Podcasts about me why

If you had to rate your organization's teachability on a Scale from 1 - 10, how would you rate it?   How teachable are you?   Is being teachable or coachable important to you (as a leader)?   Your organization, family, team will value or reflect the values YOU value.   Would your team, staff, company, peers, say you're teachable? Why?   I was a part of an organization that was very narcissistic b/c a number of the senior leaders were narcissistic.    How teachable is a narcissist?    Narcissists & narcissistic organizations will say exactly what they think you want to hear. They'll say seemingly the right things…but their actions will prove otherwise.   Actions & actual change & transformation is the real “metric” / “KPIs” of whether or not you're teachable or your organization is teachable.   I was with an acquaintance a number of years ago sitting down at a restaurant & I asked him if he was teachable.   Him: “Of course.”    Me: “Why do you say that?”   Him: Couldn't answer.   What have you changed in your life the past 90 days? -a thought? -an action? -a habit stopped? -a habit started?   I asked the #2 guy in a multi-billion dollar division of a company, in charge of 3,000 employees, “What's your personal growth plan? What books are you reading? What podcasts are you listening to?”    “I don't have time for that. When I get home, I'm too tired for any of that stuff.”   Was he teachable?   It takes emotional intelligence to be teachable / coachable.   SELF-PERCEPTION  Self-Regard is respecting oneself while understanding and accepting one's strengths and weaknesses. Self-Regard is often associated with feelings of inner strength and self-confidence.    Self-Actualization is the willingness to persistently try to improve oneself and engage in the pursuit of personally relevant and meaningful objectives that lead to a rich and enjoyable life.    Emotional Self-Awareness includes recognizing and understanding one's own emotions. This includes the ability to differentiate between subtleties in one's own emotions while understanding the cause of these emotions and the impact they have on one's own thoughts and actions and those of others.    Fixed mindset vs a Growth Mindset -Which one serves you better?   List the benefits of a Fixed Mindset vs the Benefits of a Growth Mindset.   What are the barriers to a growth mindset? hubris / pride ego insecurity some of the stories you've created about what's important or valued   Back to the main question:  How teachable is your organization? How teachable are you?   ————————————————— We're on the receiving end of each other's EQ (or lack thereof) every day in every relationship.    Unaddressed emotional issues don't get better over time, they actually compound.   Emotionally healthy people help heal other people emotionally.   Thank you so much for sharing, subscribing, rating & reviewing on our podcast & YouTube channel!   If you're ready to take your emotional fitness program to the next level, join us at eqgangster.com/mafia. 

IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT--PSALM 10---Recall the tragedy of 1 KINGS 21 -Naboth oppressed by cruel Ahab---Naboth was killed -1 KINGS 21-14--Naboth's sons were killed -2 KINGS 9-26--Naboth's vineyard was taken away -1 KINGS 21-16---What would life be like for his surviving family members after 1 KINGS 21----If Mrs. Naboth is a member of Shalom Church, -what would you say to her and do for her----How would you love her as your neighbour and your fellow church member, -6 months, 16 months, 36 months down the road----PSALM 10 is lament.--Lament is a prayer in pain that leads to trust.--Lament asks- Where are you, God--If you love me, why is this happening---Lament has four movements----1- IN MY PAIN, I TURN TO GOD---PSALM 10-12-----2- IN MY PAIN, I COMPLAIN TO GOD---PSALM 10-1--EXODUS 34-6 - The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness -hesed- and truth--- -3- IN MY PAIN, I BOLDLY ASK GOD---PSALM 10-12--PSALM 10-15--Break the arm of the wicked man- -call the evildoer to account for his wickedness -that would not otherwise be found out.-NIV-------4- IN MY PAIN, I CHOOSE TO TRUST GOD---PSALM 10-16-18----But I have trusted in Your mercy--My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.-I will sing to the Lord,-Because He has dealt bountifully with me.-PSALM 13-5-6-----WHY lament----My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me--Why are You so far from helping Me,-And from the words of My groaning--O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear--And in the night season, and am not silent.-But You are holy,-Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

On this episode, Ameé has an amazing guest on the show. Dr. Carol Tavris's work as a writer, teacher, and lecturer has been devoted to educating the public about psychological science. Her book with Elliot Aronson, "Mistakes Were Made (But Not by ME): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts" (revised edition, 2015, and most recently updated in 2020 with a new chapter--"Dissonance, Democracy, and the Demagogue"), applies cognitive dissonance theory to a wide variety of topics, including politics, conflicts of interest, memory, the criminal justice system, police interrogation, the daycare sex-abuse epidemic, family quarrels, international conflicts, and business. She speaks to many people on the topics of self-justification; science and pseudoscience in psychology; gender and sexuality; critical thinking; and anger. And on this episode, Ameé and Carol talk about cognitive dissonance, what it is and why we ALL tend to justify our actions, behaviors and beliefs, no matter what anybody tells us. In this episode, you will hear: A definition of Dissonance Theory and what it is The Pyramid of Choice that pushes people further apart over timeIdentify our pre-packaged blind spots and biases, in particular naive realism, and privilege Applying cognitive dissonance theory to all of the events of 2020, including Black Lives Matter, anti-racism, and the US Presidential electionsHow we can use social media differently if we know we really aren't going to change other people's minds & in fact, could be making matters worse How we can become more skeptical and more aware of our biases so that we can be sure we are on the right side of the coin that is truth and dishonesty Resources:Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me) Third Edition: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful ActsAnger: The Misunderstood Emotion

