Weekday Meditation by AChuckAllen

A few years ago I was struggling with my emotional health and struggling greatly with my faith life. I had always avoided anything that seemed remotely new age or even charismatic. I was challenged to consider meditation and laughed at the thought. Me, Chuck Allen, there was no way I was going in for the chants and ommmmmmmmsss.

And then it happened. I stepped into four daily disciplines that are now essential to my morning routine. These four disciplines aren’t really time consuming, but they have become life altering.

As mentioned in yesterday’s article, I got super intentional with my GRATITUDE. Every single day I start my day by answering this question: What three things am I grateful for today…right now? I then read the Holy SCRIPTURES, then JOURNAL my thoughts, wins, lessons learned and focus for the day and I finish with very specific PRAYER. I have learned that specific prayers yields specific results.

I then finish that time off with a few minutes of God-honoring meditation. I find a place and take on an attitude of quietude and solitude before listening to the WeekdayMeditation.com. It’s about 7 minutes of guided prayer and meditation.

These disciplines are available in my new resource, “POWER ROUTINES” and I especially want to invite you to join me each weekday for my WeekdayMeditation.com.

I’ll guarantee you that when you carve a few minutes into your hectic day, that is intentionally designed and simply recorded, it will change the trajectory of your emotional, mental, physical and spiritual life!

I have been recording and posting the Weekday Meditation since January and hundreds of folks have already embedded this free resource into their morning routines. I hope that you’ll consider doing the same.

• You can subscribe to the Weekday Meditation on iTunes HERE
• You can also download the Sugar Hill Church APP and receive the Weekday Meditation and the Weekday Podcast HERE
• You can simply surf over to WeekdayMeditation.com as well.

And please, let me know what you think.

Go in Peace,
AChuck

Charting a Better Course by ACHUCKAllen

I know it’s not just me! I feel like every person I chat with is trying to find a better way or a simpler course as we navigate this new and odd world we live in. My counseling sessions seem a bit more desperate. Families seem more harried and dysfunctional. Parents are stressed, kids are stressed and it feels as though the rubber band is about to break.

You might be one of those folks that I just mentioned. I mean, you’re still reading this article. And thank you for doing that. I am honored. Here are a few thoughts that are simplifying and setting my course on a far better path. I pray that they might help you as well.

• Intentionality is the key! Intentionally insert GRATITUDE into your daily routine. Science and faith have proven that you have a significant advantage in succeeding throughout that day when you insert GRATITUDE as a part of your morning ritual or ROUTINE. If you are looking for a bit more energy and POWER for your day, write down three things that you are grateful for. Don’t overthink it. Don’t try to over-spiritualized it. Just write down three things you are grateful for – Every single day!

• Read a short set of verses from the Holy Bible – SCRIPTURE. I know many of you just dropped out, but if you are looking for a better way, this is essential. Don’t read with the intent to accomplish a task, or memorize a verse. Read with the intent of allowing the words of the Divine infiltrate your soul and do what only He can do. It’s a gift to you, not a punishment.

• Start writing a JOURNAL! I read the other day that the number one reason that people don’t journal is that they do not believe that they are creative enough to write anything. I was flabbergasted. How could that be? Well, without direction, we can convince ourselves that we aren’t very special. But you are! God made no mistake when He made the wonderful you. Journaling is a simple task, that when intentionally inserted into our daily ROUTINES, it will remind us of the wonderful things we are capable of and help us stay on a course for extraordinary lives. It can be as simple as answering 5 questions.

• PRAY with the the kind of faith that moves mountains. Don’t get caught up in the ritual you think is necessary. Don’t lose sight that God has given you access to Him directly and don’t forget that He cannot wait to hear from you. PRAY Big. PRAY with Faith. PRAY with specificity. And record your prayers and how the Divine answers them. You will be so glad that you took a few moments each morning to open your personalized chat room with the Divine and can keep chatting with Him all day long.

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These four ROUTINES can come together and form a new 10-15 minute ROUTINE that will radically change the trajectory of your days. I know that to be true in my own life, and I guarantee you that it will be true in your life as well.

That’s why I built a brand new resource that combines these four disciplines into one simple, daily ROUTINE. It’s called POWER ROUTINES. It is a beautiful way to intentionally chart a new and better course for your life.

Chart a new and better course for your day by day world with a NEW POWER ROUTINE.

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Yes, that was indeed a shameless plug for my new book.

AChuck

Five Lessons Learned in London by ACHUCKAllen

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I love London! It had been more than twenty-five years since I was last in that great city. Like most parts of the westernized world, there had been plenty of changes. But there is still so much history in the city. Here are five lessons that I learned while in London-Town.

