Achuckallen

Instigating Better

AChuckAllen

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

by

READ, LISTENS, LEARNING & REVIEWS

Here is Your 4forFRIDAY for July 23, 2021

I love to share good reads, learnings, listens, and reviews with friends and followers. So, thanks for joining me on my 4forFRIDAY BLOG. Each week, the 4forFRIDAYoffers recommended Reads, Listens, Learnings,
and Reviews, for your enjoyment.

AMust If You Love Pie! Southern Baked Pie Company:

Whatever you do, get a French Coconut Custard Pie! This is the most unbelievable pie you’ve ever tasted!! And the Chicken Pot Pie will bless your dinner situation. Should you be a fan of Pecan Pie, just dig in. It is so good. Don’t live in the area? Have them ship it to you!!

An Incredibly Timely Article from Stephen Guise-Curiosity

I loved this article. Here’s a brief excerpt: “If you wanted, you could make life seem bland. All you’d have to do is stop being curious. Stop wondering how couches are made, why wind exists, how someone would react if you told them you’re a penguin. Of course, if you wanted to make your life exciting and interesting, you’d do the opposite. You’d wonder endlessly. You’d always be curious. Curiosity is one of the few things that’s a simple yes/no choice. Nobody can stop you from being curious. It doesn’t take much effort to be curious. And yet, being curious is intensely rewarding.”

This is a Must Read Article if You Have Teenage Children or Grandchildren: How Anxiety Affects Teenagers

America is on the front edge of a tsunami-sized crisis with our children and our adolescent learners. If you are a parent or a grandparent, I urge you to read this article. Here is a brief excerpt: “There is substantial evidence that the pandemic has increased the number of adolescents (and even some pre-adolescents) who are anxious. It’s no wonder, given that Covid lockdowns and distancing robbed teenagers of many of the activities they care about most, disrupted their education, and isolated them from their friends.”

A Netflix Show that was So Good and Odd: HEIST; The Bourbon King

Jenny and I recently visited Kentucky and had such a great time with her family in Owensboro. While there, we heard the story of the Great Pappy VanWinkle Heist. After watching the show and seeing some of the same country we had just visited, it was so much fun. The story, a true story is fascinating!

A Powerful Quote from Henry Blackaby

“Stay faithful to the last word you heard from God but open to the next.” “For you to do the will of God, you must adjust your life to him, his purposes, and his ways.”

The Weekday Podcast is a 5 minutes/day, 5 days/week Cup of Encouragement, straight from the Scriptures.
New episodes are available Monday – Friday on the Sugar Hill Church APP or at WeekdayPodcast.com

Coming August 9, 2021 – THE POSITIVE TALK PODCAST –
with Julie Homrich and Chuck Allen – A Weekly Dose of Positivity, Encouragement, and Enlightenment. I think you’ll love this new format!

Coming August 9 – Positive Talk Podcast

Go in Peace, Chuck

Three Steps Toward Mental & Emotional Health

by

July 28, 2021

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’ve struggled over the years with my emotional and mental health. I’ve wrestled with depression, anxiety, fear, and comparison. It’s not my favorite thing to open up and talk about. Still, in a world of expectations and ongoing societal tensions, we seem to be at epidemic proportions regarding our state of peace and contentment. In other words, I am not alone in this struggle.

As Julie Homrich and I have continued to build ClearPath Counseling Network, I’ve become so much more aware of the simple steps we can all build into our daily routine and help get us to the point of peace. While these steps are simple, they require great intentionality. Without recognizing the need to introduce these simple steps into our daily lives, we allow our emotions to overwhelm us and control us, often with significant negative consequences.

Here are three of the lessons that have greatly helped me get in my lane of peace and contentment. I trust that they will help you as well.

