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20 Ridiculously Simple Truths

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by Chuck Allen
September 9, 2021

  1. Life is complicated, fight for simplicity.
  2. Witholding forgiveness will cost you more than you want to pay.
  3. People that work for TSA in airports are most likely a pain in the butt.
  4. Anybody can be a jerk. Don’t be anybody.
  5. Shopping at IKEA on the weekend is not a good idea. Actually, shopping at IKEA anytime is a bad idea.
  6. Aaron Burr was right when he declared, “Talk less – Smile More.”
  7. Don’t wait for the perfect time to chase your dreams. Chase today!
  8. Time is far more valuable than money. You can make more money, but you cannot manufacture more time.
  9. Life is far too short and precious to spend it angry and bitter.
  10. Crap happens to everybody. Don’t look for it, but don’t be surprised by it.
  11. It’s perfectly fine to not have any presence on social media – bless you!
  12. You’ll never like everybody and not everybody will like you.
  13. Church should be a place of peace, not a place of strife. Find a church at peace.
  14. There is no such thing as a perfect church. If there was, we would all join it and mess it up.
  15. Most people should not wear spandex.
  16. Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so. Plus, He proves it every single day.
  17. If you help others succeed, someone will help you succeed.
  18. Leadership equals influence, but what influences the leader is the key.
  19. Jesus was right, and is still right – If you want to be great, you must first become a servant.
  20. Not every bride, nor every baby is pretty or cute.

Please let me know your favorite numbers here: chuck@achuckallen.com

BOOM!
Peace, AChuck

Be sure to listen in to today’s Positive Talk Podcast

Is it Really Okay to Not be Okay?

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AChuckAllen.com

Mental health seems to be all the rage these days. Athletes, artists, actors, and stars are opening up with statements like, “it’s okay not to be okay.”

But for us mere mortals, is it really okay to not be okay?

I’m not attempting to be snarky in my question. I’m suggesting that for the bulk of our human landscape, it’s still very much not okay to be not okay.

While I want to believe that I am wrong, ask yourself how safe you feel about divulging to your boss or buddies that you are struggling with depression, self-harm, anxiety, or any number of mental or emotional health issues?

I took a few days off over Labor Day weekend and, upon returning, found myself overwhelmed at the number of needs, challenges, calls, and expectations. Just writing that makes my skin crawl. Not because of the requirements, challenges, rings, or expectations, but because of the folks that will be placing varying degrees of guilt, shame, or assumptive qualifications upon me.

You may not be that person with those guilt-ridden thoughts, but we all know that they are there.

Maybe you wrestle with some of the same struggles that I do. Perhaps you feel like there is nowhere to turn. If so, or if you know someone struggling, here are three next steps that can help…I promise.

1. Take three minutes right now and pray. That’s right, pray. Not with your “fake holy voice.” Just ask God to calm your soul, settle your spirit, still your mind, and give you truth-filled wisdom.

2. Send a text to a trusted friend, and ask them to have coffee because you need someone to chat with. If you do not have that person in your life right now, do these two things: 1) Go back to number one and add to your prayer that the Divine would place that person in your life. And 2) Reach out to a counselor or therapist. I know that can be challenging. That’s why my friend Julie Homrich and I have built a place that you can seek and find help and privately. Just go to ClearPath Counseling and invest less than ten minutes in completing your free assessment.

I’m not sure why I struggle with these things. I wish that I didn’t. If you are one of the 4,500 plus’s church members of the church that I pastor, you might be thinking (as I’ve been told), “we don’t want to know about our pastor’s struggles.

I am, however, now okay with admitting that, at times, I am certainly not okay. I’ve learned the truly amazing power of prayer. I’ve learned how little the Divine cares about the “how-to” of prayer. I’ve learned and experienced how simple yet significant the act of “chatting” with my Creator. I have also been blessed with a couple of dear friends, an unbelievably gracious wife, and the kindness of an exceptional therapist.

You might not be okay, not being okay. But you should know that I know how much your Creator truly, deeply, earnestly loves you and wants to chat with you, especially when you are not okay. That’s how I know firsthand about His love. In my most not okay moments, He’s listened to my deepest “not okayness.”

It might not feel safe for you to share your own “not okayness” with someone in your circle right now, but open your head and heart to a conversation with God. You probably still need a counselor or therapist, but He’s the best. The very best at listening to our lack of okayness.

May peace be yours this day.

May joy become your normal.

May hope reign on the throne of your heart.

May tomorrow be better than okay.

