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Welcome to Wednesday, August 4th! This episode of The 7-Minute Cross Talk Bible Study is titled: Absalom's Death For this Bible Study, we are considering the words of this week's Old Testament Lesson - 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33. If you desire further information, it may be requested from wordgiver@gmail.com. If the link to download the worksheet is not present within your podcast feed it may be downloaded at: https://servingjesuschrist.libsyn.com/ Scripture Quotations: New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995). This podcast is a ministry outreach of Our Savior's Lutheran in Argyle, Minnesota - United States. * * * * *   Absalom's Death Would you please pause the audio and download and print the 7-Minute Work Sheet before continuing? The link is located right below this audio player. For this Wednesday Bible Study, we will consider the words of this week's Old Testament Lesson: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33. Hopefully, these studies encourage you to engage in a deeper study of the current passage. But, more importantly, I hope these studies deepen your love for the Word of God. Let's begin: Last week's Old Testament Lesson related Nathan's encounter with King David over his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Though David confesses his sin, the consequences of what he has done will follow him and his family for generations.  This record is found in: 2 Samuel 12:9-14 NAS95 'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.  [10] 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' [11] "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.  [12] 'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'"  [13]  Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.  [14]  "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." When we confess our sin with a penitent heart, God does indeed forgive us. Sometimes, the lasting consequences are not publicly evident, but nevertheless, they exist. In David's case, the consequences of his sin will be on display for all of Israel to see. David was reminded to his dying day of the cost of sin. As I noted in last week's sermon podcast, David learned some very important lessons. Sin will take you farther than you ever thought you'd go; it will keep you there longer than you ever intended to stay, and it will cost you more than you ever expected to pay. This week's Old Testament Lesson relates to one of those consequences. Listen as I read: 2 Samuel 18:5-9 NAS95 The king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king charged all the commanders concerning Absalom.  [6]  Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.  [7]  The people of Israel were defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men.  [8]  For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.  [9]  Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught fast in the oak, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going. 2 Samuel 18:19 NAS95 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Please let me run and bring the king news that the LORD has freed him from the hand of his enemies." 2 Samuel 18:31-33 NAS95 Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, "Let my lord the king receive good news, for the LORD has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you."  [32]  Then the king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!"  [33]  The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" Certain verses suggest that King David was a permissive parent. After his daughter Tamar was raped by her brother Amnon, Scripture records: 2 Samuel 13:21 NASB Now when King David heard about all these matters, he became very angry. When his son Adonijah seeks to take the throne instead of Solomon, the Bible records the following: 1 Kings 1:6 NASB And his father had never rebuked him at any time by asking, "Why have you done so?" And he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom. Both of these cases tell us that though he was a man after God's own heart, David failed to discipline his children, to raise them to have good sense and follow the Lord. Absalom, who is mentioned in this week's lesson, also orchestrated the death of Amnon for raping his sister. 2 Samuel 13:28-29 NASB Then Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "See now, when Amnon's heart is cheerful with wine, and I say to you, 'Strike Amnon,' then put him to death. Do not fear; have I not commanded you myself? Be courageous and be valiant."  [29]  And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons got up and each mounted his mule and fled. This lesson records the death of Absalom after he attempts to overthrow his father as king. In these verses, David makes an unwise decision by telling his commanders to Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. This must discourage them after all the death, destruction, and upheaval that Absalom's rebellion has caused the nation. As you might remember from Sunday School, while trying to escape, Absalom runs into a tree and wedges his head and neck in the crook of a branch. The king's military commander, Joab, knowing the danger of allowing Absalom to live takes matters into his own hands. 2 Samuel 18:14 NASB Then Joab said, "I will not waste time here with you." So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the midst of the oak. Once David is informed of his son's death, he weeps. Regardless of what Absalom had done, he was still his son. However, David's weeping over Absalom is considered shameful and affects the loyalty of his soldiers. If not for the intervention of Joab, his military commander, David would have lost his kingdom. 2 Samuel 19:5-7 NASB Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, "Today you have shamed all your servants, who have saved your life today and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines,  [6]  by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have revealed today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then it would be right as far as you are concerned.  [7]  "Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, no man will stay the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the misfortune that has happened to you from your youth until now!" I wonder that if at any point David thought back to God's declaration in: 2 Samuel 12:10 NASB 'Now then, the sword shall never leave your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' I encourage you to go back and read 2 Samuel 11-12 to remind yourself of how seriously God regards sin. Let's Pray, Gracious Heavenly Father, We are grateful that You forgive our sin when we come before You with a penitent heart. Help us to think of the consequences as various temptations come our way. Strengthen our walk with You this day. In the Name of Jesus, Amen!                