Today's meditation is on Jesus cursing the fig tree, but the retelling covers Matthew 21:1-22, Mark 11:1-24, Luke 19:28-47, and John 12:1-19. Introduction   The context of this event is very important: Jesus has just ridden into Jerusalem for the last time on the first Palm Sunday. The people have all heard about Lazarus’s resurrection and turn out in droves, crying “Hosanna in the highest!”, carpeting the road before him with their cloaks and with palm branches like they did for the kings of old—effectively declaring Him king and Messiah. How heartbreaking that must have been for Jesus: He so desperately wanted the love and allegiance of His people, and they appeared to be giving it to Him; yet He knew that not only would they turn on Him, many of them would even cry out for His blood in less than a week.    His emotions are running high. Right after the initial encounter with the fig tree (by Mark’s depiction), Jesus enters the Temple of Jerusalem and finds it overrun with commerce, just as John’s gospel tells us it was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. This fills Him with righteous indignation, and he turns over the tables just as he did the first time, driving out the sellers and money changers. The Temple supposed to be the place of prayer and worship to the Father, and yet His people have turned it into something mercenary. He knows His earthly ministry is coming to a close. He’s done all He can do, and here’s evidence that the Jews’ hearts are still hardened.    The fig tree was a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10, Jeremiah 8:13 and chapter 24, Micah 4:4, Luke 13:6-9). In Jesus’ parable of the fig tree in Luke 13, after three years (the length of Jesus’ own ministry to the Jews), it is barren, not producing fruit (of repentance, of righteousness). The owner wants to chop it down, while the dresser of the vineyard pleads that it should be given special treatment for a bit longer. If it is still unfruitful, then it should be chopped down—as in fact happens when Jerusalem is sacked by the Roman army in 70 A.D. Meanwhile, the apostles spread the gospel to the Gentiles.    So when Jesus sees the fig tree with leaves, which should mean that it is bearing fruit (the figs precede the leaves on a fig tree, at least on the variety that grow in Jerusalem), and then He finds that it is barren, he curses it. I’m sure that this was not just because He was hungry and frustrated in his attempt to eat; to Him it was probably another symbolic representation of the spiritual state of Israel. By and large, they still had not received Him.   Yet this event turned into one of Jesus’ clearest teachings to the disciples on the subject of faith. Matthew’s account indicates that the fig tree withered immediately, while Mark shows a delay: a day after Jesus curses it, they pass by the tree and find it withered. The two accounts can be harmonized with Jesus’ subsequent teaching in Mark 11:23-24: “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”    Several important points here: first, Jesus says to speak directly to the mountain (or as he did: to the fig tree). Not to pray to God about your mountain. Second, he must believeand not doubt. If believing automatically excluded doubt, He would not have made this distinction—so it is possible to believe and to doubt at the same time (as was implied in the Parable of the Sower, Mark 4:3-20, and James 1:6-8). The doubt can negate the faith, working in the opposite direction for a net effect of zero. Third, he should believe he receiveswhen he prays, not when he sees the manifestation. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Fourth, the manifestation may not be instantaneous, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t already been done (Mark 4:28). In this case, Matthew said that the tree withered instantly while Mark said it was the next day. Both are true: the tree instantly died at the root, but it took a day for the results to manifest on the visible parts of the tree. Even though Jesus did not see instant manifestation of His words, He did not doubt that it was already done. When the disciples passed by the next day and saw that the tree was withered, Peter pointed it out to Jesus in amazement. Jesus was probably exasperated when he replied, “Have faith in God,” to this. Remember, this is the last few days of His earthly ministry. He’s passing the baton to these disciples, and for three years now He has tried to impart these same ideas to them… yet Peter’s amazement indicates that He still hasn’t gotten it.    Fictionalized Retelling   The energy of the crowd was palpable, the dull roar of their excited chatter at a fever’s pitch. Jesus had stopped them between Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. His throat was thick with emotion as he instructed Matthew and Bartholomew, “Go into the village opposite you,” here he pointed to Bethphage, “and as soon as you have entered it you will find a donkey and a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose them and bring them. And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ’The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them here.”   The two disciples nodded and hastened to obey. Jesus waited for them now, standing aloof from the rest of his disciples, and from the crowd.    How many of them knew that he was doing this in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9? he wondered. He had told his disciples over and over again that he was going to his death, but he knew they didn’t understand what he meant. They thought it was a euphemism for something else. Particularly now, when he was surrounded by adoring worshippers, all bubbling over with excitement that their king was about to enter Jerusalem.    This was the culmination of his earthly ministry. The earth had been waiting for this moment, for the King of Kings to enter the Holy City in glory, since the fall of man in the Garden. There was almost a “charge" in the air, of the spirit converging upon the physical; the people could do nothing but worship. Yet these same people would turn on him and cry out for his blood in less than a week.    He felt so very alone.    Thank you, Father, he prayed silently, that You never leave me or forsake me.    Normally people crowded Jesus everywhere he went, but something about His troubled expression today must have put them off. Many instead clustered around the exuberant Bartimaeus, whom Jesus had healed of blindness just a few hours earlier. He and his formerly blind friend had since cast off their beggar’s cloaks and joined his entourage. Of the two, Bartimaeus was by far the more gregarious, and he entertained the crowds. He seemed a born performer.   Matthew and Bartholomew returned, leading the colt and the donkey to Jesus by the reins. The people saw this, and immediately understood that they were about to head into the city now. They got busy, excitedly throwing their cloaks over the animals’ backs for Jesus to sit upon. Some of the people threw their cloaks in the road, an ancient Jewish practice for welcoming a conquering king. Others cried out, “Palm branches too!” This was a reference to a wider cultural practice of the same, and it met with great enthusiasm. The crowd scurried about, retrieving fallen palm branches and snapping or sawing off those that they could reach from nearby palm trees.   Jesus meanwhile mounted the colt. It meekly accepted his weight, despite the fact that it was unbroken. Matthew and Bartholomew raised their eyebrows and exchanged a look at this, impressed, but said nothing. Beside the colt which Jesus rode, John led the donkey by the reins like a groomsman. As his most empathic disciple, Jesus suspected that John sensed his mood and lingered nearby for emotional support. He felt a rush of affection for his friend.    As Jesus began the journey, the people spread the branches they had collected on the ground before the colt along with their cloaks, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”    From oldest to youngest, they all picked up this refrain as Jesus began his last ride into Jerusalem. The people danced and sang, and once he’d passed over cloaks and palms, they picked them up again and ran forward, laying them on the road before him. Jesus’ chest constricted with conflicting emotions. The people who worshipped him now did so genuinely; and yet, their hearts were the stony ground of his parable. They were those who would immediately receive the word with gladness, but when tribulation or persecution arose, they would stumble and scatter. It would come all too soon.    The commotion of Jesus’ entourage drew a crowd of onlookers from Bethany as they descended the Mount of Olives, whispering among themselves. Jesus knew what they were saying. Many asked who he was that drew such a response. Others, the scribes and Pharisees who joined the onlookers, murmured amongst themselves against him. Finally, one of them cried out, “Teacher, do you hear what these are saying? Rebuke your disciples!”    Jesus looked at the one who had shouted and replied in as steady a tone as he could manage, “Yes, I hear. I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones themselves would cry out.”    The Pharisee who heard him turned to his fellows with furious grumbling. Jesus turned away, and from his position on the slope of the Mount of Olives, he saw Jerusalem spread out before him in the distance. The tears that he had kept at bay until then sprung unbidden to his eyes, and spilled over his cheeks. Most of the people did not notice, but John did, and placed his free hand on Jesus’ shoulder in comfort. Jesus cast him a quick, sad smile, and then looked back at the city.    “If you had known,” he whispered, “even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” He saw it all by the Spirit: the sacking of the city by the Romans in about forty years. It didn’t have to happen. After all of the Father’s promises to the Jewish nation under the Mosaic covenant, if they would obey… after he paid with his blood for a new Covenant that would not even require their physical obedience as such, only their love and worship… his stiff-necked people would still reject him. And with him, they would reject his blessing and protection, and would be scattered to the four corners of the earth. It broke his heart.    The sun began its descent in the sky just as Jesus descended the mountain, the crowd still crying out behind and before him. The journey was only two miles, but with the entourage on foot, retrieving the branches and cloaks from behind and laying them again before him, it was a slow procession.    Once they entered Jerusalem, though, more onlookers gathered and whispered. Jesus, now giving the donkey the opportunity to bear his weight, steered it toward the Temple at nightfall. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Most of the customers had gone, and the merchants’ booths were closing up for the night.    “We will come back here first thing tomorrow morning,” he growled to his disciples.   Peter and Andrew were nearest him when he said this, and nodded, understanding what he meant. They had been with him at the beginning of his ministry, when he had once before overturned tables of the money-changers and those who were buying and selling, and driven them out of the Temple. Now, three years later, they were back to all their old practices. They knew what was coming.    “Lord, should we return to Lazarus’s home for the night?” John suggested, as he looked around. “Most of the crowd has dispersed, so I’m sure we could return a lot faster than we came.”    Jesus sighed, troubled and weary. “Yes, let us go back. I do wish to be among friends tonight.”    As they passed by Bethphage, Bartholomew and Matthew returned the colt and the donkey to their owners, with Jesus’ thanks. Mary pressed Jesus and his disciples to stay with them every night of their sojourn in Jerusalem, if they so chose.    In the morning, the disciples rose before Lazarus and his sisters, mostly because Jesus did not wish for Martha particularly to feel obligated to feed all thirteen of them breakfast. So on their return journey to Jerusalem on foot the next morning, they were hungry. As they went, Jesus spied a curious sight: a fig tree in the distance already bore leaves, though it was not the season for figs. Fig trees typically bore figs before leaves, though, so this one seemed to promise a good breakfast for them all. Jesus veered off the path to the tree, and the others followed. But when he came to the tree, he found it barren: there was nothing but leaves.   He closed his eyes for a second as the symbolism of this hit him.   “I saw your fathers as the first fruits on the fig tree in its first season,” he quoted to himself in a whisper. “Yet now, ‘no grapes shall be on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things I have given them shall pass away from them.’” He opened his eyes again, envisioning what he knew he was about to encounter in the Temple and suddenly shaking with rage. He responded to the fig tree, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again!”    Then he marched on inexorably toward the Temple, so fast that the disciples had no almost jog to keep up with him. No one said a word for the rest of the journey, partly because they dared not when Jesus was in such a mood, and partly because they had no extra breath for it.    Jesus burst into the outer courts of the Temple without breaking his stride, and went straight to the nearest booth, in which merchant and customer were exchanging coins. The two of them looked up only when he was almost upon them, and had just time enough for their eyes to widen and to duck for cover as Jesus lifted the table and tossed it on its side, coins jingling to the ground all around them.    “Out!” he shouted, seething with rage as all the people scattered away from him. He turned to the next nearest table, one selling doves for sacrifice. The doves’ wings beat in their cages in terror, and flew to the tops of them just in time, as Jesus lifted the booth and all its wares in a mighty heave, sending it all crashing to the ground. The squawking of the doves mingled with the angry shouts of the merchants, but Jesus was louder than them all.    “You there!” he shouted, pointing at another merchant who had tried to pass unnoticed behind the onlooking crowds, his arms heavy with wares. “Out! Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves!’”    The customers beat a path to the door, now congested with merchants also trying to escape. None of them dared to confront Jesus. The scribes and the Pharisees alone lingered in their wake, consulting one another in angry whispers. Jesus knew what they plotted against him. He further knew that in a matter of days, he would willingly submit to their schemes by the will of the Father; for a short while, they would believe they had succeeded. He turned to glare at them now, though, as if daring them to speak aloud what they only had the courage to whisper.    Meanwhile, a young man ventured tentatively into the outer court of the Temple, leading a blind beggar by the hand. The beggar was one they all recognized. He had sat outside the Temple, begging for alms for many years. The pair hesitated, the young man looking anxiously at Jesus.    Jesus turned away from the Pharisees and saw the young man and the beggar, his face instantly softening. He reached out an arm and beckoned them forward. The young man’s face flooded with hope.   “Is… is it all right?” asked the young man. “Would you heal him?”    “The answer to that is always yes,” Jesus replied. “Come.”    The disciples watched and marveled as the atmosphere in the outer courts changed in minutes. Word must have spread throughout Jerusalem that Jesus had come to the Temple, and that he was healing all those brought to him. Soon the crowds were so thick that they could barely move inside the outer courts, and they spilled outside onto the streets. As it was on most days of Jesus’ ministry, he healed everyone who came to him, for many hours. The blind saw. The lame walked. The children cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”    The Pharisees gnashed their teeth as they heard this, and elbowed through the crowd just as Jesus laid hands on an invalid boy and he sat up again, grinning at Jesus.    “Teacher! Do you hear what these are saying?” they demanded, indignant.    Jesus, still grinning back at the boy as he gave him back to his mother, did not bother to even look at the Pharisee who had spoken to him. He responded, still smiling but his voice now hard, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise’?”    “That verse reads ‘strength,’ not praise,” the Pharisee muttered back.   “You do not realize that the two words are interchangeable,” Jesus replied. “Their strength is found in their praise of me.”    When the hour was late and the people at last dispersed, Jesus and his disciples wearily made their way back to Bethany once more. They had inadvertently fasted all day, simply because they never had the opportunity to get away to eat. But Martha, bless her, would be expecting them for dinner, though they arrived well after nightfall.    They made their way back into the city the next morning. On their way, Peter happened to glance at the fig tree that Jesus had cursed. He blinked at it, astonished.    “Rabbi, look!” he pointed. “The fig tree which you cursed has withered away!”    Jesus too looked astonished, but at Peter, not at the tree. He had been with them now for three years. He had less than a week left on earth. After all they had seen, did they yet not understand?    I must be yet more explicit, Jesus thought, pausing to steady himself before he answered. “Have faith in God,” he said, very clearly. “For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,” he pointed at the Mount of Olives behind them, “‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”   Jesus kept walking as the disciples hung back, puzzling among themselves what he meant by this. He knew what they were thinking. He couldn’t really have meant he could speak to the mountain and remove it. That was a figure of speech, surely. Did he really mean you should believe you have what you ask for the moment you ask? Even if things look exactly the same in the natural? No, he couldn’t have meant that… well if he didn’t mean that, why did he say that? What did he mean, then? I don’t know, why don’t you ask him? …Me? Why don’t YOU ask him?   Jesus sighed, and prayed to the Holy Spirit, When You come, You’ll remind them, of this, and of everything I’ve said and done. He prayed this mostly to encourage and remind himself. They don’t understand now, but they don’t have You living inside of them yet to help them. By themselves, they can do nothing. But when they have You, they will understand all these things. It will be enough.    The Holy Spirit replied, Yes. It will be enough. They seem weak and confused now. Yet with these men, I will set the world on fire.