  1. PRIORITIZE SLEEP! For decades I would brag about the fact that I could function at peak performande on 4-5 hours of sleep each night. The greek interpretation of those bragadocious words is “stupid.” If there is one thing I avoid at all costs, it’s not getting enough sleep. One poor night’s sleep won’t ruin your health, but it also won’t help you feel your best the following morning. String together multiple nights of poor sleep, and you’ll set yourself up for a number of potential issues: “The long-term effects of sleep deprivation are real. It drains your mental abilities and puts your physical health at real risk. Science has linked poor slumber with a number of health problems, from weight gain to a weakened immune system.”–Alyssa Atkinson
  2. Recognize and Attack Stress! Chronic stress is one of those things that isn’t entirely in our control, but it can wreak havoc on both our body and our mind. We often want to flee from stress in the hopes that it wil simply work its way out. But it rarely does that. Stress is a beast on our mental health and our physical health. In this article, from the National Institute for Mental Health you will discover the great challenges that both self-inflicted stress and stress applied to us does to our lives. There’s no question that life stressors will pop up regularly, and we have to deal with them when they do. There will always be an endless list of things you could stress about, such as a potential new job opportunity, family tension, finances, or a meeting with someone who you don’t know well. The cumlative results of each of these stressers is usually out of your control, and stressing will never better the outcome. I know it is easier said than done, but if you can learn to prepare to the best of your ability, and then let the chips fall where they may without stressing about all the “what-ifs”, both your mental and physical health will benefit immensely. I have discovered that three things I’ve placed in my morning routine help me consistantly manage stress well. Seek to recognize the stress, name it, and then attack it!

    1) MEDITATION! I know that I sound like a broken record, but engaging in prayer meditation will change your stress level immensely. Just 5-7 minutes each day to slow your thoughts, calm your soul and attempt to hear from your Creator is a HUGE step toward amanging and attacking stress.

    2) LISTS! Prep a list on anything you cna be consistent with. List as much detail as your brain needs. I create a task list every single day. It is on a 3×5 card and includes evertything from big pictire items to remembering to take out the trash. I see my lists as a parking lot so I don’t have to stress over what I need to remember!

    3) EXPECTATION EXPLANATION! We all have expectation for ourselves and for others. Expectations unmet can create huge blocks of stress in our life. Here are a few thoughts on the expectations that we all struggle with: First, we deal with personal expectations that typically start with comparison. We start comparing our life, or even our day to others, with great regularity. Comparison will rob you of joy, contentment and peace. It is a relentless thief that will attack you, every single day. There isn’t a single generation that doesn’t face this challenge of comparison. Second, comparison calls on us most when we live our lives through social media. The life we are comparing ourself to is often not real, at all! Third, comparison happens without our own sense of reality. Every person I know has something I do not have. But every person I know has challenges, sufferings and battles that I do not know, either. Stae and explain these realities to yourself and in that explanation do not allow the evil one to speak negative self-talk into your life – ever! You have one expectation to meet today and everyday. Love God, love others and love them as you love yourself. So, loving yourself is a powerful commandment…do it well and do it wise. Fourth, many of our expectations are created in a physical list or a mental list. They are created in our mind and often center around the what and where we “should be” right now in our life’s journey. TEAR UP THAT LIST! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be stressed!

In the words of my good friend, Julie Homrich; “the current church culture at large, we are really good at giving quick solutions in the form of a Bible verse or building the next big program, but there are certain tipping points in a generation where we see that people are desperate for someone of faith to validate their pain without immediately trying to fix it. Mental and emotional health have hit epidemic proportions in our nation, state and community.”

I realize that there are plenty of ways to attack mental and emotional health, but these three are so simple to implement. If you do not have a meditation tool to help you, I use Soul Space. It is simple, free and provides an incredible, peace-filled 5-7 minute meditation every day. I promise you that when you give this habit 14 straight days, you’ll find yourself craving it like I crave biscuits and gravy! In the paid subscription part of the app (TOTALLY WORTH IT!) is an 8 day course entitled, “The Jesus Way to a Happy Life.” It is a total gamechanger for the Follower of Christ.

Would you be so kind to drop a few thoughts in the comments section of this BLOG. I’d love to know how you are dealing with stress, anxiety and overall mental health. I would also love to know if there are any areas you’d like my thoughts on. Thanks for reading – PLEASE SHARE!

Peace, Chuck

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

by

READ, LISTENS, LEARNING & REVIEWS

Here is Your 4forFRIDAY for July 23, 2021

I love to share good reads, learnings, listens, and reviews with friends and followers. So, thanks for joining me on my 4forFRIDAY BLOG. Each week, the 4forFRIDAYoffers recommended Reads, Listens, Learnings,
and Reviews, for your enjoyment.

