Quotes

Monday Mentions 5.10.21

A Fascinating Biography I’m Reading – A Burning in my Bones

Eugene Peterson is most well known for his paraphrase of the Bible, The Message. My upbringing caused me to hold The Message at a distance for the early years of my Christian walk. Now, however, I have a fuller appreciation of Peterson as a pastor who had a desire to help his congregation not just know scripture with their heads but to experience and walk in it with their whole lives.

A Burning in my Bones is the authorized biography of this renowned pastor, teacher, and Bible translator. It is fascinating to read how God molded and shaped Eugene’s life.

From Amazon:

“This hunger for something radical—something so true that it burned in his bones—was a constant in Eugene’s life. His longing for God ignited a ferocity in his soul.”

Encounter the multifaceted life of one of the most influential and creative pastors of the past half century with unforgettable stories of Eugene’s lifelong devotion to his craft and love of language, the influences and experiences that shaped his unquenchable faith, the inspiration for his decision to translate The Message, and his success and struggles as a pastor, husband, and father.

Author Winn Collier was given exclusive access to Eugene and his materials for the production of this landmark work. Drawing from his friendship and expansive view of Peterson’s life, Collier offers an intimate, beautiful, and earthy look into a remarkable life.

For Eugene, the gifts of life were inexhaustible: the glint of fading light over the lake, a kiss from Jan, a good joke, a bowl of butter pecan ice cream. As you enter into his story, you’ll find yourself doing the same—noticing how the most ordinary things shimmer with a new and unexpected beauty.

A Great Addition to Your Car or Boat – Cartman 122pcs Tool Kit Set

I don’t know about you but it seems like I can’t find the right tool when I need it. To help, I decided to add this basic took kit to each of our cars so that we would have the essentials should we need them.

The kit includes:

1pc-3/8″ ratchet handle; 19pc-1/4″ sockets:5/32, 3/16, 7/32, 1/4, 9/32, 5/16, 11/32, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12mm
8pc-3/8″ sockets:9/16, 5/8, 11/16, 3/4; 14 15, 16, 17mm; 1pc-3/8″ x 3″ extension bar; 4pc-screwdrivers; 1pc-adjustable wrench; 1pc-screwdriver handle; 1pc-long nose plier; 1pc-diagonal plider; 1pc-auto voltage tester
ADAPTOR inside for all bits (20 sockets) Drive Socket & Socket Wrench Sets

Keep Track of Anything – Apple AirTag

AirTags make it dead simple to keep up with keys, bags, checkbooks, luggage, and more! I used AirTags on a recent trip and could see when our luggage made it on each airplane. If you use iOS devices, AirTags are very useful.

Keep track of and find your items alongside friends and devices in the Find My app
Simple one-tap setup instantly connects AirTag with your iPhone or iPad
Play a sound on the built-in speaker to help find your things, or just ask Siri for help
Precision Finding with Ultra Wideband technology leads you right to your nearby AirTag (on select iPhone models)
Find items further away with the help of hundreds of millions of Apple devices in the Find My network
Put AirTag into Lost Mode to be automatically notified when it’s detected in the Find My network
All communication with the Find My network is anonymous and encrypted for privacy, Location data and history are never stored on AirTag
Replaceable battery lasts over a year
AirTag is IP67 water and dust resistant
Make AirTag yours with a range of colorful accessories, sold separately

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

One way to define spiritual life is getting so tired and fed up with yourself you go on to something better, which is following Jesus.” – Eugene Peterson

Monday Mentions 5.03.21

A Book I’m Looking Forward to Reading – Leadership: In Turbulent Times

This book has been recommended to me a number of times. It’s coming up soon on my reading list!

From Amazon:

“After five decades of magisterial output, Doris Kearns Goodwin leads the league of presidential historians” (USA TODAY). In her “inspiring” (The Christian Science Monitor) Leadership, Doris Kearns Goodwin draws upon the four presidents she has studied most closely—Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson (in civil rights)—to show how they recognized leadership qualities within themselves and were recognized as leaders by others. By looking back to their first entries into public life, we encounter them at a time when their paths were filled with confusion, fear, and hope.

Leadership tells the story of how they all collided with dramatic reversals that disrupted their lives and threatened to shatter forever their ambitions. Nonetheless, they all emerged fitted to confront the contours and dilemmas of their times. At their best, all four were guided by a sense of moral purpose. At moments of great challenge, they were able to summon their talents to enlarge the opportunities and lives of others. Does the leader make the times or do the times make the leader?

An Electrolyte Drink – Ultima Replenisher

I recently found myself feeling a bit tired through the day. Knowing the details of my diet and workout plan, my fitness trainer recommended I try this electrolyte powder. The first day I drank it, I could tell a difference!

There are a lot of fitness drinks out there. Most have a lot of sugar or not-so-great sugar substitutes. This particular powder seems to be very clean and compatible with a number of eating plans.

A Helpful Playlist – Spotify Sleep Playlist

This playlist is full of tracks that can help you get to sleep faster and stay asleep. I am trying to break my habit of listening to podcasts when I go to bed.

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

Opportunities don’t knock, they whisper. So shut up and listen.” – Thomas Leonard

Monday Mentions 4.26.21

A Book I’m Reading – Win at Work & Succeed at Life

I am grateful Michael Hyatt and Megan Hyatt Miller have written this book about what they call The Double Win™. For years I burned the candle at both ends. I think I found some of my worth and identity in being busy. Once I got married, I realized that needed to change.