Today I'm talking with David Mathas, who is an online strength and Physique Coach. He has his Masters In Exercise Science. David talks to us about eating disorders and reverse diets! David, himself had an eating disorder and almost died in the ICU, while he was in the army. David is the first to tell you that most eating disorders aren't about food or exercise. They usually stem from something deeper rooted then just your body image and can be due to past issues that may have arose while you were a child. Eating disorders are classified under mental health and David is the first to admit that he needed help. Once David was able to nourish his body and mind he was able to accept and move forward, which changed his trajectory into coaching. David and I also talk reverse diets. He shares a great analogy about reverse diets with me, that I don't want to give away here. The take away is your body can't always be in a caloric deficit. The process is the point! You can find David: instagram: @mathasfitness YouTube: David Mathas Podcast: The David Mathas Podcast You can find his book on amazon A Shell of Myself: Fighting the Invisible Enemy

Our twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth trees are the Common Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) & the Midland Thorn (Crataegus laevigata). Once David stops blathering about the ‘Holy Thorn' - a fascinating twice-flowering genetic variant of the Hawthorn that has inspired pilgrimages and postal stamps - he'll tell you why one Hawthorn is far more prevalent than the other (despite the opposite originally being true), how superstitious the Irish are about their bushes, and why Shakespeare May or May not know what he's talking about. (Many thanks to Tom Bateman for his contribution to this week's episode.) More from David Oakes as he uproots the secrets and stories beneath the 56(ish) Native Trees of the British Isles can be found at: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/56Trees/ Weekly episodes available early AND bonus content made free to forage by "Subscribtion Squirrels" on our Patreon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meditation, visualisation, affirmation, setting goals and positive thinking changed David's life so he became a coach to help others. David now teaches other people how to find peace and lose weight through spiritual practices, meditation, visualization, affirmation, setting goals, mindset, healing and prayer. Once David started manifesting and visualizing he was going to lose weight, have a six pack and become a model, even though he was an alcoholic, overweight, unfit and short, he ended up in Vogue magazine and others. We go into detail of the art of visualization and meditation, we share in depth of how he teaches people to meditate and the tools to bring their concentration back to their third eye, how I meditate and we agreed that you have to be patient with yourself. We talked about how our purpose in life is to spiritually evolve and anything worth having requires effort and work. Our feelings and emotions are not our enemy, they are a messenger for us to learn and grow, and all pain and suffering comes from not knowing who we are. Also the amplified power of the energy level, frequency and unconditional love of surrounding yourself with like-minded people and others on the same journey. You can find David on Facebook @Davidsandercottmeditationcoach Or on his website here You can find the details for my Patreon here and my Rokfin here! Find details on The Psychic Activation Course here Find me on IG @thenorthstar.love And on FB @ Amy Melissa Or join my free FB group Soul Space If you're wanting to know more, you can read more about me here or about my offers here

Catfishing is when a person creates a fake identity often with corresponding social media accounts, phone numbers, photos, and addresses targeting a specific victim for abuse or fraud. These catfishers are organized, patient, and have a playbook that they follow to gain the trust of their target over the course of weeks, months, or even years. Effective deceviers even get advice from other scammers on how to proceed for their own success. Today’s guest is David McClellan. David was an internet marketer and website builder for over ten years. He ran and executed SEO strategies for CNET where he added 1.4 billion visitors to the portfolio. He branched out as a visionary and entrepreneur 6 years ago when he created SocialCatfish.com. His website became the fastest growing company in Riverside, California and is an Inc 500 company. Show Notes: [1:10] - David shares his background as an internet marketer turned entrepreneur and the start of SocialCatfish.com. [2:01] - He and his business partner used to build websites and then flip them but discovered that there was no resource out there regarding catfishing. So they started the website and it was an immediate success. [3:34] - Once David and his business partner figured out how to monetize their site, they were speaking directly with their customers and hearing their stories. [4:21] - David also began a YouTube channel that shares real stories, interviews with scammers, and David even got his hands on a playbook used by scammers. [4:50] - There is also a Facebook watch group where people can upload pictures of “scammers” to look out for. [5:22] - Romance scams are part of catfishing. David explains the similarities. [6:19] - David shares one of the most upsetting client stories regarding a lawyer sending cash to Nigeria. But through it all, she was able to send a tracking device and use SocialCatfish.com to meet the real person behind the stolen photo. [8:47] - David shares another story of a client who lost her husband and survived cancer herself being scammed through online dating.  [10:38] - Romance scammers, especially those overseas, will spend hours talking to someone everyday because if it results in thousands of dollars, that is a lot of money where they live. [11:35] - Another story of a client building a relationship with a scammer and who she thought was his daughter. She had been secluded from her friends and family and the scammer even told her to commit suicide. [13:29] - Effective scammers will seclude a victim from their friends and family using a convincing story and are very emotionally manipulative. [14:50] - A newer trend in romance scams is that scammers are now starting to send inexpensive gifts to victims such as balloons, flowers, and cheap jewelry to build trust. [15:51] - When interviewing scammers, David asks them what happens if they don’t get money and the answer is that they always get money. They even refer to victims as clients. [16:40] - Another new trend is when scammers reveal themselves and convince the victim that they really did fall in love and need money to get out of their very poor country. [18:09] - David shares the noticeable differences between men and women who are victims of catfishing and romance scams. [21:01] - Although victims who are lonely, depressed, widowed, or divorced are the prime targets for scammers, David shares that even married people are being sucked into scams. [23:09] - Chris shares a story about a previous podcast guest using other people’s videos in video chat is not always a reliable method of confirming identity. [24:19] - David explains that there is open source software available where he could record anything and make the people in the video say whatever he wants them to say. [25:25] - People whose images are stolen to use by scammers are victims, too. David also tries to help these people as well. [26:19] - David shares a story about a man who was catfished, convinced of their real identity, and killed the woman he thought the scammer was. [27:09] - If you are contacted randomly by a stranger, including games with chat features like Words with Friends, and someone ever asks you for some form of money, that is a big sign of a scammer. [28:05] - Scammers will also tend to try to get a victim to chat outside of the dating app so their profile does not get reported and taken down. [29:00] - Most of the time, scammers tend to start asking for money after about 90 days, but David says that sometimes they’ll wait less time or more time before asking. [31:21] - Financial crimes seem not to have the same level of consequences when caught than in-person crimes. Many crimes like this are sometimes not even reported. [33:06] - It is not illegal to give somebody money. When it is reported to law enforcement, there’s not much police can do. You should still report it, but it is a civil issue. [35:18] - David also shares that sometimes there are people in the United States that are helping scammers overseas. [37:39] - There’s not enough education surrounding internet safety. Education is empowering. [38:51] - Chris shares an experience with his bank and how they are starting to be trained on making sure people are wiring money to someone they’ve actually met. [39:54] - We are seeing it more and more that bank employees are noticing and advising clients that they are likely being scammed. [41:22] - Social media sites and companies are getting better with helping educate people and prevent scams, but scammers are also getting better and more convincing. [44:05] - David has a private Facebook group called SCF Seekers which is all about information without judgment. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.  Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest SocialCatfish.com Social Catfish on Facebook SCF Seekers Facebook Group Social Catfish on Twitter Social Catfish on YouTube Social Catfish on Instagram

David was a hero and anointed to become the king of Israel.  Long before he assumed the throne, he defeated Goliath in battle, contributed to the sovereignty and protection of Israel and faithfully served under King Saul.  All this happened before he was 25 years old.  Though he became a fugitive when King Saul turned on him, he never betrayed the king or God.  Many years later when he finally became king, he was a mighty and God-focused leader. This almost sounds like a happily ever after story, but it is not.  David committed some horrible sins along the way that created havoc and cost lives.  His sins are some of the most well-known in all of Scripture!  With so many bad choices, how did David maintain a godly perspective?  How did he continually fight for God’s purposes?  What can we learn from the rollercoaster of David’s life to enhance our attempts to be warriors for God? David’s faith, courage and fidelity to God had been seriously tested in the many years from the slaying of Goliath to his crowning as king.  The lessons he learned along the way were significant in number and scope.  Once David was king, he led and protected the people of Israel convincingly.  This shepherd/poet turned hero, turned warrior, turned exile, turned king showed his loyalty to God and love for the people at every step.  Things could not have seemed to be any better for Israel and especially for David himself. Bathsheba It was then that the subtle trap of power and complacency was sprung.  We all know of the story of David’s sins with Bathsheba.  It's common knowledge how David fell prey to his own desire.  That desire so hideously warped his conscience and loyalty to God.  His fall was epic, and his crawl back to God’s grace and favor was inspiring. The Ark of the Covenant We often lose sight of the many other experiences that David had as king.  This is unfortunate, as we can't define a man by a few short periods of his life or one landmark experience.  David’s legacy must include his incredible journey to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel.  The Ark represented the presence of God.  As such, needed to be properly restored to its sacred position. This account again reveals David’s profound love for God as well as the mistakes he made in showing that love. David’s experiences overflow with life-changing lessons.  One of the most spectacular and yet unsung stories of his life was how he uniquely served God near its end. Check out our June 15, 2020 podcast, “How Can I Fight for God’s Purposes Like King David?” for more.  We uncover some amazing details of all these accounts and see their hidden lessons.  Putting this all together, especially with David’s godly end-of-life devotion, really shows us why he was called "a man after God’s own heart."  Listen in and get to know David like you never have before!