Beginning poem:Me: Hey God.God: Hello.....Me: I'm falling apart. Can you put me back together?God: I would rather not.Me: Why?God: Because you aren't a puzzle.Me: What about all of the pieces of my life that are falling down onto the ground?God: Let them stay there for a while. They fell off for a reason. Take some time and decide if you need any of those pieces back.Me: You don't understand! I'm breaking down!God: No - you don't understand. You are breaking through. What you are feeling are just growing pains. You are shedding the things and the people in your life that are holding you back. You aren't falling apart. You are falling into place. Relax. Take some deep breaths and allow those things you don't need anymore to fall off of you. Quit holding onto the pieces that don't fit you anymore. Let them fall off. Let them go.Me: Once I start doing that, what will be left of me?God: Only the very best pieces of you.Me: I'm scared of changing.God: I keep telling you - YOU AREN'T CHANGING!! YOU ARE BECOMING!Me: Becoming who?God: Becoming who I created you to be! A person of light and love and charity and hope and courage and joy and mercy and grace and compassion. I made you for more than the shallow pieces you have decided to adorn yourself with that you cling to with such greed and fear. Let those things fall off of you. I love you! Don't change! ... Become! Become! Become who I made you to be. I'm going to keep telling you this until you remember it.Me: There goes another piece.God: Yep. Let it be.Me: So ... I'm not broken?God: Of course Not! - but you are breaking like the dawn. It's a new day. Become!!!~Author John RoedelThank you Kelsey and Kip Abbott! All things Pema Chodron!When Things Fall Apart:https://www.amazon.com/s?k=when+things+fall+apart+pema+chodron&crid=WKJ7U852IUCD&sprefix=when+th%2Caps%2C170&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7Omega Online Retreat:https://www.eomega.org/online-workshops/a-live-online-weekend-retreat-with-pema-chodron?itm_source_h=search&itm_source_s=search&itm_medium_h=tile&itm_medium_s=tile&itm_campaign_h=searchcr&itm_campaign_s=searchcr&itm_term_h=pema%20chodron&itm_term_s=pema%20chodron&itm_ct_h=all&itm_ct_s=all

This week Control is complete and Coby is going to "Tell(s) Me Why" he may not have loved it. Andrew falls in love with Nier: Automata and Spiritfarer. Ending our 20th episode (wow) with a fun discussion about some of our favorite easter eggs. Smash that play button.