I’ve benefited from sitting under Michael & Megan’s teaching. My life is substantially better from learning and applying The Double Win™. If you have ever felt like you are sacrificing relationships and high-impact opportunities due to being too busy, I’d definitely recommend you check out this book. There is a way to win at work AND succeed at life. Michael & Megan are the perfect guides to help you (us) get there.

From Amazon:

Great leaders are driven to win. Yet career wins can come at great cost to your health, relationships, and personal well-being. Why does it seem impossible to both win at work and succeed at life?

Michael Hyatt and Megan Hyatt Miller know we can do better because he’s seen it in his more than four decades as a successful executive and a loving and present husband and father. Today Michael and his daughter, Megan Hyatt Miller, coach leaders to live the double win. Backed by scholarly research from organizational science and psychology, and illustrated with eye-opening case studies from across the business spectrum and their own coaching clients, Win at Work and Succeed at Life is their manifesto on how you can achieve work-life balance and restore your sanity.

With clarity, humor, and plenty of motivation, Win at Work and Succeed at Life gives you
– an understanding of the historical and cultural forces that have led to overworking
– 5 principles to rethink work and productivity from the ground up
– simple but proven practices that enable you to slow down and reclaim your life
– and more

Refuse the false choice of career versus family. You can achieve the double win in life.

A Music App for Focus – Focus@Will

Music helps me focus while I’m working. I’ve often put a single song on repeat for hours just to stay in a groove. Just by playing music, I can sense my focus increase.

Focus@Will is a website and app that plays scientifically optimized music to help you focus. I like that you can select from several styles and energy levels.

My Favorite Restaurant on the Lake – Fish Tales

I love eating at restaurants on the lake. It feels like you are on vacation even though you’re just 10 minutes from home. The view of the boats and water brings my stress levels down.

If you are near Lake Lanier, I’d suggest checking out Fish Tales. Their firecracker shrimp and frickles (fried pickles) are both great appetizers. Everything on the menu is fantastic but you certainly can’t go wrong with Fish Tales (their version of fish and chips).

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

There is a big difference between having meaningful work and having a meaninful life.” – Michael Hyatt

Monday Mentions 4.19.21

A Book I’m Re-Reading – The Story of Christianity vol. 1

I initially read this book while I was in seminary. To honest, I never was a great history student. But the older I get, the hungrier I am to learn from our past. I’ve found this book to be a really helpful text is understanding the larger story of Christianity.

From Amazon:

In this fully revised and updated edition, the lauded church historian Justo González tells the story of Christianity from its fragile infancy to its pervasive dominance at the dawn of the Protestant Reformation. The Story of Christianity, volume 1, relates the dramatic events, the colorful characters, and the revolutionary ideas that shaped the first fifteen centuries of the church’s life and thought.

From Jesus’s faithful apostles to the early reformist John Wycliffe, González skillfully weaves details from the lives of prominent figures tracing core theological issues and developments within the various traditions of the church. The Story of Christianity demonstrates at each point what new challenges and opportunities faced the church and how Christians struggled with the various options open to them, thereby shaping the future direction of the church.

This new edition of The Story of Christianity incorporates recent archaeological discoveries to give us a better view of the early Christian communities. Among these are advances in the recovery of Gnostic texts that have revealed a richer diversity of “Christianities” in the first century. González also includes important research done in the past twenty-five years revealing the significant role of women throughout the history of the church.

With lively storytelling incorporating the latest research, The Story of Christianity provides a fascinating introduction to the panoramic history of Christianity.

My Recent Message on Abiding – Restless

Jesus repeated a phrase over and over again in the gospels: Follow Me. But when Jesus addressed his closest followers before his death, he didn’t tell them to follow him. He told them to remain in him.

I’d love for you to watch this message. In it, I cover why remaining is important and then close with two practical ways to live it out. I hope you find it helpful.

A Pillow I Can’t Wait To Try – Proper Pillow

As a side sleeper, I am on the hunt for a great pillow. I’ve tried a lot of them! Pastor Mau recently gave away a Proper Pillow as a door prize. I immediately looked it up and ordered one. It will arrive in a few days.

From Amazon:

The Proper Pillow is a revolutionary, new, sleeping pillow designed for your comfort and health
It provides proper support to the head and neck for both side and back sleeping positions
The Proper Pillow has two components: The plush, quilted outer pillow for a luxurious look and feel
The second component is the inner design, with a low density & viscoelastic memory foam insert
It provides support for both back and side sleeping via the patent pending inner “orthotic.”

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily.” – John C. Maxwell

Monday Mentions 4.12.21

A Book I’m Reading – The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

John Mark Comer wrote an incredible book that provides a path toward emotional and spiritual health. I previously recommended the podcast built around the same concepts last year. If you didn’t check out the book then, I’d highly recommend checking it out now.

From Amazon:

“Who am I becoming?”

That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren’t pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:

“Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.”

It wasn’t the response he expected, but it was—and continues to be—the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil.

Within the pages of this book, you’ll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.

A Fascinating Conversation About What Happens in our Brains When We Engage in Spiritual Practices

Pastor Chuck Allen and Julie Homrich, LPC sat down Sunday to talk about the integration of faith and counseling. In particular, they talked about what’s happening in our brains when we engage in spiritual practices. They introduced me to a new concept – Neurotheology.

A Mindfulness App Built on Scripture – Soulspace

Chuck Allen introduced this app to me a few days ago. It is a meditation app that is built on scripture. If you use the link above, you’ll receive a free month of their premium offering.

I have made it a habit to spend about 10 minutes a day in mindfulness at least 5 days a week. These relatively few minutes have a fantastic return on investment: lower stress, clearer thinking, & better sleep to name a few.

A Quote from I’m Thinking About

Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life.” – Dallas Willard

Let’s change the world together!