John Harrell's Blog, page 56

Business

We have a hard time minding our own business, don’t we? People love to offer advice on how we should solve our problems and how to live our lives. I am certain that most people mean well, but they only know part of the story.

Life is pretty simple, really. Yet it can be very complicated at the same time, especially when challenges appear. New problems require new ideas to solve them. We are equipped through thought and prayer to solve anything life throws at us. We just need to engage in thought and prayer for the answers.

People want to tell us how to vote, or how we should worship God. Personally, I do not care who anyone votes for. Voting is a great privilege, and it is personal. Yet, people call you names sometimes because you just don’t cooperate! And we have freedom of religion which allows great margin for how we worship.

Focus on your life and your attitude. You are much more productive when you do…

Weak Men

It seems there are a lot of weak men nowadays. This is not good for our society, and is a great concern for our future. In today’s blog, I’m going to share with you some of my thoughts on how we got here.

Men, real men, are selfless. They make sure everyone else is taken care of. Men are hardwired in their DNA to be protectors.

I have two sons. When they were growing up, I saw parents who stepped in and got their kids out of trouble rather than allowing them to accept responsibility for their actions. My attitude was, “you got yourself into this, figure out how you will get through it.” When kids aren’t held accountable, they learn that they can be manipulative. Manipulating your way through life isn’t a sustainable plan.

Resilience is built by finding your inner strength. Men get battle hardened and realize that they can make it through anything. Weak men give up at the first sign of trouble.

We need men and women of strong character. This is the only way we will preserve a civil society. Be strong…

Desensitized

Our media has a saying, “if it bleeds it leads.” The Eagles recorded a song titled “Dirty Laundry.” It seems like the more sensational a story is, the more interested we are.

Conversely, we have become desensitized to most events, even the horrific ones. Oh well, it’s just another school shooting. Or, people are slaughtered while attending a concert? Old news. Give us something new, and give us more.

I encourage you to stay aware of what’s going on in our world. Be sensitive to noticing the good. Create some yourself! Goodness is everywhere. Sometimes you gotta look hard to find it.

But you won’t get it from the government or the news…

Story Time

Our stories connect us. People find themselves in stories of inspiration, and even in stories of despair. We relate to others in a way that is undefinable.

My own life story is not pretty. I grew up in a tension-filled, violent home. I walked on eggshells, afraid of setting my father off. Being in a constant state of “fight or flight” is not a good way to wire the brain. Fortunately, we can rewire our brains and heal from past trauma. It takes work, but there’s hope in the process.

I’m grateful for my life story. I have found that it resonates with inmates in prisons. Many of them come from screwed up families, and my story gives them hope for a better future.

Take a moment to consider how you want to be remembered. I want my epitaph to read, “He Cared.” Live your life in a way that will fulfill your desire of how you want to be remembered.

Do it now…

Late

I’m late today. It’s been a crazy busy day with unavoidable twists and turns. But it has been a great week.

I will post earlier tomorrow. Today’s mishap was unavoidable…

The Eyes of a Child

Children are a true blessing. Well, they are until they reach their teenage years. Then the script flips! But they do grow up.

When my children were toddlers, I got to view the world through their eyes. Everything they experienced was a new, exciting thing, and they noticed everything. The neurons in their little brains were exploding, creating new neural networks. I loved watching them grow and learn. Their sense of awe and curiosity was infectious.

We should try to be more like little children. See the good in the world around us instead of focusing on the bad. Children have no prejudice, nor do they hold hatred or fear in their hearts. They accept everyone.

Turn the news off. Spend time seeing the world through the innocent eyes of a child. The rest of the world will always be there…

Something We Don’t Talk About

In the 25 years since the Columbine massacre, 394 kids have been killed in school shootings. It’s unthinkable that a place where kids should feel safe has been compromised. But there’s something else.

For every one of the 394, 426 kids have taken their own lives over the same period of time. This equals almost 168,000 dead children. Every 50 seconds a child is admitted to the emergency room because of a suicide attempt while every 79 minutes a child is successful. Yet, our focus remains almost exclusively on the school shootings.

Shooting up a school is wrong. I’m not glossing over it. But we aren’t doing enough to address the mental anguish our young people are experiencing.

It’s easy to point out problems but there is hope. Rachel’s Challenge is the best, most effective school program that truly changes the culture of the school. Kids who used to have issues with each other are now high-fiving each other. Rachel’s story has caused a drop in the youth suicide rate of 3%, but the program is only in .77% of schools. Rival gangs have become friends and bullying behavior goes away because of a story, Rachel’s story.

More on this to come. In the interim, please check out Rachel’s Challenge:

http://www.rachelschallenge.org

Possibilities

Anything is possible when you believe it is. Finite thinking will only produce finite possibilities. When you open and expand your thinking into the infinite greater possibilities exist.

God is infinite intelligence. Nothing, literally nothing escapes Him. He exists in the past, present and future at the same time. His power is unlimited. We box Him in with our doubts.

Unleash your mind to consider the impossible dreams you hold in your heart. Pray about it. Be audacious.

With God on your side, who can stop you?

Greetings

I serve as a greeter at my church. I call myself the “Head Greeter” because I’m ambitious, but I’m simply a volunteer like everyone else.

I enjoy saying hello to the men, women and children who are walking in from the parking lot. If you are paying attention you can read their moods. One guy was walking in, pushing a stroller with one hand while holding coffee in his other. When I asked him how he was doing, he didn’t skip a beat when he replied “pretty shitty.” No guesswork there!

I encourage you to speak kindly to others, even when you aren’t feeling it. They need it, and what you give to your fellow man you get back…

Obey, Or Else

Obedience is a scary word for some. It means compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to another’s authority.

Ah, the submission part gets us every time. We are rebellious by nature. Our rebellion began with Adam and Eve, and it has been handed down generationally for thousands of years. Rebellion is in all of us.

God has given us a perfect blueprint for how to live our lives. It’s found in the Bible. Many people want to pick and choose the areas they will obey, yet consider the others outdated and irrelevant for today’s society. There are no outdated or irrelevant parts of the Bible. If God’s Word was true a hundred years ago, it remains true today. He didn’t change.

Are you frustrated with your life? I encourage you to pick up your Bible and look for ways to grow out of the frustration. Get a version that is written in English and provides context. Start with The Book of James. James was the half-brother of Jesus, and he was the “in your face” Apostle. There’s a lot of wisdom in that short chapter. And it might interest you to know that James didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah during his life. He believed fervently after the resurrection.

Obedience to the only Authority over your life isn’t scary. In fact, it’s freeing…