knew this. They could have arrested him there and innocent people would still be alive.

People fall down, they fail others. Two days ago, Dr. Tony Evans resigned as the Senior Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, a position he held for 48 years. His reason? Sin. Evans is a brilliant teaching Pastor, and he’s had a great impact on my life. Now there are some who are piling on his downfall, celebrating it for some perverted reason. I won’t be joining them.

If someone is hurting, let’s not be like the crowd and add to their pain. Give them encouragement and support. Be the one…

Used

People have personal agendas, and people use other people to get their way. I’ve been used before. So have you. Being used can leave you feeling empty.

There is an upside to being used. God uses us to accomplish His will on earth. And God can use anyone, even me! He used David, an adulterer and a murderer. He used Paul, the self-described “Pharisee of Pharisees” who was persecuting men and women who were following Jesus. Paul ended up writing two-thirds of the New Testament! There are many others, but you get the point.

Chances are that you and I will be used again in the future. This time let’s ask God to be the one who uses us, and ask for protection from human agendas…

Awareness

It seems that every month is some “awareness” month where we are encouraged to become aware of something we should already be aware of. Seriously, aren’t we already aware of Alzheimer’s Disease, Breast Cancer, Men’s Health and many other worthwhile causes? I believe it is naive to believe we could forget about any important cause we are supposed to be aware of.

On Sundays, we get cleaned up and head to church. But what about the drug addict we pass on the street corner. Are we aware of him and his needs, or do we look the other way and pretend he doesn’t exist? We should invite him in. That might make us get a little involved and perhaps a little dirty. But we need to remember (be aware) that in the eyes of our Creator the drug addict is as important as we are.

I encourage you to be aware of opportunities to lift others, not tear them down or ignore them. Remember what Jesus said: “what you do for the least among you, you do for me…”

Grounded

When I was a child, being grounded had a whole different meaning than what I’m writing about today!

Being grounded means you are not reactive, you are responsive. Grounded people are secure in their identity, not needing affirmation from other people or from their possessions. When you become grounded, you have peace.

If chaos rules your life and you want to change, then go to work on finding your true identity. God created you, so that’s a great place to begin your journey towards a peaceful, meaningful life…

Finding Strength When You Have None

I started my podcast, The Determined People Podcast, in the middle of the pandemic. I quickly realized how badly people’s mental health was affected because of isolation and fear, and I wanted to provide encouragement, strength and hope to a world in desperate need of it. Since then, I have had an opportunity to interview people who found strength when they had little or none.

Our world is still compromised, living in fear and doubt. Stories connect us. You find yourself in the stories. Connection strengthens us. My hope is that you watch an episode and say, “if that person made it, maybe I can, too.”

If you have a moment, please go to YouTube and search The Determined People Podcast. Subscribe and get notified when new content posts. Find encouragement when you need it.

Sometimes hope is all we have. Hold on tightly to it…

D Day

Operation Overlord, better known as D Day, took place on June 4, 1944. It was one of the major turning points in World War II.

The allied forces began their landing at just past midnight. The beaches at Normandy had been fortified by the Nazis with barbed wire, metal tripods and wooden stakes, and the troops were under constant heavy artillery fire from the enemy. There was no turning back for the 156,000 brave men that day.

By the time the battle was over, 29,000 men had lost their lives. Death is never easy, but those men did not die in vain. They were serving a purpose greater than themselves.

Please take a moment to remember those who fought against tyranny. Sometimes you gotta fight, and freedom is worth fighting for.

Never forget…

Intrinsic Value

When considering the purchase of a new home, we take a look at several factors that might create value. These include the school district, neighborhood, crime statistics and access to shopping and restaurants. These create intrinsic value, an intangible value, so to speak. But people have intrinsic value, too.

Consider the things we take for granted: our hearing, eyesight, our brains, even our ability to walk have great value. We would miss them terribly if we lost any of them. It’s vitally important that we take care of ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually so we maximize our worth. Since we are interconnected with the rest of the world, this allows us to be the best version of ourselves to reach and impact others. Make sense?

Never discount your worth. God put a lot of thought into creating you…