A Music Video You MUST WATCH! Over and Over from Influence Music, REBEL

If you need a song to get ready to in the morning, or to get you ready for the day, or simply to sit and worship with – this is it! Thank you, Valerie Williams, for introducing me to this impactful and deeply worshipful music!

An Incredible Article from Minimalist Focus: How to Get Better Results by Doing Less

Are you adding more to your schedule without improving your results? Are you focusing on advancing toward your goals by concentrating on the things that matter? And finally, are you making value-driven decisions, or are other people in control?  Here’s a quote from this article: “When you don’t purposefully and deliberately choose where to focus your energy and time, other people will choose for you, and before long, you’ll have lost sight of everything meaningful and important to you.” 

A Great Business Book: Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

This is a solid read if you lead anything or anyone! This is a Wall Street Journal Bestseller A thought-provoking, accessible, and essential exploration of why some leaders (“Diminishers”) drain capability and intelligence from their teams, while others (“Multipliers”) amplify it to produce better results. Including a foreword by Stephen R. Covey, as well the five key disciplines that turn smart leaders into genius makers, Multipliers is a must-read for everyone from first-time managers to world leaders.

A Movie We Loved: State of Play

Somehow we missed watching this movie when it came out several years ago. Jenny and I watched it while she was recovering from her hip replacement surgery this past week. Starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck, State of Play will keep you in suspense from start to finish. It’s a classic,
“I never saw that coming” kind of film. Enjoy!

A Powerful Quote from Diane Ackerman

We can’t enchant the world, which makes its own magic;
but we can enchant ourselves by paying deep attention.

The Weekday Podcast is a 5 minutes/day, 5 days/week Cup of Encouragement, straight from the Scriptures.
New episodes are available Monday – Friday on the Sugar Hill Church APP or at WeekdayPodcast.com

Coming August 9, 2021 – THE POSITIVE TALK PODCAST –
with Julie Homrich and Chuck Allen – A Weekly Dose of Positivity, Encouragement, and Enlightenment. I think you’ll love this new format! More to come!!

Coming August 9 – Positive Talk Podcast

Go in Peace, Chuck

COUNTERINTUITIVE LEADERSHIP

by

July 21, 2021

You can almost predict how our great American leaders in Washington might act or react to the challenges of our society. Step one – scream at somebody. Step two – blame somebody else. Step three – schedule a press conference to get ahead of the story. Step four – spin baby spin!

coun·ter·in·tu·i·tive – koun(t)ərinˈt(y)o͞oədiv – adjective – contrary to intuition or to common-sense expectation (but often nevertheless true).

But what if there is a better way to address problems, or even address problem people? What if we’ve been handling our leadership responsibilities wrong over all these centuries? What if there was a way that leaders could lead, people be served, trust is generated, and solutions could be found and activated? I know; it seems like an impossible dream. But what if it could really happen?

According to Jesus of Nazareth, it can happen. According to His life, it will cost something. Based on His story, and His impact, there is but one model for us to turn to. HIS WAY.

Here are five ways of sure success as we face
the turbulent and challenging days ahead.

  1. SERVE OTHERS RATHER THAN WANTING TO BE SERVED: That’s a loaded statement, but it’s a power-packed truth that every leader we elect, call, or hire should grasp with desperate understanding! That is as counterintuitive and as counter-cultural as you can get. In Matthew 20:25-27… “Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;.”
  2. LOVE OTHERS, ESPECIALLY YOUR ENEMIES: Nothing could sound more preposterous than loving your enemy. I mean, those people hate me. I can’t love them. But Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” That was His word for how we are to engage with folks we agree with, but He drops the microphone with this, from Matthew 5:43-47, “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?
  3. IF YOU’VE GOT IT, GIVE IT AWAY! How insane is that? Give away what I have? Chuck, you’ve lost your marbles! God wasn’t playing around when He instructed Paul to write these words, “Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion since God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace overflow to you so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. As it is written: He distributed freely; he gave to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Jesus pointed out the most unlikely leader to His disciples as the offering was being offered one day; “While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” Luke 21:1-4
  4. REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM: God inspired these words from Proverbs 3, “My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people.” A hearty dose of humility would be a massive step in the right direction!
  5. YOU HAVE A GIFT, USE IT WELL! If you’ve been blessed and honored to lead anything, hear these words, because you are being held to a higher standard whether you like it or not. “But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” Luke 12:48

We do not have time to sit and wait on another generation to right this ship we live on. We need men and women to step up and lead well. It has been said that the definition of leadership is influence. While I agree with that, I also know that influence alone isn’t nearly enough. If influence is all we need, we are in trouble. Charles Manson had influence. Adolf Hitler had influence. We need leaders not made up with a shell of influence but instead built with courage, tenacity, and the critical ingredient – Godly Character!

