Louis XIV became king of France at the age of 4 and reigned for 72 years – 2 years longer than Queen Elizabeth. Filled with hubris about his power, he called himself the “Great Monarch” and declared, “I am the State!” In 1715, death dethroned him, but Louis thought he’d have the last word by orchestrating every detail of his funeral. The packed …
If you’ve ever used an Apple product or benefited from their stock, then you can appreciate focus. Co-founder Steve Jobs (1955-2011) said, “Focus and simplicity…Once you get there, you can move mountains.” But in the same breath he warned, “Simple can be harder than complex.” Work hard to simplify your focus. Two Weeks Notice, Amy Porterfield, 2013, p.48
Renowned sports psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais claims, “One of the greatest threats in modern life is the irrational and unproductive obsession with what other people are thinking of us.” He also calls FOPO (Fear of Other People’s Opinions) “the No.1 constrictor of our potential.” Living for the applause of nail-scarred hands reduces FOPO. Houston Chronicle, 8/6/20, p.D10
An 8-year-old boy breaks his favorite toy truck and becomes inconsolable. As he cries, his father tries to change his disposition by telling him a relative died and left the boy $100 million. But the news makes no difference for the boy…he just sobs louder about his truck. After painting that word picture, Timothy Keller wrote, “In the same way, Christians lack the …
Research shows the average person can identify just three emotions as they actually experience them: happiness, sadness, and anger. Brene Brown has created a list of 87 different emotional responses to foster a greater understanding of what we feel in life. Time, 11/22/21, p.92
If you want to live in the King George Island Villas Las Estrellas settlement of Antarctica, you’re required to have your appendix removed before arriving. There are only about 100 residents in the community that boasts a bank, church, school, clinic & store. In 1961, Russian explorer & surgeon Leonid Rogozov suffered life-threatening acute appendicitis at the similarly isolated Novolazarevskaya Station and …
Andy Stanley notes, “Every conversation is a construction zone and we’re either building or tearing down with our words.” The Weight of Your Words, Andy Stanley, 3/12/23
An engineer, a physics grad student, and a nonprofit fundraiser were all stumped. Sounds like some joke, but this was reality TV on June 13, 2023. The $200 prompt on Jeopardy was, “Matthew 6:9 says, ‘Our Father which art in heaven (THIS) be thy name.’” None of the highly-educated contestants could come up with…Hallowed…which had to be revealed by host Mayim Bialik. It was …
Mickey Rivers, a one-time outfielder for the Texas Rangers, explained his philosophy of life: “Ain’t no sense worrying about things you got control over, because if you got control over them, ain’t no sense worrying. And there ain’t no sense worrying about things you got NO control over either, because if you got no control over them, ain’t no sense …
Little Billy came into class wearing two medals. One of his classmates asked, “What did you get that little medal for?” Bill replied, “I got that one for singing.” “And what did you get the big medal for?” “For stopping.”