“An Unshakeable City” — Psalm 22 — April 14, 2019 Today is Palm Sunday. As we have heard in the third Suffering Servant Song (five of them: Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 49:1-6; Isaiah 50:4-7; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; 63:1-3), we hear the Suffering Servant sing: 6 I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. And we see Jesus intent on going to the hill of his crucifixion. We see the King of the World riding on the colt of a donkey. Why not a horse? A donkey symbolized peace. So he comes to usher in peace. But it will be by his death. In trying to figure out the best way to structure this sermon, I kept coming back to the idea that it is full of conversation. Two voices. But these two voices are different in the experience of the one crying out. That is, we see here that we can know something with our mind. Even believe it in our heart. But it’s when we’re confronted by real choices in life that reveals what we really believe in our guts. As we end our time in this season of Lent, you and I are confronted with these two voices we hear. They encircle us and talk to us to confront us and to comfort us. Two Voices. Crying. Silent. V.1 Have you ever felt like there was an iron ceiling between you and God? You have prayed and asked and begged and pleaded…and it feels like all your prayers were unheard. That’s a difficult place to be. // But a more difficult place to be is where you know someone hears you and they do nothing about it. This is the situation David finds himself in. “I know you hear my pleas…but you do not answer.” V.2 This is why I love the Psalms. It’s easy to hear people talking about a victorious Christian life, but that’s not the kind of reality we find ourselves in. And the comfort you find is that intimacy with God requires silence. Lasting maturity depends on silence. // What do I mean by that? My children ask me for many things. Your children ask you for many things. I try to give them what I can. Those are good days. But the hard days come when I have to say “No.” Or when I don’t respond in the way they want me to. What I am doing as a loving father is putting them in a place where they don’t get everything they want…even the good things. You and I too often put walls around God’s love for us. We pray and ask God for a relationship. For healing. For comfort. For a job. And he doesn’t answer us. And so we assume that he doesn’t care. The fact is that we have a backwards view of prayer. The main intention of prayer is not to change God’s mind, but to change ours! We box God’s love in in such a way that we want him to respond in a certain way. // What happens when I don’t answer my children in the way they want me to answer? Definitely disappointment. Frustration. But maturity. If I were to continue to treat my 20-year old daughter like I treat my 3-year-old daughter, I would be doing more harm than good. So it is with God. He is silent because he cares. He is shaping you. He is drawing you into himself. Into a fullness that can only be received when your expectations are emptied from your heart. (2) Two Voices. Belief. Experience. Vv.3-5: Belief David knew what God did on behalf of his people. “Our fathers trusted, and you delivered. They cried. You rescued. They trusted and were not shamed.” He knew the answers in Sunday school. You and I know the answers. We read of deliverance and healing and resurrection. But… V.6-8: Experience: Taunting Our experience is very different from what we often read in the Bible. We trust…no deliverance. We delight…no rescue. At least not in the way we want God to deliver us. We want him to ride on a white horse and swoop us out of the pain and suffering. But God’s deliverance is in the everyday and simple stuff of life. The things we take for granted everyday. It’s easy to forget that you have two legs to walk on. There’s tons of people who would love to have your two legs. We can see. We can hear. You have a job. Quite simply David looks back at his life and sees God’s nearness at every step. He contrasts —> Vv.9-11: Experience: God’s goodness. Even when I didn’t acknowledge your goodness, you were good to me. You sustained my life, though I had no clue it was you! He wants to be near to God. The friends. Pleasant conversation. Rebuking conversation. These are all God’s