Don Frericks knows the exhilaration of working with a good leader and the unrelenting pain of working for a bad one. In over 30 years of corporate leadership and coaching experience, he has developed the reputation as on outstanding leader, a passionate advocate for personal and corporate change, and a well-loved personal leadership coach for various Fortune 2000 organizations and industries. Questions Could you share with us a little bit about your journey, just tell us how it is that you’ve really got into this leadership path, were you put into it by accident, did it happen by chance or is this something that was a passion for you from you were a young person? Could you share with us maybe two or three character traits that you think leaders need to have, especially now. So, what are those two or three qualities that leaders need to have to ensure that during this time they're still maintaining a high level of customer centricity internally and externally? How do you stay motivated every day? Can you share with us what's the one online resource tool, website, or app that you couldn't live without in your own business? Are there any other books that have had a great impact on you? Maybe a book you read recently, or even a book you read a very long time ago that has still had a great impact on you? Could you share with us what's one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're either really excited about something, maybe that you're working on to develop yourself or your people? Where can listeners find you online? Could you share with us a quote or a saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you'll tend to revert to this quote because it kind of helps to keep you refocused.   Highlights   Don shared that he loves it because it's not a normal path. He actually had three wonderful experiences working for tremendous leaders, people that just were inspiring that you wanted to follow them because they were so good with people and they helped you be the best that you could be. And what was interesting in each one of those occurrences, they were the one that hired him, but they were gone in his experience six months later. And it was so abrupt and so quick that it was a bit shocking. And the next leader that came in behind them was not as good.   And in fact, in a few cases, they were horrible; the kind of people you would say would be the bad bosses of the world. And it was such a night and day difference. It shocked him to his very core and he noticed his own behaviour, his own performance slipped. He noticed that he didn't like it; he wasn't engaged like he used to be. He worked at a very high level, he puts a lot of energy and heart into his work and he wasn't doing that with these other bosses. So, he really felt like there's something about great leadership and how it has a huge impact on other people.   And after that experience and through those experiences, he started studying tremendous leadership and extraordinary leadership and what the difference is between good and extraordinary and why it makes a huge difference on businesses.   Me: So it's definitely been in your core, in your DNA from very early. Now, I see here on your bio also that you’re the author of the book, Best Boss Ever: The 5 Steps to rapidly develop yourself into the leader everyone wants to follow. And this podcast is called Navigating the Customer Experience as you know. One of the things I've found in the years of being a customer service trainer is that leadership is very critical in customer experience because if the leaders are not on board with delivering a quality experience both internally, because it starts from within, and then of course it flows over into the external, you're going to have a lot of challenges in the organization.   Don agree that Yanique is right on track with thinking how dynamic a situation can be internally as he’s sure you've seen many times where people have talked about the power of serving the employees so that they can serve the customers so well. Great leaders today get that, they understand that their service of their people internally needs to be taken to the next level. And that probably means getting to know your people at a level where you understand their emotional needs and understanding how they're dealing with all the challenges with the pandemic and the other things that are happening in our environment.   So, they're missing the point and they're missing an opportunity to connect heart to heart with their own employees. And that will prevent their employees from reaching out to the customer in such a way that that experience, as you're an expert in is at the highest level. And so we have to take care of our people and that's the leader's job.   Don shares that he thinks one of the most important aspects of extraordinary leadership is the ability to inspire and motivate others to high performance, Zenger, Folkman. John Zenger and Joe Folkman have done a tremendous amount of research in this regard. And they've looked at over a hundred thousand leaders around the world and from their research and their data, they have shown that statistically inspiring and motivating others to high performance is the most important aspect of extraordinary leadership.   So, it's one of those things that you'd say, “Well, that makes sense because when I'm inspired and motivated, I do my best work.” But as a leader, “What is it that I actually do to inspire and motivate others?” He’s sure the listeners have that question like, “How do I do that at a high level?”   And the number one trait that they have uncovered is making the emotional connection, similar to what he was just saying. Leaders today need to sometimes push aside their performance metrics and all of their meetings and the policies and procedures and make the emotional connection with their people, the most important thing.   And one good way that he often coaches his clients to do that is to go down and think about each person that's on their team and to assess how much of a relationship they have with each and every one of them, high, medium, or low, and how much trust is there in that relationship, high, medium, or low, and then to ask themselves, what can they do to invest more in that person emotionally, what can they do to connect with them in a way that maybe they don't have a connection today? It's amazing what comes up when you start to think about it at that level, as if it's one of the most important things you can do as a leader.   Another thing that he thinks listeners might be interested in is that the conversation around what inspires and motivates us doesn't happen very often in business today, we're expected to bring our own inspiration and motivation to our work, and absolutely the best employees are highly motivated.   But it's fascinating how as you go through life, what gets your attention changes as you move from maybe a very young age to mid age, to older age things that are important change. And so, what inspires and motivates you today may be different and good leaders stay in touch with what inspires and motivates their people by connecting with the changes that happen to them throughout their life.   And so, one way to do that is just to have a candid and curious conversation with their employees and team members about what currently inspires and motivates them. He finds a lot of leaders miss this point, because it seems like something that they feel like they don't need to talk about, but that's the problem. It is absolutely an emotional need for people to talk about what inspires and motivates them.   Me: And you want people to also feel very comfortable sharing with you because I may not feel comfortable sharing with you what motivates or inspires me if I don't trust you, which is what you alluded to at the beginning.   A big part of leadership is getting people to connect with you, but also for them to trust you. In terms of what inspires you, it means you're getting very vulnerable about what you like and what you don't like. And you typically feel more comfortable sharing that information with people who you feel you can trust, would that be fair to say?   Don agreed and stated that he loved the way Yanique put that together. Without that foundation of trust that you're speaking of, it is very hard to have a meaningful discussion about anything that's close to our heart, especially the things that inspire and motivate us. Vulnerability is absolutely a key and it's one of those skills that he finds a lot of leaders actually have to work at, it doesn't come natural for some reason, it seems like we've learned that when we get into the business world, we actually become less vulnerable. We become more professional, so to speak. That's not what people are looking for, they're looking for your heart, they're not looking for your professionalism.   Me: Why do you think leaders who are able to pretty much get a high level of productivity from their teams. There are some leaders who are not able to get that level of productivity. So, to give you an example. Yesterday I had a friend that called me and she said that her hairdresser has an employee, the young lady does really, really good in terms of her technical skills is amazing and the business owner cannot imagine this person not being in her business.   However, when I spoke to the owner, she said to me, the lady’s interpersonal skills are extremely poor. She doesn't know how to talk to people; she says things that comes over to be very disrespectful. The clients don't really like dealing with her, but she, the business owner cannot imagine her business without this person in it. And so, she wanted to know if I think training could fix this person. So, from a leader perspective, if you got a call like this, from a person like this, what would you recommend?   Don shared that his gut says that he'd like to have more information about this employee. However, just the way that you posed the case study, it sounds as though the employee has been able to perform their job without meeting some of the expectations of the job around treating the customer with respect and communicating with them at a high level.   And so, if someone's gotten away with underperforming in a certain aspect of their job, it really, to him, it seems to land on the business owner in this particular case. And the question he would have to her is like, “Are you willing to hold her accountable to a higher level, a higher standard of interaction with the customer?” If they're not, he wouldn't even waste the time on doing training or coaching or anything like that.   He thinks it starts with the business owner establishing clear expectations with all employees, not just this employee about how customers will be treated and the customer experience, and then literally holding them accountable. And if people can't do what we expect them to do, and we think they're valuable employees, then yes, training could be helpful, but only after expectations have been set. And after they attempt to hold people accountable to those expectations, what were your comments to her?   Me: So I asked her a series of questions. I asked her how long was she working with her? Before she hired her, did she get a background check to get any recommendations for how it is that she performed in previous employment? To which she said, no, she didn't have that. But then the young lady was working with her already. So to some extent there is really no recovery where that is concerned because you have firsthand how it is she's performing in any case.   Then I said to her, it sounds to me like some of the challenges you're having is not necessarily with her competency to do the job, but her attitude. And if you've spoken to her and you've indicated to her that this type of behaviour is not acceptable, your customers are not in agreement with how she's responding to him.   And she still continues to repeat the same behaviour, I'm not sure if any amount of training is going to help because at the end of the day, she has to make an intentional effort to ensure that her communication is one of the standard that you are expecting her to deliver to customers, even if she's the greatest shampooer or whatever the technical competence is required to ensure that customers walk out feeling that the service they came for was good.   But with that tangible service comes the soft side of it; “Did she pull my hair too hard? When she was speaking over me, was she speaking too roughly to me? Did she ask me questions in a tone that was just not very accommodating?” All of those things contribute to the entire experience, even if when you're washing the hair, you give it a really good wash. If how you're doing it is poor, then it takes away from the whole service experience. So, my concern was that if it's an attitude issue, I'm not sure training can fix it.   Don agreed and he was hoping that Yanique might be going that direction. It's very difficult to train for attitude and if it isn’t attitude, no problem as Yanique suggests it might be. He thinks training can be a waste of time. He did a lot of training and development throughout his career for over 20 years and he was always amazed at how little behaviour change followed training and he thinks a big part of it was what you're saying is that if people don't want to change, if they don't want to do something at a better higher level, they won't no matter how much training we actually give them.   So you're onto something, there is no doubt training does not make people change. People make people change. And he thinks that's the hardest part of leadership. And that's the hardest part of customer service is that our behaviours have to change to do it at a high level. And have you read the book Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear?   He hopes that listeners will get a copy of that. He thinks James Clear does a great job talking about our habits and what you can do to change them. And if you want to be a great leader, if you want to be a great customer service manager or great at customer service, it does require us to get better. And that means to him, changing habits, that book can be very helpful.   Me: Yeah, for sure. And I mean, the reality is our success is based on the habits that we have. So, the habits that you build upon every single day. I recently did a Facebook live and the guest was talking about changing habits and one of the questions he asked me, which was so profound Don. He said to me, you noticed how since coronavirus and the pandemic, everybody has basically had to develop a new habit overnight wearing of masks because I'm sure you were not wearing a mask prior to March 13th.   So, then he says to me, where do you keep your mask? So I said, to be honest with you, I keep it in my car because over the first few weeks I kept on leaving it, I would reach to my destination and I would say, why do I look/feel out of place?   And then I'm like, “Oh, I left my mask at home and I'm not going to turn back to get it.” So in order to ensure that I always have it, I keep it in the car because I'm not wearing it anywhere. As you know, I'm not wearing it at home. So it's clearly when I'm going on the road. And he said, you were able to develop that habit because you built it on top of other habits that you have so that you could ensure that it now became a part of your routine.   