Jillian is a successful realtor with a proven track record and dozens of happy clients. She has been with the same national franchise for seven years, but lately is rethinking that relationship. She has received an offer from a competitor and, at the same time, has endured some unwelcome changes in her firm. Is it time for Jillian to jump ship?
Billy is a young pastor. A firebrand communicator who has led his first church to significant growth in the 18 months he’s been there. But he’s beginning to encounter some resistance there. And at the same time other larger churches are bombarding him for his resume. Is it time for Billy to bail?
Steven works for the local chapter of a national non-profit who boldly advertises the degree to which they care for suffering humanity. But Steven sees a different side – one driven by ruthless management, questionable financial decisions, and huge employee turnover. At what point does he decide there must be a better way to change the world? And how does he know that the next organization won’t just be more of the same? [click to continue…]
Lately it feels as though you’re doing a tightrope dance with the devil himself. He seduces you like an angel of light in one ear and shames you for all your failures in the other. Your life feels, even smells like a sulfurous war zone and it sure seems as though the casualties are piling up. But in the quake and the fury, there’s one and only one thing you need to know…
God’s got this. All you have to do is trust Him. And say “thank you.”
Like a broken cash register, your money drawer only seems to open when it time to shell it out to somebody else. From disaster salesmen to debt collectors, everybody’s standing with an outstretched hand. There’s always another reason to fret over this thing called The Economy, and even a box of Girl Scout cookies feels like a sacrificial charitable donation. But in the fear and loathing-, there’s one and only one thing you need to know…
God’s got this. All you have to do is trust Him. And say “thank you.” [click to continue…]
by Andy Wood on January 11, 2016
in Enlarging Your Capacity, Five LV Laws, Hoarders, Insight, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, LV Stories, Money, Principle of Increase, Time
I’m not a hoarder. Really. But I do accumulate. A lot. And that applies to just about every zone of my world.
Quick check:
- There are currently 15,993 email messages in my inbox. But that’s OK – only 7,108 of them are unread.
- When my next-door neighbor moved out a couple of months ago, she had a whole bunch of pretty good stuff she was literally giving away – said take anything I wanted. So I did. Now it’s all in my garage, and one day I’ll get around to figuring out what all I got.
- Right now I’m wearing a t-shirt I got in 2003. It’s still hole-less and relatively stainless, so it stays in the rotation, which now occupies two big drawers because one wouldn’t hold them.
- Oh, and books. Way back in the day I kept up with exactly how many I had. Suffice it to say, I lost count. Now, counting ebooks, I have three libraries in three locations. And one of my New Year’s resolutions, if I had any (which I don’t) is to actually try to read some of them.
- I have a to-do list that’s as long as your arm, but if you asked me to do something, I would most likely say yes if it were in my capacity to do it.
I could go on, but I fear that some of you who are really organized or efficient are starting to get hives, and I don’t want to cause you to stumble.
The point to all this is that I have a huge “front door” when it comes to gathering up things to do, be, and have and a naturally disorganized, balls-in-the-air approach to managing all of it.
Until I have to. Last week I had to. [click to continue…]
by Andy Wood on December 2, 2015
in Allocating Your Resources, Consumers, Enlarging Your Capacity, Five LV Laws, Gamblers, Life Currency, LV Alter-egos, LV Cycle, Money, Pleasers, Principle of Increase, Words
Chances are, you have no idea.
A couple of weeks ago we were packing for a week at Disney.
No, professional movers or U-Haul were not involved.
Anyway, when Robin got everything loaded into three suitcases that a near-grown human could fit into, she asked me to weigh the luggage to make sure she had thought of everything.
Um, I mean, to make sure it fit within airline regulations.
We have this handy little scale that picks up the suitcase by the handle and lets you know what you’re asking those baggage handlers to tote ‘n’ hurl. I picked up the first.
“Forty pounds,” says I.
“See what that feels like?” says my ever-wise wife. “That’s what you’re no longer carrying around.”
I should point out here that in the last five months I’ve lost about that much weight. And that little luggage exercise was enlightening.
I picked it up again, holding the scale and entire weight of the suitcase in one hand. That was what I had been carrying around, day-in, day-out, but had now shed. Needless to say, it made an impression.
I was impressed how ordinary and normal my extra “baggage” was. How easy it was to justify myself, despite the fact that 20 years ago I weighed about 60 pounds less. And how much I was presuming upon my created-by-God body to do in overtime.