Join me in praying for those leaders to step into our halls of justice, politics, business, and most especially, our churches.

Peace, Chuck

Are You Okay?

by

July 20, 2021

It’s a simple question. Are you okay?

With typical flippant answers to the question “how are you doing?” we rush to fill the empty airspace with “good, we’re good.” And yet, my office could be booked six days a week, twelve hours a day with counseling appointments filled with failing marriages, anxiety-riddled adolescents, and lonely adults. We, as a society, are not okay.

Loneliness has been a growing problem for decades—with some social scientists estimating that 61 percent of adults in the United States feel lonely—and it’s only been made worse by last year’s COVID-19 lockdown. While keeping to ourselves helps prevent coronavirus’ spread, we humans are social creatures, and prolonged isolation takes a toll on our mental and emotional health.

Many reports from adolescent studies state that one-third of 13 to 18-year-olds suffer from varied sources of anxiety disorder. Almost 50% of teenaged females are greatly affected by anxiety. More than 7% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have been diagnosed with anxiety. And more than 3% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have been diagnosed with depression.

Almost 50% of all marriages in the United States will end in divorce or separation. Researchers estimate that 41 percent of all first marriages end in divorce. I counsel plenty of marital difficulties, and honestly, most can be repaired. But that takes work. In a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, I read the following; “Over the years, researchers have determined certain factors that put people at higher risk for divorce: marrying young, limited education and income, living together before a commitment to marriage, premarital pregnancy, no religious affiliation, coming from a divorced family, and feelings of insecurity.”

I’m no Einstein, but can we not see the big, bold, highlighted lettering on the wall? We are in a mess! And the fabric of our country is under attack. But before you go waving your red or blue political buttons at me, hear this. We are messed up politically, educationally, racially, and spiritually, but we are in crisis mode emotionally!

You could go all John Wayne on me and tell this generation to toughen up. You could blame one political party or another. You could blame the schools, or the churches, or the president. But when it all hits the fan, we have nowhere to look but in the mirror!

While we have been fighting political wars that have burned through billions of dollars and countless hours of uncivilized discourse, we have allowed America to be the epicenter of mental illness. Rather than fixing problems, we have spent all of our time fixing blame on others. Rather than supporting educators that can serve our students, we’ve lobbied for preferential curriculums. Rather than churches loving on communities, we’ve focused on megachurches and celebrity pastors. Rather than the government serving its people, our government just wants to bicker and sling crap at each other while grasping for more personal and party power. Friends, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, is it not?

That is why I’m spending a great deal of my time and energy creating ClearPath Counseling Network. I can see, in my mind’s eye, a robust network of resources, listeners, prayer warriors, counselors, and most importantly, well-equipped and educated clinicians. I can see a network where parents sitting at their kid’s games will refer friends to ClearPath. I see a day when schools and churches connect for the betterment of our society and families as they join the greater good to help support our communities with real, affordable, practical care. I see a network of providers that will rise above the clutter of our white-noised-filled world and focus on the person in front of them, rather than the one that can pay the most. I am committed, along with my partner and friend, Julie Homrich to build something that will tangibly, practically, and affordably care for children, adolescents, families, couples, and adults. A place that is accessible, helpful, and safe. A place for every color, race, creed, faith, and sex. I’m finding that it isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t cheap. But is worth building! More to come on ClearPath Counseling Network!

If you’ve read my articles before, you know that I have zero tolerance for the foolishness in politics. I considered running for office, but I honestly don’t know if I’ve got the stomach for it. I do know that when the Divine was so kind as to call me into His service, I was called to make a difference. When I first got to Sugar Hill Church as Lead Pastor almost ten years ago, I knew it was only a matter of time before we would eliminate our debt, invest ourselves into public schools, community, our local municipalities, educating young Latino students, feeding hungry people, and loving on anyone and everyone that came across our path. And now, we have two huge initiatives on the horizon.