And, you know, when I looked at it from that perspective, I said, you know, that's a very good point. Because I had to find a way to incorporate this into my normal activities to ensure that it became, as he said, a part of my routine, where do you keep your mask Don?   Don shared that he keeps his mask in the car as well. He loves Yanique’s comment about habit stacking. And he thinks that's one of the things that James Clear points out. If you stack your habits, it's a much easier way to start a new habit rather than starting at all by itself, because it needs some way to get going. That's why habits are so hard. What's the old saying about old habits are strong and jealous.   Me: If you're accustomed to doing something for a very long time, and the reality is human beings, they put up a lot of resistance to change. When it's new, it's like, why should we do it this way? Even with these virtual experiences that we're all having now, predominantly my business has been operating from home for quite some time. Even before COVID, I decided to get rid of my office space and just operate from home.   And so, even when COVID came in, it wasn't a hard adjustment for me to start working from home. But people who are accustomed to going into an office from 9-5 every day, I've spoken to quite a few of my friends and even colleagues who say they don't necessarily like working from home, they prefer the blended approach, or they want to go back out to work because they miss the interaction.   And the reason I think they're saying that is because it's new, it's different; they're not accustomed to it. It makes them feel uncomfortable. And that change makes it very difficult for us to adjust. But then I've had clients who said that they've actually had a higher level of productivity from their team members since they've been working from home versus when they were physically in the space.   Don stated that he fully understands what Yanique is speaking of. And he thinks we're seeing such a change, a rapid change in the way that we do work, it's amazing. He wants to go back to what Yanique said about attitude. He wants to make sure that listeners really get the power of this. He also had a recent customer service experience where he was going through a fast food line at a restaurant to get some dinner for his grandkids.   And as he was doing that, he recognized right away that the speed of the service was very good. And he was very pleased with how quickly they were able to take his order and get him his food. But he also noticed there was something else that was happening that really delighted him. And it was an experience where the individual who was taking his order was willing to be personable with him and ask him some questions and also allow him to ask them some questions, because there was a little bit of a wait time before he can move on to the next point in the service line.   And he really enjoyed that because they became human with one another. There wasn't just an order being placed and an order being received. It was two people talking and he thought this young person has a great attitude back to your point of service because they wanted to connect with him. And he just thought that was so powerful.   He can't underestimate the power in customer service of people being interested. And he loves the word curious, and that's good, the curiosity word is so good for all of us leaders as well as customer service providers.   When asked how he stays motivated, Don stated that that's a great question. It's very simple for him and maybe it won't even resonate that much with your listeners because he’s going to give you an answer, it's called purpose.   He believes that his purpose in life is to change the world one leader at a time. And what he’s trying to do is bring greater, better leaders into the world because the world right now desperately needs good servant leaders that can bring a higher level of performance in all aspects of our society. We're so desperate for people to be peacemakers and to find ways for the world to live more in harmony, where we can take care of each other.   And so his purpose shows up every time he wakes up in the morning and he’s getting started to begin his day, he lives his life to be on purpose. And even during the difficult periods where maybe there's challenges that he didn't expect or challenges with certain clients or clients situations, he doesn't let it get to him because he recognize that it's one aspect of him being able to fulfill his purpose.   It's not a difficulty that he needs to dread, it's just something he needs to work around so that he can fulfill his purpose. And he thinks every time that he’s on purpose and I can tell you (Yanique) live her life on purpose, he'd like to hear how Yanique frames her purpose. It just makes such a huge difference in terms of the way that you do the work that you do.   Me: It does. It's funny you said that because when I started this business back in 2007, 2008, I started it because I thought about what it is that I really like to do. But I also started it because I also thought about in Jamaica, which is where I live and I was born and I've spent all of my life, customer service is challenging.   So, Jamaican people are extremely warm and friendly, but I find that in a lot of the service businesses, you don't necessarily get that warm and friendliness. It's almost like you feel like you're begging them to serve you. And so I started to think, how could I contribute to improving the quality of service in Jamaica and globally? And I started to think about a cartoon that I used to watch when I was a little girl called Care Bears. I don't know if you know it.   So my vision for the company is “To Create a More Caring World.” And it was inspired through the Care Bears. If I could be the Care Bear with that little beam on my tummy. And I'm beaming this light out to basically, as you said to change one lead at a time, but to change each company or each team member at a time that they are converted to ensuring that in every interaction they have, whether they stay at that company that I train them in, or they leave and start their own business, or they go and work for someone else. They always ensure that they deliver a high quality of service, because I think if our service experiences improved, we'll all have a better quality of life.   You'll go through the day and you will feel like, “Oh my goodness, I had a great day today. I had such good interactions. People were so accommodating. Things ran so smoothly.” And of course, if you have fewer obstacles, then you'll be less stressed. So, that's really my purpose every day to create a more caring world and I'm that Care Bear that's basically trying to beam my little light across on everyone. So yeah, I do get you when you say; it's all about your purpose.   Don agreed that it's all about your purpose and thanked Yanique for having that purpose too. What a beautiful way to live your life and to be a role model for your area. Hopefully the listeners are like, “I get that. I understand exactly why you're doing that.” He sometimes finds people will say, “Well, I'm glad you have that purpose, but that's not my purpose.” He always says, “We'll fine, find your purpose. You don't have to have my purpose.”   Me: Just figure out what it is that really drives you. There are days does, I talk to people many times and they say to me, “How do you get up and do the same thing every day? Don't, you get bored of it? Don't you get frustrated?” But I don't because I understand what my why is and it drives me every single day. Every, every article I read, if I watch something on TV, if I'm talking to someone, it all goes back to service, how we serve each other.   And so, I'm always looking for opportunities. I'm always stimulated, there's not a day that goes by that I'm not excited about doing something new in the customer experience spectrum. So I think at the end of the day, if you're really passionate about what you're doing, then of course it doesn't seem like work and you don't get de-motivated or on days when your energy might not be there, you still have some desire to want to do it because you're really passionate about it.   Don shared that he often will do some self coaching, as you kind of talk to yourself in your own head. And he will always say when he feels like there's a level of frustration or de-motivation, or just the challenge of getting through everyday life, he'll say, “Don, get on your purpose. Get back to your purpose. If you feel like you're frustrated, that means that you're just not paying enough attention to your why.” As you just called it out.   And he’s sure the listeners in Jamaica and around the world are like, “Thank you for what you do.” Without doing what you do, other people would not be telling their story. So this is why what you’re doing is so powerful.   When asked about an online resource that he could not live without in his business, Don shared that it's such a tough question because he uses so many. He was going to recommend to the listeners to go to www.zengerfolkman.com because they have so many resources around leadership.   There are many, many theories about what makes a good leader. And there are many, many books around leadership. It's like a giant ocean and he finds it overwhelming, many of his clients had done, he doesn't know what to do. There are too many things for him to focus on as a leader. And he completely gets that. And so what he often says is like, “Well, why don't we do a 360 and get some feedback from the people that you lead, including your boss and your peers. And let's ask them how you lead today and get their feedback.”   And Zenger Folkman has this wonderful 360 degree assessment that allows leaders to get an accurate perception of how other people see them as a leader, with that, and then you can determine how to put together an action plan to build new skills or to build the strengths that you currently have. And so they've written a lot of great articles and white papers about that, and all of those things reside on their website, he would highly recommend that they do that.   When asked about books that have had a great impact on him, Don shared that he used to read a whole book. He hardly does that anymore. He often read the first chapter, the last chapter, and then he'll skim read around the middle of the book a bit. A book that he cannot seem to put down, he goes back to repeatedly over and over as a very simple book, but it's called Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry.   What a great resource, one, because it gives you that self assessment at the back of it. So you can go online and take a self assessment to kind of determine your emotional intelligence level. But two, because it gives you 66 great suggestions of how you can build your emotional intelligence through new behaviours or changing your behaviour.   And he loves that because it's very application oriented. He love books that can get him to move in a direction that allows him to be a better person, better leader. So, he thinks Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry is one of those resources that the listeners could greatly benefit from.   Don shared that he really has been inspired by their conversation today about purpose. And he’s trying to put together a masterclass on how to discover your purpose because he finds that many people have not. They haven't had the fortunate experience he and Yanique have had where they actually have been able to define what it is. It seems to him that most people say, “I'm not exactly sure what my purpose is, and I don't know how to find it.”   What's the best way to decide that purpose is hard to discover. It is certainly something that is discoverable, but it doesn't just plop into your lap because you say, “I need to know my purpose.” It takes quite a bit of work and effort and reflection and searching and soul searching. And he just would like to help people in the future with a masterclass of some sort, where they could have a methodology to be able to discover what their purpose is.   Me: So how far along is that master class? Cause I'm sure I could recommend it to quite a few people.   Don shared that he has the outline. He’s just trying to figure out and actually testing some of the things that he has put into the outline with some people that are in that stage of discovery and asking them to give him feedback, like, “Was this helpful? What worked, what didn't work for you?” He finds that the discovery process for purpose seems to be pretty highly customized, so he’s having a tough time finalizing the approach because he thinks it has to have enough options to it, a variability to allow people to kind of modify the process to their personality and their style.   Me: Do you have a Facebook group?   Don shared that he doesn’t have a Facebook, he almost do everything through LinkedIn. He doesn’t have a particular LinkedIn group that he has sponsored yet. He shared that may that’s what he needs to do with purpose.   Me: That would be a great idea because then you would definitely be getting people who are specifically aligned with what you are trying to achieve. And then you'd be talking to the right people.     Don shared listeners can find him at – Website – www.donfrericks.com             LinkedIn – @donfrericks Don: Allow me to offer a gift to your listeners; the first chapter of my new book Best Boss Ever: https://bit.ly/DonFrericks   Don shared that it's interesting that he read this right before they went online together today and it's often called the Serenity Prayer. He thinks it's actually a great quote, but it's about helping reframe the things that we cannot change and the things we can change and helping ourselves stay focused on the things that we can change and trying to find the strength to do that.   It's easy to get spun up today and the way that the entire world is demanding attention and the unrest and the racism that exists and all the frustration that people are experiencing with the pandemic. And many of those items we cannot directly change, but what we can change is our attitude and our emotional attachment and what we get involved with and what we don't get involved with.   And he thinks one way to make the world a better place is to focus on the three things that you stand for is to live, love and laugh. If you bring that out, that's something that we can all control, how we live, how we love, how we laugh. And so he thinks the serenity prayer to him makes all kinds of difference and it's a good reminder to focus on what we can control.   Me: It's actually a prayer that I revert to us from time to time as well. It reminds me of the law of attraction. Whatever you think about comes about. So, if you really put these affirmations and record or repeat these different positive things on a daily basis, you're actually intentionally feeding your mind with positivity and not focusing on all the things that as you said, you don't really have any control over. So you really want to focus on the things that you can control and try to be a positive agent of change in those areas.       Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners     Links   Best Boss Ever: The 5 steps to rapidly develop yourself into the leader everyone wants to follow by Don Frericks Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry     Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC’s of a Fantastic Customer Experience.”   The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!