nearness to you. Vv.12-18: Experience: People’s meanness. We have seen and are walking toward the light. And friends will not like that you’re changing. Doing things differently. They’re not friends. They’re enablers. They’re not wanting the best for you. They want to make themselves feel better. They encircle David like lions seeking to devour him. Like mangy dogs looking for a scrap of meat. Your difficulties in life—Anxiety that you’re not the best parent. Condemnation when you realize you aren’t. Fear that you might fail. Condemnation that comes when you realize you do fail. Struggles with the same sins of fear, worry, anger, control, lust. Condemnation when you give in yet again. All of these difficulties are not simply on the horizontal plane. Every one of them has the vertical element. What you do to someone else, you are doing to God. V.15: “You lay me in the dust of death.” All these difficulties and struggles come from God’s sternness. More than that. His great desire for you to be be starved of all your hopes and dreams that you cling so tightly to, so that you can simply have more of God. The condemning voice inside you is the voice of God that you have broken his holy law. And you need that same voice from heaven to give you forgiveness. Our last set of voices —> Two Voices. Judgment. Love.
Even though David looks around and sees all this turmoil in his life…he goes to the only one who can rescue him. Vv.19-21 We’ve seen, a true sign of maturity in our relationship with God comes when we continue to cry out even there’s silence on the other end. What is more, when we see the pain and suffering as God’s answer to us. Children don’t like to be rebuked. They don’t like to be corrected. You and I don’t like to be rebuked or corrected. People and situations are simply God dealing with us. “You lay me in the dust.” But we see it again in this verse: “You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.” If you see that little footnote in your Bibles, it gives you the literal word for “rescued” is actually “answered.” How does God answer us from the horns of the wild oxen. Sometimes he delivers us from them. Sometimes the horns of judgement many times are his answer. God is not far. God is not silent. He is nearer than your self-condemnation. He is louder than the dogs that surround you. //It’s at this point that David turns. He begins to understand that all this suffering is in light of God’s greatness and goodness. God is not good because he gives you what you want. He is good because he does what is best. He does what is more glorious. Our problem is that our gods of comfort and victory are too small. Once David comes to that realization, he praises God and invites others to praise God with him. He realizes that his joy and purpose in life is under a larger umbrella of the magnificence of God. The greatness of God. Vv.22-31: The High Point of Our Passage
True we struggle. Anything being built will have struggle. Ultimately seen in Jesus. The very thing we are after is a Joy that will not fade. A City that cannot be shaken. And here we see that Jesus came to usher in this Kingdom by dying. We are familiar with Jesus quoting the beginning of this psalm on the cross when he cried out: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” As one author put it: “Jesus Christ is our mediator, who entered in the presence of God who is a consuming fire and we see that judgement and fire upon the cross. But from the cross too there comes the voice of amazing love: the voice of incredible love and mercy and pardon right in the heart of judgment—that is why it is such incredible love” He does not wait for us…but has entered into our weakness and frailty and stands on our side. In the cross, God shows that he was never far from your suffering. He entered into our suffering on the cross. He enters into our suffering everyday. And he whispers words of love to you. We’ve focused a lot on suffering during this season of Lent. But we need to see that Jesus goes to this psalm one more time on the cross. How does Christ give us the unshakeable hope and city and kingdom we all long for? A place of true rest and acceptance and love? V.31: “Future generations shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn that he has done it.” Or as Jesus said on the cross: It. Is. Finished.

