Achuckallen

Instigating Better

4ForFriday

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

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Week 29 of 2023 is almost in the books. It’s been a week full of travel to Northern Michigan with dear friends. This is a most beautiful part of our country and We have enjoyed the cool temperatures, slower pace, and gorgeous scenery. I trust you are ready for a great weekend. Thank you for joining me each week for the 4forFRIDAY.

This Week’s 4forFRIDAY

A great slideshow from Crosswalk: 10 Verses about Fear and Anxiety to Remind Us God Is in Control

A movie we should all see: Sound of Freedom

Another movie we enjoyed more than I expected: Mission Impossible; Dead Reckoning Part One

An interesting and helpful article: The Simple Secret to Letting Go of a Grudge

A Quote from Coach Kirby Smart on Leadership
“Number one, you will have to make hard decisions that negatively affect people you care about. Number two, you will be disliked despite your best attempts to do the best for the most. Number three, you will be misunderstood and won’t always have the opportunity to defend yourself. Those are three costs that come from being a great leader.”

Go in Peace, Chuck

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

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Week 28 of 2023 is almost in the books. It’s been a week full of travel to the Yucatán Peninsula. While there, we dug a water well and helped plant a new church. They are amazing people. You can read about what we did in the Yuatán if you want to know more about it here. Enjoy the long days and warm weather. I trust you are ready for a great weekend. Thank you for joining me each week for the 4forFRIDAY.

This Week’s 4forFRIDAY

One of the best books that I have ever read: “Raised to Stay” by Natalie Runion

A really good article from Crosswalk: 10 Verses about Fear and Anxiety to Remind Us God Is in Control

A Restaurant that I loved! Secreto, in Brookhaven
Don’t miss the fried chicken!!

An interesting article: Feeling Exhausted by Your Friends? Here’s How To Identify Social Burnout Symptoms and Ways To Cope

A Quote from Jon Foreman
“The easiest thing to do is throw a rock. It’s a lot harder to create a stained-glass window. I used to get upset at the people who threw rocks, but now I’d rather spend my time building the stained-glass windows.” 

Go in Peace, Chuck

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

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Week 27 of 2023 is almost in the books. It’s been a week full of storms and celebrating our nations birthday. Summer is in full swing as we are more than halfway through 2023. Enjoy the long days and warm weather. I trust you are ready for a great weekend. Thank you for joining me each week for the 4forFRIDAY.

This Week’s 4forFRIDAY

The new season of Jack Ryan from Prime Video is so good.

A really solid article: Nolan Ryan Energy from the Art of Manliness

A set of journals that are truly life changing: Therapy Notebooks

An interesting podcast that strives to solve a murder in Louisiana: Gone South. Season One, Who Killed Margaret Coon

A Quote from former Vice-President Walter Mondale :
“If you are sure you understand everything that is going on, you are hopelessly confused.”

Go in Peace, Chuck

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

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Week 26 of 2023 is almost in the books. It’s been a week full of accomplishments and challenges. Fighting through a little pneumonia but feeling better. Summer is in full swing as we are halfway through 2023. Enjoy the long days and warm weather. I trust you are ready for a great weekend. I read this the other day and think that it will encourage you.

“Faith is not for overcoming obstacles; it is for experiencing them—all the way through!” — Richard Rohr

This Week’s 4forFRIDAY

A Restaurant We Loved and Enjoyed the Best Chilean Sea Bass: Rumi’s Kitchen

A Fast-Paced, Energetic and Fun Movie on Prime Video: Kandahar

A Summer Travel Article as You Fly: Was your flight canceled amid bad weather? What you need to know about rebooking, refunds and more

A Powerful Book from Chris Hodges: What’s Next

A Quote from Piglet from Winnie the Pooh
“The things that make me different are the things that make me.”

Go in Peace, Chuck

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

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Week 25 of 2023 is almost in the books. It’s been a week of fun as Sugar Hill Church hosted hundreds of kids at Vacation Bible School. It is still one of the purest forms of ministry and community for families and kids! I trust you are ready for a great weekend. I read this the other day and think that it will encourage you.

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu

This Week’s 4forFRIDAY

A GREAT Article from Crosswalk: 10 Steps to Healing from Spiritual Trauma

A Fun 8-Part Series from Netflix: FUBAR

5 Leadership Killers
As you keep your ear to the ground and listen to your people, the following are five things you should be constantly monitoring:

  • Lack of Unified Leadership – Disunity, or fragmented leadership, can destroy a leader’s influence.  The results are competing voices and agendas.  Factions are formed, and certain individuals will attempt to fill the leadership vacuum.
  • Lack of Vision – Without vision, your people and teams walk around aimlessly.  Often, people will line up behind another charismatic leader or whatever vision appears the most compelling.
  • Lack of Urgency – Because there is a lack of vision, there is a corresponding lack of urgency.  Nothing exists worth sacrificing or investing your life in.  Movement and advancement stop.
  • Lack of Trust – This results from continually missed expectations or broken promises.  You must combat this by getting a series of small wins.  Declare victory anywhere you can and start rebuilding trust.
  • Lack of Financial Resources – Proverbs 29:18 famously says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (KJV)  John Maxwells adds that where there are no resources, the vision perishes.  Ministry, organizational progress, solutions to our greatest problems, and life change cost money.  Financial resources fuel your future.

A Really Fun Novel: The Escape by David Baldacci

A Quote from St. Athanasius of Alexandria
“You cannot put straight in others what is warped in yourself.”

Go in Peace, Chuck

4forFRIDAY with Chuck Allen

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Week 24 of 2023 is almost in the books. It’s been a week of surprises, frustrations, and awesome victories. I trust you are ready for a great weekend. I read this the other day and trust that it will encourage you.

“When I see only scarcity, I miss the fact that every single one of us has been gifted with abundance. With creativity, heart, love, passion, wonder, gentleness, helpfulness, caring, kindness, tenderness, restoration, and a shoulder to lean on (for crying or for dancing, depending on the mood at the time). This is the paradigm of Sufficiency.” —Terry Hershey

This Week’s 4forFRIDAY

A GREAT Article from Crosswalk: How to Find Biblical Joy When You Face Uncertainty

An Article Every Leader Should Read from Carey Nieuwhof: Exhaustion is the Gateway Drug To Moral Failure + 6 Other Shocking Consequences

A Super-Helpful Gadget: EarBrite Water Powered Ear Cleaner

A Really Good Book: The Empathy Advantage: Leading the Empowered Workforce

A Quote from Alexander Hamilton
“A fondness for power is implanted in most men, and it is natural to abuse it when acquired.”

Go in Peace, Chuck