So tell Me Why, We're talking about mental health. it is such an important topic that we sometimes are uncomfortable talking about. We brought our friend Haile Pollard-Durodola who is a LPC. So lets get into it!! Make Sure to Follow Us on Instagram @hailemayowa26 @sotellmewhythepodcast @charmasona @enhancetheindividual

Have you felt forsaken by God? Maybe you’ve felt abandoned. Maybe things haven’t turned out the way you expected. Maybe you’ve been waiting a long time for a prayer to be answered. Jesus experienced feelings of abandonment. Matthew 27:45-46 “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”Why did Jesus say this?1. He was pointing the people to Psalm 22:Jesus was saying “What you are seeing now is the fulfillment of this Messianic prophecy.”2. Jesus was experiencing feelings of abandonment. Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin.” AMPHow do we respond when we feel forsaken?1. Believe the truth. Hebrews 13:5Don't change your theology because of your tragedy. James 1:2-5Many times we're wanting God to take the problem away, and He’s wanting to take us through the problem.2. Repurpose your pain. Romans 8:28 Your tragedy is not your destiny. That catastrophe is not your calling. God is not as interested in what He can do FOR you, as He is interested in what He can do IN you and THRU you. 3. Make an appointment during your disappointment. James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy” Are you acting like God has forsaken you?