Peace, Chuck

ClearPathCounseling.org

4forFRIDAY Labor Day Weekend Edition

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READ, LISTENS, LEARNING & REVIEWS

Here is Your 4forFRIDAY for September 3, 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 Great Read: The Way of the Seal Think like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed

Blending the tactics he learned from America’s elite force with lessons from the Spartans, samurai, Apache scouts, and other great warrior traditions, Mark Divine has distilled the fundamentals of success into eight powerful principles that will transform you into the leader you always knew you could be.

A Great Link with Helpful Google Hacks.

8 Googling tricks to turn you into a pro searcher.

An Awesome New Gadget: Hydroflask Water Bottle

I love this water bottle. It is outperforming my older YETI by hours of cold water. Be sure to get the sip straw drink lid with it and the rubberized bottom accessories.

An Excellent Read: Reimagining Collaboration: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and the Post-COVID World of Work

Blame ignorance, not malice. With rare exception, organizations, executives, and rank-and-file employees have historically worked in piecemeal fashions. They have lacked a holistic framework to fully understand the remarkable power of these applications, much less unleash them.

A Powerful Quote from Rabbi Abraham Heschel

“We teach children how to measure and how to weigh. We fail to teach them how to revere, how to sense wonder and awe.”

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

Episode 4 of THE POSITIVE TALK PODCAST – Integrating Faith and Psychology with Julie Homrich and Chuck Allen – A Weekly Dose of Positivity, Encouragement, and Enlightenment. I think you’ll love this new format!

Go in Peace, Chuck

Reacting to Global Crises

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August 31, 2021

Let’s face it, this world is in a mess. Afghanistan, Southern Border, COVID-19, Hurricane Ida, Western Fires. Oh, my stars!

The world has gone mad. And in the middle of all the chaos, we humans have grown more angry, anxious, and intemperate. Don’t hear me say that I’m not joining you. I am most definitely angrier, more anxious, and certainly more intemperate these days.

If you wear a mask, you’re humiliated. If you don’t wear a mask, you are insensitive. If you vaccinate, you love your neighbor, if you don’t, you are selfish. If you voted red, you hate gay people and black people. If you vote blue, you don’t love America.

In a world that is in desperate need of solutions, we have become a nation of whiners and finger pointers! Never before, have we been so divided, on so many different issues.

I find that people who claim to be Christians are often at the center of the fight. I often see people that have been forgiven and redeemed by the sacrificial death of Jesus, the Christ pointing the same fingers, screaming the same diatribe, and succumbing to the ridiculous rhetoric of the right, left, up, or down leaning of the crowd of choice.

Friends, it doesn’t have to be so. Much of the angst and anger we experience and share is rooted in fear. Fear that people don’t agree with us. Fear that the world has lost its way. Fear that things will never be better. Fear that we will never be enough or amount to anything. Some of us are experiencing fear in such a way that we are fire hydrants of anxiety and hate, spewing out our anger, anxiety, and fear on all who walk in front of us.

There is a better way! But it requires us all to answer a question. What do you think of, when you think about God?

AW Tozer once stated,
“What comes into our minds when we think about God
is the most important thing about us.”

I believe that is absolutely true. It also makes the case for the fact that there is a better way! But you have to settle on what you believe about God. It’s that simple.

Once again, it is of the utmost importance!

If you do not believe that God created you with a spirit of power, love, and sound mind, then you will continue to believe that you were created with a spirit of fear and timidity.

Paul, author of a large part of the Bible’s New Testament wrote to his understudy, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 1:7 that “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline.

I get it. You might be saying, Chuck, I do not need some preacher lobbing a bible verse hand grenade at me. Here is the good news. The same God that created you and wired you into the unique human that you are today, is the same God the created you with the ability to change the way you think and renew your mind!

You can literally change the way you think because you have been given the spirit of power, not fear. You’ve been given the spirit of love, not hate. And you’ve been given the spirit of a sound mind and self-discipline, not chaos. All of that is evidence that you can quite literally change the way you think about the way you think!

My friend, Julie Homrich is a psychotherapist, and one of the brightest people that I’ve ever met. She calls thinking about we think, metacognition. I call it the 2-step of change. Stop and face reality, then change the way you think about it. Get it? Stop and think! Take all the problems in the world and just stop and think about how you see them and how you are reacting to them.

  1. Can you change the outcomes of any of them today? If not, then pray for them. If yes, what 2 things will you do today to help resolve the problem?
  2. Does your opinion on the matter help discover a solution to the problem? If yes, then by all means, share! If no, then take that anxiety and pressure of your plate.
  3. Are you holding on to the news, the worst case scenarios, or the what-ifs? then write those down and leave them on your nightstand. Before you call it a day, just offer up this simple prayer to the Creator. God, I do not understand all that is happening, but I want to be a part of solving, not complaining. Give me wisdom and protect the people in the line of this problem with your care and your love. Amen. Then leave it all with Him.