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1. Lifelong friendships are gifts from the Lord. John and Dawn McDowell are those kind of folks. They opened their home to us and (as usual) were so very gracious. It was like we could pick up right where we left off and their kindness continues to bless us after all these years. When the Lord gifts you with these kind of friends, don’t take them for granted. They are blessings and cherished gifts in your life.
2. The pomp and circumstance of the Royal Family is fascinating to me. And seems to remain fascinating to London’s high society and common people as well. The palace and changing of the guard and all of the history made (both good and bad) in thast building is, as the Brit’s might say, “quite brilliant.” And yet, after all these years, it is still pomp and circumstance. Like millions of others, I was caught up in the fact that the Queen was in the great house and we were there watching something happen. Somehow, so many other things left a more meaningful remembrance on my life. I don’t want to become pomp nor circumstance, but I’m still a sucker for Royal history.
3. I learned what an Evensong service is. On Wednesday evening, we attended an Evensong service at Westminster Abbey with about one hundred other folks. We actually sat in the quire as part of the choir. This Evensong was broken into three parts, all of which were sung or chanted depending on your viewpoint. First was the lectionary readings (sung), then the music (sung) and the prayers (sung). There was no emotion, no real reply to the Lord as an act of worship, but it was really quite beautiful, in an ancient faith kinda way. I found myself simultaneously bored stiff and deeply moved. Bored with the many man created rituals and moved by the fact that at various historical times people gathered in that great old cathedral to ask God’s favor and to celebrate His goodness. What a shame that it stands today as a museum, not a house of soul-stirring worship.
4. Culture isn’t always moving in a negative direction. I found people in London to be quite friendly and gracious. I saw people in need and people trying to help people in need. With the hundreds of dollars spent on London Cabbies, they were all helpful and friendly. Sometimes you see what you are looking for.
5. Hamilton is the greatest show in modern theatre. We had the privilege to see Hamilton for the second time, once in Atlanta and now in London. This is a fabulous show that let’s the viewer experience the history of our early days as a nation. I thought the actors, score, choreography and theatre were fantastic. If you can ever find your way to see this great production, make sure you take that opportunity. It was a bonus that I got to see it in England. That’s just the cherry on top of the cake! Thanks Jenny for saving up so we could do that!

Have the Greatest Day!

AChuck

Four Lessons from Amsterdam, by ACHUCKAllen

I recently spent a few days in Amsterdam with Jenny, Samantha and Abby. While there, we were able to spend some quality time with our oldest daughter, Amy, her husband Ben and our grandsons, William, Ford and Bo. It was a quick trip that also included a few days in London as well (Five Lessons from London in tomorrow’s post).

While the visit with grandsons and the charm of the Old City was awesome, I was also reminded of four lessons from my time back in Amsterdam.

1. We all need a superstructure for our foundation. The city of Amsterdam is built on top of water…quite literally. The original builders drove wooden piers into the water and muck until they hit solid ground, some 25 meters or more. Then built four and five story homes on top of them. Which worked great until the water receded over the years and exposed the water logged wooden piers to oxygen, thus creating sinking homes. You can tour the canals and see homes that at several feet out of square, but have had the superstructure foundation rebuilt at great cost to stop the slide. That’s so true with us as well. With no rock solid belief and faith system as our foundation, we tend to slowly rot and slide into oblivian, often at great cost to those we love the most and at the expense of our own good.

2. The CHURCH has slipped away into nothingness. As our tour boat floats softly thgrough the canals, the tour guide points out that we are entering”the red light district.” It’s much ado about nothing really, but it is the Netherland’s version of sin city. And right at the end of the red light district is an ancient church where our guide says is known as “a convenience.” “You, can sin all you like and find forgiveness right here at the church nextdoor, although I know nothing about the church.” God help us from hanging on to faithless tradition and man made foolishness at the cost of irrelevance and insignificance.

3. Family should always matter. The time to travel from Atlanta to Amsterdam was costly, and came at an inconvenient time. Honestly, I was sweating bullets as we prepared to leave town for the ten-day trip. The reality was that everything will be waiting upon my return and I have a great team of leaders that I serve beside to more than hold the fort down! But the bigger reminder was that once I got to my daughters home and wrestled around with the grandboys, everything else took a backseat. You know why? Because family matters! Now, to remember that back home!