It's our last episode for Season 2. It's bittersweet! But on a high note it's our PODCASTVERSARY!!!! We made it a year of podcasting and sharing with y'all the trials and tribulations that are happening in our life. Huge thank you to everyone sho has been joining in on our conference calls and sharing your So tell Me Why moments. We love you lots. So excited for season 3!! Enjoy the podcast! Of course we are sharing our So Tell Me Why Moment, which gives you another reason to listen to the entire episode. If you have a So Tell Me Why moment you'd like to share we'd love to put it on the podcast. Just slip into our comments/ DMs/ or email! Follow us on Instagram. Let's keep the Y Fam growing! @sotellmewhythepodcast @charmasona @enhancetheindividual

Psalm 21 to Psalm 25 Often we hear the Psalms one by one, but today we offer you the chance to hear a group of Psalms read as a collection! Psalm 21 Joy in the Salvation of the LORD. To the Chief Musician. 1 The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3 For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. 4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him— Length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him. 6 For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the LORD, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8 Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. 9 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them. 10 Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men. 11 For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. 12 Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces. 13 Be exalted, O LORD, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power. Psalm 22 The Suffering, Praise, and Posterity of the Messiah To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn.” 1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. 6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. 7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” 9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. 11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; 17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. 19 But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! 20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. 21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me. 22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. 25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever! 27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s, And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. 30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this. Psalm 23 The LORD the Shepherd of His People 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 24 The King of Glory and His Kingdom 1 The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah Psalm 25 A Plea for Deliverance and Forgiveness 1 To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. 2 O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. 3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. 4 Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. 6 Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses, For they are from of old. 7 Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD. 8 Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 9 The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. 10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. 11 For Your name’s sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. 12 Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. 13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. 14 The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. 15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. 16 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! 18 Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. 19 Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. 20 Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. 21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. 22 Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles! Right mouse click or tap here to save/download these Psalms as a MP3 file   You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! 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FINALLY FREE? Below is a story of my BC days or before conversion, commissioning or Christ yielding. YOUNG IGNORAMUS Me: Regal! Puff this stogey real quick! Be the first to break it in. Regal: No guy! I’m not puffing nothing. Me: Young Slim? You In? Slim: No bro... I'm good. Me: Come on I’m 18 let’s celebrate! Regal: You’re 18! That’s your thing. I’m not! Me: Why you guys gotta be all Sour patch kids! I’m about to… *Takes cigar lights it up, and then inhales in into my lungs first time. Holds it and starts coughing uncontrollably. Me: Wh… * Cough Cough YAAK! Regal and other friends: “You idiot! You’re not supposed to inhale and hold it in! Haven’t you seen how they do it in movies?” THE QUEST TO BE FREE I remember as if it was yesterday. I couldn’t wait until I turned 18 so I could smoke a cigar and choke as i held it in my lungs like an imbecile. Well it wasn't my exact plan. I did however want independence. From all I had heard watched and read in my nation, hitting 18 was a milestone that marked being "legal" and ready for the world. So... What did 18 bring for me? • I could cast my first vote: No I was not politically aware, savvy or even interested. • Rent an apartment: No money for that. • Gamble Buy a Scratch ticket: NO. Did that as a kid for an uncle and it seemed lame to lose money for a pipe dream. • Marry Someone: Wasn't even in my UNIVERSE. You get the point. I had some new opportunities as I entered the promised land of 18 (sarcasm). OR PARTY TIME? I could finally go legally to a nightclub to find it was the same as when I snuck in underage with fake ID. This brings up a good question: What does it mean to be independent? Does it mean do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want and with whomever you want? Is it a world with no rules or boundaries just unbridled freedom? Well I think it’s quite the opposite, I think it’s knowing what to do that is right and having the humility to know that without the Source of life as your foundation, you cannot skillfully execute what lies ahead in your life. IN THIS EPISODE we explore “Independence or In-Dependants” which category do you find yourself in? Take a listen and give us some feedback. DO US A FAVOR Please Love • Subscribe • Share • Review SHALOM

So tell Me Why, I'm tired of these Famous People! We are talking about KKW and her new ponytail that she created, the college bribery scandal (Juicy)and poverty shaming. It's one of our pop culture episodes and we want you to stay informed with what's happening. Welcome to the So, Tell Me why Podcast hosted by Etinosa and Charlene. We're just Two blogging millennials with big personalities just trying to make it in the world. We'll be talking about a bunch of things ranging from social justice issues to moments in pop culture and everything in between. This is for the people by the people. We want to talk about what's on our listeners mind. Nothing is off limits. Send us your hilarious stories or topics that you are interested in. Find us on instagram @charmasona @enhancetheindividual Email us at stmwpodcast@gmail.com We hope you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/77h8kQdbkIs ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING 1 Sam 4:19-22 READ What is God’s glory? Its his presence and his covering. Its everything good about God manifest. 1.God’s Glory will leave a Nation The Glory has departed from IsraelHophni and Phineas took advantage of God’s stuff, Eli was disobedient to God, There was no repentance, There was no discipline, no regard to Gods wordThe Glory of God will depart from any nation that refuses to live by his standards.Jeremiah 3:8 I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce;We do not worship God as a nation, We do not uphold scripture as God’s standard, we do not walk in obedience to God. How can we believe that God’s blessing is still upon America? And God’s blessing isn’t financial prosperity and less taxes. That’s nice- but God’s prosperity is his PRESENCE its REVIVAL of HIM. Its love, joy, and peace. That’s the blessings of GodGod left Israel because of one family’s disobedience and you think he’s turning a blind eye to millions in disobedience? 2.God’s Glory Will leave a congregation Rev 2:5 remove the lampstand- They hated evil, they worked hard, they were patient, they called out false preachers. But they didn’t have LOVE so Jesus said- repent or I will remove you!Because you lost your first love- ME-Why would God allow a congregation to exist that doesn’t love him?If you love God- you obey his word, you love people, you love HIM, you make it about him, not about youThe Glory in 1Sam4 is God’s glory leaving the congregation of Israel. God wasn’t having itIsa 1: 12-16 READGod desires holiness! He desires repentance!I realize we’ve been rooting out the evil these past few weeks- but lets trust God and his word!Having good sounding music, or lights, or preaching or events or discipleship without LOVE is WORTHLESS. We can be HOLY and LOVING at the same time! But it’s a BIBLICAL loveJohn 2: 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”Psalm 26:8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, And the place where Your glory dwells.God dwells in the congregation. Yes, we are the temple of the HS. But wherever 2 or 3 are gathered is not a scripture about church. Its about discipline. God has always been in the congregation building business, not the individual building business.Christianity is a community driven endeavor not an individualistic one.1 cor 13- If we have not love we are a resounding gong or a clanging cymbalMake no mistake- God will not bless or maintain with a congregation not operating in loveHosea 9:12 Though they bring up their children, Yet I will bereave them to the last man. Yes, woe to them when I depart from them! God’s glory will leave a person 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,I’m not a once saved always saved guy- some people are. I just don’t think its biblical.Eli was God’s appointed man at one point, at the end, not so much. Everyone destroyed.Matt 24: 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved2 Peter 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.God’s glory will leave a person who no longer is obedient to God or walking in his grace and mercyHebrews 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; How do we keep the Glory from departing Keep love alive In the Christian life, everything must be motivated by and covered in Love. “whoever does not love, does know God, because God is love”You can be truthful and loving.