Writing a book can benefit your business as well as benefit you as a topic expert. Learn how my guest David McKay was able to do just that. He and his wife Ally have built a successful photography company called McKay Photography where they offer classes and travel photography tours around the world. His bestselling book and speaking engagements have helped propel their business to successful levels. David is also the author of the  Photography Demystified book series. This is a great episode because we dive into how David used his books to build his company and business. We also learn about business, life, travel, and photography with this artistic photographer and successful businessman and author who has built his business on a local and international level.   You can find David here: McKay Photography Photography Classes Photography Tours Photography Demystified Books McKay Photography Academy Facebook McKay Photography Academy YouTube McKayLive Instagram   Show Notes [01:19] How everyone has a story within them. David's just happens to be about photography. Much more has come out of his writing than he had anticipated. [02:17] Once David makes a decision, he goes for it. The reason behind the first book was to help the business and residual income. [03:24] Chandler's step-by-step process was instrumental to David's success. [03:50] He went to a hotel room with a poster board and colored pencils and made a mind map and then started categorizing it. [04:33] He locked himself in and just went for it. The first book took just over two weeks. It took a half week to get on the bestseller list. [05:26] How setting the time aside was the big trick to David's success to getting everything done so fast. [06:12] After mind mapping and categorizing, he wrote down everything he could in each category and just started typing. [06:54] He thinks on a linear level, so this helped him stay on track. [09:34] David had developed an email list through his business, so he sent the list a notice asking if anyone would like to join the advance team and get a free copy of the book and leave a review. He ended up with 900 people. [10:57] He used followed up emails to encourage people to leave the reviews. He figured if people unsubscribed they weren't the target market. [11:41] Inviting the group to stay for the next book worked really well. He also left a special surprise for the first 50 reviewers. [12:47] He went to number one on free on Amazon. Then when he switched to paid, he also shot to number one. [13:35] He also sent the $1.99 promo to his entire list to catch the people who didn't take advantage of the free offer. [14:17] It took David four years to build his list traveling around the country teaching photography. [15:17] Then he started running contests giving a free trips on his tours. He also worked with a partner on YouTube. Partner with someone who is doing well. [16:13] After the contests his email lists went to 21,000 subscribers. [16:23] The cost isn't all recouped through the book, but the book is an avenue to get people to take the travel tours. [17:24] David evolves and changes with the market. Anyone can find a way to do it. He also reached out to manufacturers to sponsor contests. [18:29] The strength is in numbers. Partnering with people is a great way to get those numbers. [19:28] If the sponsor also emails the contest they too get to participate in the new email list. [20:41] It only takes one person to buy into the tour to pay for the contest prize. They booked two tours through the contest. [23:04] They are willing to work with anybody to get them on the tour. They also offer high and lower priced tours so anyone can do it. [24:09] There is a link in the book to free content for email subscribers. [25:36] They also participate in travel and adventure shows to advertise. [27:19] Old-fashioned advertising is dead. Things need to be done in new creative ways. [27:47] All of the different streams are leading back to the tours and classes. [31:30] His first residual check was $856.00 and then $400.00, $400.00, then $500.00. This is still worth the investment especially with the valuable back-end of the book and the email list. He is working on his third book, which he plans to hit hard with the advertising. [34:21] The power of leveraging local media and PR. [37:02] Going to libraries and get them to purchase your books. [37:47] For some people it is just a matter of taking a step. [38:51] The toughest part of writing the book was overthinking and being a perfectionist. His first editor was not one. Get a good editor. [41:51] Everyone has a story in them that will affect someone else.   Links and Resources: self-publishingschool.com Spsfreetraining.com McKay Photography Photography Classes Photography Tours Photography Demystified Books McKay Photography Academy Facebook McKay Photography Academy YouTube McKayLive Instagram  

This Episode’s Focus on Strengths This episode will energize and encourage you to take a big leap toward living the life you truly want to live. Lisa speaks with David Ralph, a man who ditched the corporate life, took that leap, and is now living a life that he loves (and it meant he went from working a mandatory 8 hours every day to working for a few hours at tasks he loves). And, he tells us about how he used his strengths to make it all happen. This is a great episode, especially for those of you who have always been searching for that elusive Passion Pot of Gold. David points out that it’s not something that’s just going to appear; you need to go out there and do something to reach the life you want. David keeps in mind his Top 5 Talent Themes from the Clifton StrengthsFinder: Futuristic, Maximizer, Belief, Positivity, and Activator. You’ll hear how his Maximizer talent has impacted his life, and how he’s learned to use his Activator talent to get stuff done.   