I just didn’t realize how much weight I was carrying. [click to continue…]
by Andy Wood on September 2, 2015
in Allocating Your Resources, Esteem, Five LV Laws, Following Your Passion, Life Currency, Love, LV Cycle, Money, Principle of Abundance, Principle of Eternity, Principle of Increase
“I don’t know how to describe this.”
Ever have an experience like that?
Ever observe something so profound, so extraordinary, so loaded with meaning that words looked cheap next to it?
One of the finest wordsmiths of all time, and a major contributor to the Bible itself, had that very experience. And in the midst of his gritty, get-it-done work and demeanor, even he was at a loss to use words to describe what was taking place. All Paul could say was, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
That’s a profound thing to say, considering some of the things he did describe in his New Testament letters.
Know what makes it even more profound? This “indescribable gift” came disguised as something rather ordinary, that anyone, anywhere can enjoy. This isn’t some secret sauce for super-saints. In fact, on a surface level it looks rather common and ordinary. And yet something behind the scenes turns the ordinary into a speechless wonder.
Know what makes it even better than that? You may have been participating in this indescribable gift and didn’t even realize it. Or if you haven’t, you can start today. [click to continue…]
In the previous post I started sharing ideas of how you can create multiple streams of income or invest in recession-resistant areas of the economy. And all of this advice came from the ancient wisdom of the Proverbs 31 woman.
The first four income or investment sources were
- Trade (owning a business)
- Income-producing land ownership
- Housing, and
- Food
Here are four more areas to explore how you can generate income, either directly or indirectly through investments: [click to continue…]
(Wisdom on Diversifying Your Income from a Surprising Source)
I had an interesting coaching conversation last week. It was about money. “We have re-budgeted and cut just about everything I know to cut,” he was saying, “and we are barely squeaking by. How else can I cut my budget when we’ve done all the cutting we know to do?” I should add that he was trying to avoid cutting his giving to his church.
My reply went something like this: “A man much wiser than I once told me that he found it important not only to budget his expenditures, but also to budget his income. Maybe in an effort to balance your budget, you’re looking on the wrong side of the ledger.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“Your salary is pretty fixed,” I said, “but your wife has two different sources of income where the results vary. By seeing just 10 more clients a month (not a week – a month), you will realize the difference you’re looking for.”
His whole brain re-shifted. Changed his whole perspective. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he said.
There was a lot of energy in that conversation, and I felt useful. And while I mentioned to him the sage advice I received from the businessman, what I didn’t mention at the time was that what most changed my perspective was a girl. [click to continue…]
(Or whatever has us in a panic today)
The headlines are curious today, after weeks of holding us hostage over a disease that Americans steadfastly wish to remain somebody else’s problem. “COMPASSION URGED IN DALLAS AS EBOLA MONITORING ENDS” says the USA Today headline.
Who is this compassion aimed for?
People who don’t have the disease.
So why do they need compassion?
Because at one time we were afraid they may have it.
But after 21 days of having their lives quarantined while the politicians, media, talk radio and social media had everybody in a frenzy, now the science says, they don’t have it. Meanwhile, two nurses who were doing their jobs caring for the one person who has died from the disease in the U.S. now are fighting the virus, and we pray for their healing and recovery.
In the meantime, Dallas, please be kind to people you may otherwise want to avoid like the you-know-what. It’s the American thing to do. [click to continue…]
by Andy Wood on October 1, 2014
in Allocating Your Resources, Enlarging Your Capacity, Executing Your Plan, Exploring the Possibilities, Following Your Passion, Insight, Life Currency, LV Cycle, Money, Protecting Your Investment, Time, Waiting
It’s hard for Alex to force himself to go to work these days. The honeymoon there is way past over, and the only reason he shows up now is a paycheck. He compares himself to others who have gone way too long without any job, and feels guilty for complaining. But this work situation is starting to affect his health, his relationships, and his confidence. He’s been looking, but no other possibilities have presented themselves.
What does Alex do? Does he endure or does he walk away? Does he press on, or does he “step out in faith” in search of new opportunities?
Tyler and Jennifer have reached a similar decision, not about work, but about the church they attend. The congregation has been hit hard with splits, neighborhood transition, and pastoral changes. They have been a part of this fellowship since they married, and have faithfully served. But they have moved to another neighborhood themselves, and it feels harder and harder to go back to what feels like a sinking ship.
What do they do? Is this a time to be “steadfast, immovable,” and all that? Or is it a time to “mount up with wings as eagles” and fly away?
(Yeah, you can make the Bible say just about anything you want it to in cases like this.)
These kinds of questions are common for any believer… [click to continue…]
