Tyler Braun's Blog, page 34

The Sheltered Life

Mistakes, hurts, and abuses often cause us to hide, not allowing anyone to see who we really are. In these moments it’s difficult to envision anything outside the walls of our pain. So we lock ourselves into this stagnant life where nothing greater is ever possible.

We don’t become less flawed through healing, but we can be free.

Several years ago I made a great number of big mistakes. I took ownership of them but I refused to let anyone into my pain because I knew that would only cause more pa...

The Missing Link in Your Message

Each day you are presenting ideas and messages to the people around you. Sometimes you’re trying to persuade, other times you’re helping others understand, and most of the time you’re presenting a point of view for an upcoming decision. While not all your presentations are from a stage with a microphone, you are constantly presenting thoughts and ideas.

One problem: most often you’re not making a difference.

A few months ago I gave a talk that I thought went pretty well. People seemed to laugh...

Is a Boring Story Worth Telling?

Donald Miller says that a story is about a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. He said this in his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. The context for this is that he was making a movie about his life, but his actual life had to be altered so the movie could have enough drama.

Everyone has some level of conflict in their lives, but what if your conflict isn’t exciting? What if the conflict in your life isn’t worth sharing? What if it isn’t exciting enough for...

Creativity for the Masses (A Conversation with Blaine Hogan)

Today’s post is an ongoing conversation I’ve been having with Blaine Hogan. Blaine is an actor, writer, and also the Creative Director at Willow Creek in Chicago. His book was instrumental in giving me the courage to write mine (more info about that at the bottom of this post). We spent time talking about developing a craft that can appeal to the masses, which is often difficult for artists and creatives to do.

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Tyler: I know many who would consider themselves to be artistic but they think the...

Leaders Must Do Two Things Well

Every year another book on leadership climbs the best seller charts. And believe it or not, the basic idea of great leadership in their book is no different than nearly every other book on leadership written.

Leaders figure out the problem and find a solution.

And really, leaders must only do these two things well: Find problems. Create solutions.

This is why so many people are leaders in title only, but do very little leading. They operate in the same environment that existed before they came,...

A Marriage Problem

Since my marriage began six years ago I’ve had a number of friends lose theirs. Some by choice. Others were told that the marriage was over by their now former spouse. After the first three friends I stopped counting. It broke my heart and I didn’t like telling other friends a number. Instead I tried to tell the stories of marriages that ended so my still married friends would realize how fragile marriage is.

When I think about the subject of marriage in America I think about these divorced fr...

Made For More

From Tyler: Today’s post is from my friend Matt Appling. Matt just released his first book this week and after talking with him about it a few months back I can’t wait to read it myself. In this post he’s sharing from a theme within the book.

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Have you ever felt like you were made for more?

Not that your schedule isn’t full. Not that you aren’t busy all day and tired at night. Not that you don’t feel like you’re just keeping it together, being pulled in all different directions.

We all feel thos...

A Call to Write

This is a sneak peek of a talk I’ll be giving at the Faith and Culture Writers Conference this weekend. It’s in Portland and the price is incredible considering the slate of presenters. Come for them, but make sure to say hi to me too.

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All over the internet you can find a plethora of great material on what to write and how to write well. And those articles and perspectives are helpful, but if you don’t know why you write (or should), you’ll burnout before you ever find your voice.

It’s when I...

Timeline of Holy Week Reflections

Over this entire week I’ve been posting reflections following the timeline of Holy Week. I thought I’d share a full compilation of those reflections for you to engage with.

Here’s a resource I used to figure out what happened on what days according to the Gospel accounts in the Bible.

click here to download the full version

These reflections are short but also connected to a Scripture passage that lines up with each day of the week. I hope they assist you in reflecting on everything that happene...

Can One Week Really Make a Difference?

You are torn in two different directions: the quick fix and the long road.

The Quick Fix: All around is a push to change yourself now. Every diet and exercise plan promises quick results. When it comes to faith you can expect God to make all things new in your life NOW. When he doesn’t you’re quick to doubt.
The Long Road: I often hear people refer to the Christian life as a long road of faith. Nothing seems to change quickly. Every Sunday pastors explain that God wants to walk through life wit...