First, the ClearPath Counseling Network. We will soft-launch the network this fall and be open and ready to serve in January of 2022. Julie has done a masterful job of creating our network, assessments, and developing our first wave of clinicians. I think we could see this modeled in churches and schools across the country! The second initiative will start with some baby steps until will can crawl, walk and someday run. It will be focused on serving single mothers. Imagine a holistic service that can assist single mothers with practical help like parenting skills, financial management, housing, personal care, proper education, GED counseling, job skills, and job placement. All of those tools and more, wrapped in the kind of love and care that Jesus Himself instructed the church to show! White, black, brown, green, or purple – Moms that are struggling and on their own need help in these weird and tumultuous days! I am just a big enough fool to believe that we can build both of these initiatives and by 2023 have both of them cooking with gas and ready for replication.

I’ll bet that most of you can help, and in the months to come, I’ll let you know how you can be a part of it all. In the meantime, don’t lose hope! Every single problem that this country faces is within our grasp if we were to somehow decide that Jesus of Nazareth was right then and He;’s still right. “Love One Another.” I say it every single week, and I believe it more every single day – If we would individually, then as communities place Jesus and His teachings in the right priority of our lives, we will discover every solution to every problem!

The problems of loneliness, anxiety, mental health, marriage, and family are all about our hearts. We really can be the greatest country on earth AND be the most grace-filled, caring, kind country on the planet. As a matter of fact, you cannot have one without the other!

Let’s start with three simple steps in our personal lives:

  • Choose to talk with your family today (apart from text and devices)
  • Choose to be grateful for what you have today. When you’re grateful for waht you have, what you have is always enough.
  • Choose to extend a kindness to someone that you cannot get anything in return for today.

It’s that simple and it’s a good start!

Talk Soon, Chuck

Monday, Monday, So Good to Me

by

July 19, 2021

It’s that day again – MONDAY! It screams in our face and I often hear people say, “well, it’s a Monday for sure. But what If Monday was a Monday that was so good to you as the 1960’s band, The Mamas and the Papas sang?

In the song by the Mamas and the Papas, Monday-Monday we heard these words:
Monday, Monday (bah-da bah-da-da-da)
So good to me (bah-da bah-da-da-da)
Monday mornin’, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday mornin’, Monday mornin’ couldn’t guarantee (bah-da bah-da-da-da)
That Monday evenin’ you would still be here with me
You can listen to this old classic HERE.

Here are 3 Ways You Can Make Monday So Good to You!

1. SIT. That’s short for STOP, INTENTION, and THOUGHTFUL. In the rush of Monday, find 5 minutes to STOP and be grateful for three things. Don’t overthink it. Just three things that you are thankful for right at that moment. Please don’t make it world peace, but something tangible that you can see, touch, or feel. Throughout the day, ask yourself about what you’re intentions are. Are your intentions to be an encourager to others? If so, you will be encouraged. Is your intention to be critical and negative? Then you’ll receive criticism and negative vibes. You choose. But choose wisely. Then be THOUGHTFUL. That’s another way to be fully present. In your thoughtfulness, be fully present with the people and challenges the Divine allows to cross your path today. Thoughtfulness allows you the privilege of knowing that you aren’t aloof, disingenuous, or self-centered.

2. Choose to do something today that will cause your brain to be sharpened. It might be as simple as the SIT process above, but it might be solving a math problem, reading something challenging, remembering a joke, or possibly listening to a podcast. Sharpening your brain will allow you to see both you and the world in a bigger, wider frame.

3. PRAY OUT LOUD! Maybe you never pray. Perhaps you pray without ceasing. But we all can benefit from speaking with our Creator out loud. I realize that there is no magic to this activity, but I’ve discovered how powerful it is to openly talk to God and expect to “hear” His reply. Just try it on your commute or your walk today. It will change your relationship with God in a fantastic way. If you will only try one of these sure-fire ways to make Monday better, this is the one to test drive. I promise you that God cannot wait to hear from you and answer you!

Monday, Monday, so good to me!

Peace, Chuck