Allen R. Hunt's Blog, page 12

My Death

A friend of mine recently translated some poems by 17th century Mexican-Spanish nun, Sister Juana Ines de la Cruz. He shared this one with me. Beautiful stuff.

My Death

I'm dying. Can you believe it?
I'm dying from that which
I wanted most.
And the thing that is killing me
is my love.



Sadness feeds me its poison:
The life that I lived is the
same as the death that is killing me.

But have courage, my heart,
because in this sweet torment,
no matter what happens,
may I never stop   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

Duped Stupak

Former Congressman Bart Stupak now admits that he got duped by the Obama White House on the "abortion compromise" and that the HHS mandate regarding contraceptives and aborti-facients is both illegal and immoral.

Nothing like coming around 2 years after everyone else did, Bart Stupak. Only thing is, your vote made the difference. Now you gotta figure out how to live with yourself. I recommend confession as a good place to   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

Ruby Forgiveness

It's been twenty years. Do you remember Ruby Ridge? The federal government's investigation and bungled efforts to arrest Randy Weaver near his Montana property ended in awful tragedy. Randy Weaver's son was killed as was Weaver's wife, Vicki, who was shot in the head while holding her baby daughter. And a U.S. marshal was killed in the conflict.

Weaver's older daughter, 16-year old Sara, watched this horror firsthand, and tried to care for her siblings until the bloody standoff ended. But she paid a high price as her life spiraled out of control in the years afterward. Depression, flashbacks, plus bitterness and anger that was consuming her from the inside out. A settlement from the government gave the family money but no healing from the pain.

In 2003, a childhood friend from Ruby Ridge helped Sara turn things around. "I decided I was broken and needed to be fixed," she said. She   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

Good Stuff!

In preparing to speak at a conference in St. Louis, I've been reading a lot of St. Francis de Sales. His "The Devout Life" is fantastic stuff. Reminds me in many ways of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

Looking forward to the conference in November. Should be terrific!

More on the conference by clicking here   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

Allahu Akbar for All

Radical Islamists will lead a two hour prayer session in partnership with the Democratic Convention on the Friday of the meeting. One of the prayer leaders advocates replacing the U.S. Constitution with the Koran. Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim and the Founder and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, wrote:
"The leaders of this event – Jibril Hough and Imam Siraj Wahhaj [are not] moderates. They are radicals. These individuals embrace Islamist supremacy and have demonstrated support for radical ideologies."

How   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

Rainy Day Reading

Rainy day in Atlanta and I am spending it quietly reading and working on a new book, a parable. As a part of my preparation, I re-read today Pat Lencioni's leadership fable, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. That book never ceases to amaze me at its remarkable ability to teach good leadership and teamwork in the context of a really good story. 

If you want to grow as a leader or have your team become more effective, I recommend it. Or if you just want to read a good story (that accidentally makes you a better leader), it is simply a great read. To write a business book that reads like a great short story is quite a feat. 

Here's hoping I can learn to write that well while also being helpful.   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

How to Change in One Easy Step

Eureka! I've been reading two books (The Power of Habit and Matthew Kelly's soon to be released The 4 Signs of a Dynamic Catholic) at the same time. And the pieces came together in a remarkable way.

If you try in your life or your organization to make radical and sweeping changes, you will fail almost every time. Examples: diets that require you to cut out all your favorite foods at once, savings plans that insist that you shouldn’t buy anything unless it's absolutely necessary, or giving up an addiction cold turkey. Some people succeed in these programs, but the great majority of people fail. Most of us need a gentler path.

Any suggestion of a single large change to a person’s life (or an organization) tends to be met with massive levels of fear, anxiety, and resistance. So, the only viable solution is small   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

Generous Americans

New Chronicle of Philanthropy study provides outstanding data on American generosity, one of my favorite subjects, as you know.

One blogger has summarized some of the key findings this way:

1. The rich aren’t richly generous.  Says the Chronicle, “Middle-class Amer­i­cans give a far bigger share of their discretionary income to charities than the rich. Households that earn $50,000 to $75,000 give an average of 7.6 percent of their discretionary income to charity, compared with an average of 4.2 percent for people who make $100,000 or more. In the Washington metropolitan area, for example, low- and middle-income communities like Suitland, Md., and Capitol Heights, Md., donate a much bigger share of discretionary income than do wealthier communities like Bethesda, Md., and McLean, Va.”

2. You need to know the stories to care.  Rich people who live around rich   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

Mo's No Fluke

If a girl needs a role model, it's not Sandra Fluke. It's Mo Isom. Now this young woman is special. Dad committed suicide. Eating disorder. Christian. And possibly an SEC kicker.   >>>>>   Read Entire Post

Pike's Peak - Good stuff!

I've mentioned a lot recently about my adventure to learn to ride a motorcycle and have fun. Chris Carr has been teaching me at Two Wheel Adventures. And he just shared with me this video of his recent competing in the Pike's Peak Hill Climb. Very cool!

I may have to wait another year before trying this :)

Check it out here - Chris wore a camera on his helmet to capture the experience. The ride begins at about the 1:30 minute mark in the   >>>>>   Read Entire Post