4. I love my country! The Netherlands and the United Kingdom are beautiful, but there is no place quite like the USofA. I know we have a divided country. I know we are fighting our demons and most of them we have created, but this land of the free and homne of the brave is still the greatest place on planet earth. I need to remember that. And! I need to remind many of you of that fact. We are far from perfect, and we are treading on so many slivers of thin ice these days, BUT, we are still free. We are still relivent, and we are still standing for freedoms that greatly frustrate me. BUT, we are the United States of America. Seeing how Europe has struggled with so many issues should remind us that our founding fathers had a reason to build this republic as they did. It was for the purpose of FREEDOM!

Join me tomorrow for “5 Lessons Learned in London.”

Peace, AChuck

Hold On to Your Emotions-You’re better than that!

By ACHUCKAllen

Hold On to Your Emotions
By ACHUCKAllen

I’M SO ANGRY!!

It was a perfect storm.

I’d gone hard at work trying to fit two weeks into three days. Attempting to get out of the country and keep some degree of sanity for your return is not so simple…at least for me.

We got to the airport after fighting Atlanta traffic a bit late. We checked our bags and got through security. If you know anything about Atlanta Hartsfield Maynard Jackson International Airport, you know that the TSA agents in security are not exactly sweet tea and pound cake. They’re more like prune juice and rotten eggs. We made it through, grabbed a bite and got to the gate to board, only to have a problem with Sam and Abby’s ticket. Delta was less than helpful. Actually, they were incredibly unhelpful. Seriously, they were so terrible that I lost it!

I let my emotions get the best of me. Come on Chuck! I know better!

But I did. I got loud, rude, bossy, arrogant and just angry!

And guess what happened. Nothing good. My family thought I was going to stroke out. Then Jenny thought I was losing my mind. The Delta folks truly couldn’t have cared less. I was truly stressing everybody past the point of toleration.

I should have remembered these four things that I know to be true about managing our emotions.

1. Your sense of urgency is rarely translated to other folks, no matter how your attempt to convey it. You are always better off attempting to help them solve the problem. Don’t waste your energy or oxygen on fixing blame. Always redirect that energy toward fixing that problem. You will be better received and repaid.

2. Faithfully remember that your testimony and faith are on trial. Honestly, this pastor was not the shining light on a hill that evening at the Delta gate. You can never totally repair a public explosion of emotional anger. This is the real deal. Don’t sell yourself the lie that they deserve it and you’ll feel better after unloading your emotional clip. They probably don’t and you certainly will not.

3. Stop and breathe. Your health is literally being flushed down the toilet when your emotions run wild. Your blood pressure, anxiety and digestion will demand a higher price than you can pay. Don’t follow my lead, stop and breathe!

4. Your angry self is never, ever your best self. For a guy that works diligently on become a better me, I took several steps backward in my anger and frustration. I can recover, but it feels as though I am having to re-plow a field that I’ve plowed before.

So, the next time you are on the edge of emotional explosion, STOP and remember these four truths.

I feel better now, but I really regret the worst side of me being exposed. You are far better at this than me, but I trust that this is be a helpful reminder for you. I would appreciate your thoughts. Shoot me an email at chuck@achuckallen.com

Peace, AChuck

College Cheaters by ACHUCKAllen

Seriously! Already wealthy parents that have been paying massive amounts of money to bribe and cheat the system to get their kids into elite colleges is just insane.

As if we didn’t know that this world was a mess, we discover that the Justice Department is having to invest time and energy into prosecuting more than 700 parents that have spent between $205,000 and $6.5m to have someone else take their kids SAT, or falsify resumes. It’s so bad that they actually photoshopped athletic and civil service pics that would make their kid “seem more attractive” to schools like Georgetown , Yale, Stanford and the likes. And at least one set of parents paid to have their kids pic taken to photoshop them into the coxswain position in a rowing team to get their kid into Southern Cal. What?

While we that cannot imagine such money and deceptive actions, and are appalled by this idiocy, we might also want to take a look at what we have allowed youth sports and academic competitions become.

We start our kids in youth sports before they are in kindergarten, commit to one sport by middle school, and travel around the country attempting to prove that our kid is worthy of some scouts attention.

Much of our freak-out about this story is the money used. The same things happen at almost every level, but the effort, bribery and deception is lessened.

What might happen if we let kids just play. And if they are in organized sports or academic competitions, just take the stakes down a bit? I think we would have far less fear, anxiety and pressure on boys and girls that deserve a chance to grow up learning how to cope without pro style competition at age 8.

I’m all about playing ball. I played everything you could play. But can we take the drama and stress down a few notches?

And in regard to the ongoing Hollywood script of these wealthy cheaters, go ahead and be appalled, as I am. But use it to look deep in the mirror and ask if you are doing the same thing with you kid…with a lot less money. Or maybe, the same money over the course of their youth.

Sorry. This just drove me nuts.

You can read more on this story here.

Peace, AChuck