You do not have to live in doubt, fear, or timidity. But you also do not have to live in anxiety, stress, and anger. Especially if you cannot directly own that solution or problem yourself!

Because you were not given fear and timidity by your Creator. Then where did it come from?

Satan would love to convince you of your fears and insecurities. He would love to keep you locked up in emotional knots over crises found across the world.

But God has given you POWER, LOVE, and SELF-DISCIPLINE! Don’t fall for the bait! You can live in peace, even through all of the storms we face in this life. It’s a matter of what you think about, when you think about God.

Peace, Chuck

4forFRIDAY

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READ, LISTENS, LEARNING & REVIEWS

Here is Your 4forFRIDAY for August 27, 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 New Podcast the I Launched with Julie Homrich, LPC: Positive Talk Podcast

In a world filled with negativity, anxiety, and fear, this weekly podcast offers hope, help, and healing. Integrating faith and psychology, Positive Talk Podcast is a breath of fresh air. Listen in HERE.

A Really Good Article from INC: Why Disruptive Innovation Doesn’t Work and What Strategy to Use Instead

Just about everyone wants innovation. We’ve seen the casualties of disruption: Kodak, Blockbuster, Borders, BlackBerry. And most of us want to avoid a similar fate ourselves. Better yet, we want to reap the benefits of being a disrupter — like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple.

A Great Restaurant in Peachtree Corners: BaBellies

I am not a big fan of Asian food, but this Vietnamese joint in Peachtree Corners might change my mind! Fresh food and such delicious taste. Don’t laugh, but I had the best chicken wings of my life at BaBellies!

One of My Favorite Authors Offers a Weekly, 6 Minute Read: James Clear/3-2-1

I love this guy! His 3-2-1 article every week is so good. I guarantee you that you’ll like this simple, easy read –

“Being yourself is a continuous effort. There is always another expectation placed upon you, another person pulling you toward their preferences, another nudge from society to act a certain way. It’s a daily battle to be yourself, not merely what the world wants you to be.”

A Powerful Quote from JAMES CLEAR

“Don’t feel qualified? Nobody does. You can only be qualified to do that which you have already accomplished or trained for. Anything new is accomplished by unqualified people.”

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

Episode 3 of THE POSITIVE TALK PODCAST – Integrating Faith and Psychology with Julie Homrich and Chuck Allen – A Weekly Dose of Positivity, Encouragement, and Enlightenment. I think you’ll love this new format!

Go in Peace, Chuck

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

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READ, LISTENS, LEARNING & REVIEWS

Here is Your 4forFRIDAY for August 20, 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 Brief Article that Every Believer Should Read: Rest in God’s Faithfulness, Not Yours

Think about this. The One who created and controls the world, the One who is the ultimate definition of what is loving, true, and good, and the One who alone has the power to finally defeat sin has chosen, because of his grace, to wrap his arms of faithful love and protection around you, and he will not let you go. You can take your life off your shoulders because God has placed it on his. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t matter how you live, but that your security is not found in your faithfulness, but in his.

One of the Most Significant Books that I’ve Read in my Lifetine: The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom

It’s not light reading, but it is so incredibly insightful. What a perfect picture of where America is today!
In these stormy times, loud voices from all fronts call for revolution and change. But what kind of revolution brings true freedom to both society and the human soul? Cultural observer Os Guinness explores the nature of revolutionary faith, contrasting secular revolutions such as the French Revolution and the faith-led revolution of ancient Israel. He argues that the story of Exodus is the highest, richest, and deepest vision for freedom in human history.

A Candy So Good, You’ll be Shopping at the SuperMercardo: SUPER TURRON SUPERCOCO ALL NATURAL COCONUT CANDY 

Sugar Hill Español gifted me a basket of Latin Goodies last week and this was a sweet treat! I think you’lll love it! A sweet, but natural snack imported from Columbia

A Great Business Read: Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership: How to Make a Difference Regardless of Your Title, Role, or Authority

A book about leadership for people who are not in formal or hierarchical leadership positions, Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership provides readers with a comprehensive and practical approach to addressing leadership challenges, no matter the setting or circumstance. Esteemed scholars and sought-after consultants Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner adapt their trademark The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® framework to today’s more horizontal workplace, showing people that leadership is not about where you are in the organization; it’s about how you behave and what you do.

Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership draws on the authors’ deep well of research and practical experience to cover key subjects:

  • The essence of making a difference in any role, setting, or situation 
  • The difference between positions of authority and leadership
  • The importance of self-development in leadership development

A Powerful Quote from RUMI

If the house of the world is dark,
Love will find a way to create windows.

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

Episode 2 of 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!

Go in Peace, Chuck