On this episode of Motivated AF Mondays, I've got a much longer episode than usual. This could've just been a regular episode but I really wanted all of the "Encouragers/Promoters" out there to hear this as soon as possible. So who is in this group? If you always promote your friends and family, if you're always putting them on and encouraging them. You're the one that always tells them they can be anything they want. But if you were being honest, you'd admit that some days you can't help but wonder... "Why not ME? Why aren't they helping me? Why aren't they promoting me? Why does no one notice ME?" If any of this resonates (or even if it doesn't) I want to encourage you to give this episode a listen because it could change your life. I'm not kidding, it could change your life. It could change your career. If you HATE self-promotion, if you hate talking about yourself or hate people that self-promote... PRESS PLAY NOW. Go ahead... do it. You know you wanna...

Come to ME Jesus said "Come to Me" Why? Jesus has all authority Jesus knows the Father - He has a deep, abiding relationship Jesus reveals the Father  All who are weary and heavy - laden Weary - burdens and stress we put on ourselves Heavy Laden - Pressures from others What is on your back? Burden of Life (Living - Why am I here, what's my purpose?) Burden of Sin - Pilgrim's progress Burden of Religion - Based on our performance, I hope I have done enough. And I will give you Rest Take My Yoke 1 Learn from Me 2 Trust Me - I am gentle 3 Rest - it is easiet this way Rest for your Souls Burden of Sin = Forgiveness - Jesus on the Cross I Peter 2:24 Burden of Life = 1 Purpose for Life - Advance my King's will                          2 Place in Life - Child of God                          3 Provision for Life - John 14:1-4 Burden of Relifion = Accomplished - Roman 8:1-3 - Jesus did what was needed to be done. Jesus said "It is finished" Jeremiah 6:16 - This is what the LORD says: "Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, 'No, that's not the road we want!' One Question remains........ Will You walk on that road?    

I have decided to give a quick update at the beginning of every show, so this is when I'll describe what I'm working on.  I wasn't sure I'd do this at first, but the timing is nice because I'm entering my "Structural Phase" of a pretty hefty work in progress. Listen to the episode or visit my website (CindyGrigg.com) for a description of my work in progress.  If you'd like to get involved as a beta reader with input on a story, please fill out the form at CindyGrigg.com. Learn more by listening to or watching the episode! Interview With Cyberpunk and Biopunk Author Dan Wells Dan Wells has written many novels and other fictional works you can find at TheDanWells.com. Here's a list of questions I asked Dan in Episode 2. Me: In this show, we discuss "the punks", and today we're focusing on cyberpunk. Since everyone defines them a little bit differently, what's your take on the defining the term and what do you feel qualifies as cyberpunk? Me: Tell us about each of your cyberpunk books or series and why readers should check them out. Specifically, what themes do your books focus on? Me: As I've begun reading Bluescreen, I'm blown away by how well you write a cast of diverse characters. What kind of research, tools, or other planning goes into pulling that off as an author? Twitter: Sean‏ @SeanTaillon  - What evolutions he's gone through in regards to storytelling. Personal eureka moments in regards to overall craft or a specific story. Twitter: Ben Lane Hodson‏ @BenLaneHodson  - How do you do your tech research for your cyberpunk books? Phone: Robert from Denver - How do you keep an ongoing series fresh with new ideas? Also, writing can be difficult, so I'm looking for inspiration about the payoff. What's the most rewarding thing for you about finishing so many stories? Me: Anyone who visits the About tab on Dan's website TheDanWells.com can read some really fun and more in-depth biographical tidbits than I covered in the bio. I found myself blown away by everything you've been up to, Dan! So, what's your secret for writing productivity? How do you get so much done?! Me: Why is cyberpunk important right now? Why does the world today need more cyberpunk? Look forward to another interview next week! I am so excited to be sharing these interviews with you.

Ever wondered why on earth a dog would bite their owner? Or maybe your question is even closer to home such as “why did my dog bite ME?” Why did they do it? Was it random? Have they tasted blood? Is this the end? Can anyone help now? Is it too late? When dogs bite it can all be extremely stressful for all involved. The good news is that there is a solution and it’s not rocket science. When Dogs Bite Their Owners... That’s what this podcast is all about. By the end you will have a completely different understanding of what is going on. Your dog’s behavior will make so much more sense to you and you’ll see that they’re not being completely random. They are simply following the rules of being a dog. Winning is easy The great news is that there’s actually so much that we can do to help set them up to win. Then there’s far less chance of any accidents ever occurring again. There’s nothing worse than living in fear of your dog. Worried that they may bite you or a family member. If you have young children and a dog then understanding what is going on is crucial if you are wanting to avoid the unthinkable from happening. Sadly when dogs do bite, everyone suffers. The person or child who was bitten suffers pain, your dogs life often takes a turn for the worse without them really understanding why and the relationship that you have with your dog takes a dive… The crazy thing is that it does not have to be this way. In fact dogs biting owners is one of the easiest problems to solve, or even better, avoid! A summary of what we cover off in the podcast 1. Firstly we look at the most common reasons that dogs bite owners: Food, and the danger of not understanding it Unhappy with your behavior. When you misbehave in your dog's eyes! Deflected aggression. Why getting involved when your dog is stressed can result in you getting bitten Space invading. What it means when you invade your dog's space 2. Secondly we take a look at how dogs behave in the wild regarding these topics as it helps us understand how they naturally behave. 3. Thirdly I explain why we need to avoid the lethal combination of mixing children, food and dogs together and why it so often results in accidents. 4. Fourthly we go through one life saving rule. It's very simple and if it's put into place your chances of not being bitten increase dramatically. I call this Part One of the solution. 5. And then lastly I explain how the real solution lies in understanding how to make your dog more tolerant. As with people, the more relaxed, calm and tolerant they are the less chance there is of them snapping. So there you go, get stuck into it and enjoy the podcast. To say thanks for for your time, click here to get five of my free dog training videos. If you enjoyed this session… Please share it! All you have to do is click one of the social sharing buttons on the left. Thank you so much for your support! Oh, and don’t forget to leave a rating or review in iTunes! It just takes a second and you can help the show increase its rankings on iTunes just by this simple gesture. Have a great day and as always, love your dog