What You’ll Learn David tells us his story, and how he got to where he is today. Along the way, he gives these sage pieces of advice: Be where people give you kudos for the good things you do. When he was in the corporate world, David realized that no one told him when he did the good things, they only commented on the tasks that needed improvement, which most likely led to discouragement, and a negative view of his job. When he went out on his own, those same people started telling him how good he was at certain things. That’s empowering! When David was in the corporate world, his Maximizer talent told him that nothing was every good enough – he spent hours perfecting the little details that didn’t truly matter. Now, he believes that he can do a great job, and that the little details don’t matter to others, so he saves a lot of time by not sweating the small things. Prioritize! You don’t have to work hard every day to succeed and be happy. Somewhere along the way, it’s become the norm that in order to succeed, we have to put in a hard day’s work and that life isn’t easy. That is NOT true! As David moved up the corporate ladder and become more successful and earned more money, he realized he was less and less happier. Working “hard” was not a pleasure. Look around at what other people are doing. Watch to see what others around you are doing, especially those who’ve found a way to do what they truly love. It will give you ideas for other ways to earn a living, while at the same time enjoying your life. In David’s case, there was another podcaster who he heard, and thought it was something he would love to do. Have your own goals. If you are working every day in the corporate world, you are fulfilling the goals, and earning money of someone else. David encourages you to have your own goals, using the example of the band Duran Duran. You’ve got to hear their story and how they achieved their own goals, as David tells it. The status quo doesn’t have to be. Just because people expect you to go to work every day, dressed a certain way, being a high achiever, it doesn’t mean that you are required to be part of the status quo. Once David has this AH HA moment, he was ready to take that LEAP, and go for it. As he says, he “Broke Free”. Connect the dots. Go back in time, and look at yourself before life got serious (around ages 5-9). What things did you want to do? What did you truly enjoy doing every day? Then, go through your attic and look for things from that time period. In David’s case, he found cassette tapes that included interviews he had done with people around town when he was 9. He had completely forgotten about that. Next, look at the paths of your career. In his case, he had a training background, and then moved into doing presentations. All these dots connected him to what he is doing now – interviewing people and presenting topics to the world. What are your dots? Find a mentor (or at least a person who will encourage you). Having someone to encourage you to take a leap, can make all the difference. It feels great to know others believe you have what it takes to meet your own goals. Use your strengths to help you make the leap. For example, David has an Activator talent, which enables him to start projects. He uses this to go out each day, doing what he loves, and actually “living” his life. Can you believe he sometimes goes a whole week without checking his email? That’s because he can. Wait for the SUPER YESES. Once you are out on your own, if people approach you with deals that would bring in money, but not meet your own criteria for the new business you’ve started, then say no. David found that all the little no’s make room for the SUPER YESES, which are the ones that will really move you on. Live the 20/80 Rule. Knowing that 20% of the things you do bring 80% of the reward, PRIORITIZE your tasks to focus on the 20%, and limit the amount of time you spend on the other 80% (they can be time suckers). Remember, knowing your Strengths and understanding them can have a huge impact on your personal and professional lives. So go claim your talents and share them with the world.   Resources of the Episode To “get more David in your life” check out these links: http://www.joinupdots.com and http://www.podcastersmastery.com. You can also connect with David on Twitter. During the podcast, David mentions Michael O'Neal, who hosts the Solopreneur Hour Podcast. If you are interested, here's the link: https://solopreneurhour.com/podcasts     Subscribe To subscribe and review, here are your links for listening in iTunes and Stitcher Radio. You can also stream any episode right from the website. Subscribing is a great way to never miss an episode. Let the app notify you each week when the latest episode gets published.   StrengthsFinder Mini-Course For Managers If you’re a people-manager and you want to sharpen your strengths based support, come join our monthly mini-course. We don’t charge for this because we want to help you keep the StrengthsFinder momentum going. Teams who receive strengths feedback have 8.9% greater profitability. Yowza! Sounds like a great reason to join. Source:  Asplund, J., & Blacksmith, N. “Strengthening Your Company’s Performance.” Gallup Business Journal.   Go Live Your Talents Remember, using your strengths every day at work makes you a stronger performer. Go claim your talents and share them with the world!  

Once David is officially king over all of Israel, he wastes little time. With the assembly of the allegiance of the Northern Tribes, David marches on Jebus, the impregnable Jebusite fortress in Southern Israel. In this episode, we cover the capture of Jebus, to be renamed the City of Jerusalem, and parallel it with the capture of Jerusalem by the Israeli army in the Six Day War of 1967. 2 Samuel 5:6 - 5:10