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How many disasters have been averted because one person refused to buckle under the strain? It’s this kind of composure Paul is summoning when he says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:5-6 NIV).

The Greek word translated here as “gentleness” describes a temperament that’s seasoned and mature.  It envisions an attitude fitting to the occasion, levelheaded and tempered. This gentleness is “evident to all.” Family members take note. Your friends sense a difference. Coworkers benefit from it.  The gentle person is sober minded and clear thinking. The contagiously calm person is the one who reminds others God is in control.

Pursue this gentleness. The Lord is near. You are not alone. You may feel alone. You may think you’re alone. But there is never a moment in which you face life without help. God is near—be anxious for nothing!

Read more Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

In one of her novels, Toni Morrison tells the story of Nel and Sula, girlfriends since childhood. But the friendship frays as Sula’s self-centeredness grows, culminating in her seducing Nel’s husband. “Why didn’t you think about me?” Nel asks Sula. “Didn’t I count?” Sadly, Sula doesn’t even care enough to answer.

As anyone who’s experienced it knows, the pain of a friend’s betrayal is hard to rival. King David felt such “malice and abuse” when a political conspiracy of “threats and lies” engulfed him (Psalm 55:10-11). The worst part was who was behind it. “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it,” he says. “But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend” (vv. 12-13).

How should we respond to such betrayal? While David takes his turmoil to God (vv. 16, 20), he prays retribution will fall on his betraying friend (v. 15). We see a different approach taken by Jesus. Faced with Judas’ betrayal, he says, “Do what you came for, friend,” refusing to retaliate in kind (Matthew 26:49-50).

Can a friendship recover from betrayal? Only if the offended can stay open to reconciliation and the offender proves their repentance over time. Sula’s lack of remorse means Nel must walk away. May God empower us to treasure our friendships and swiftly make amends for any hurt we cause.

Most Christian leaders believe they value women's full contribution — but the structures working against that belief are often invisible until someone measures them.

Leaders in Christian-led organizations are facing a quiet retention problem: women disengaging not over pay, but over voice, access, and influence. This episode unpacks how ordinary policies — job descriptions, meeting habits, mentorship norms — can unintentionally exclude women from decision-making, and why leaders often don't see it until someone brings the data.

You'll Gain Insight On:

• Why structural bias hides inside well-intentioned policies
• What BCW's engagement data reveals about how women experience culture differently
• Practical personal, relational, and structural habits that close the gap
• Early signs of quiet disengagement leaders often miss

Subscribe to Called to Flourish and share this conversation with a fellow leader. Access full show notes, resources, and transcript at: https://workplaces.org/podcast/women-arent-leaving-over-pay-theyre-leaving-because-no-ones-listening

Every business wants raving fans. But most end up with something weaker: people who buy once or twice and then move on. In a competitive market, brands that try to please everyone get ignored. When a company doesn't stand for anything, customers have no reason to care. The brands people truly love give customers something bigger than a product. They create a sense of identity, belonging, and trust. People start to feel like they are part of something. And when that happens, customers stick around, tell their friends, and defend the brand.

So what makes people care enough about a brand to proudly stand behind it? In this episode, Donald Miller explains the psychology behind brands that develop loyal, cult-like followings. He shares examples from brands like Milwaukee Tool and RRL to show how strong brands attract loyal customers by clearly standing for something and pushing back against an enemy. Don also looks at public figures like Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Taylor Swift to explain how strong beliefs, clear identity, and shared rituals build devoted communities. Tune in to learn how taking a clear stand can turn your customers into loyal evangelists of your brand.

Ready to clarify your message and grow your business?

Attend StoryBrand Your Business LIVE to learn how to explain what you do in a way customers instantly understand:
https://storybrand.com/live/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=sbyourbusiness&utm_term=sbpod&utm_content=SB_workshop 

Visit StoryBrand.com for business training, messaging tools, and resources to help you grow:
https://storybrand.com/?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=storybrand&utm_term=sbpod&utm_content=SB_home 

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Figure out your business’s next steps in a free consult call with an EntreLeadership® team member.

You don’t lose your business overnight—you drift there. 

In this episode, John Felkins sits down with Brian Buffini, bestselling author and world-renowned business coach, to show you how to recognize the subtle habits pulling you off course—and how to return to the routines, priorities and disciplines that made you successful.

Next Steps:

·      Watch our video Why High Achievers End Up Burned Out and Lonely (With Dr. Arthur Brooks).

·      Have a question for the show? Call 844-944-1070 or send us a message.

·      ✉️ Become a better leader in six minutes a week. Get tactical tips sent to your inbox every Friday.

·      Don’t wing it. Get a coach that helps you lead and grow with confidence. 

·      Attend EntreLeadership Summit.

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·      Order Dave’s book, Build a Business You Love.

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Sometime ago I made a special visit to the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem. I wanted to see the handwritten lyrics that hang on the wall, framed and visible for all to see. Horatio Spafford wrote them, never imagining they would become the words to one of the world’s best-loved hymns.

On December 2, 1873, he received a telegram from his wife that began, “Saved alone. What shall I do?” The ship she was on had collided with another ship and had sunk. Their four daughters drowned and Anna survived.  While sailing on the ship to bring her home, Spafford wrote the lyrics to a song that would become an anthem to the providence of God. “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say…It is Well with My Soul!”

Read more Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

My friend, Alex, a book editor, checked his inbox, anticipating an angry email from an author. He’d been working with a prominent business leader on his manuscript for months. Unexpectedly, the publisher had decided to halt the publication of the book due to company problems. After emailing the author the bad news, Alex braced himself.

A week later a reply came. “I didn’t answer right away because I wanted to think first about my words and how to respond,” the author wrote. He expressed disappointment, then calmly stated how he thought the publisher could’ve handled the issue.

The author’s wise, measured response left a deep impression on me. His behavior reflected what the Bible says our communication should be like, especially when we’re angry. The apostle James tells us to keep “a tight rein on [our] tongues” because it’s easy to sin with our words (James 1:26; 3:5−6). We’re to prioritize listening to others so we can understand them, choose our words, and consider whether it’s necessary to get angry (1:19).

Not only does restraint in speech help us to avoid sin and allow the Scriptures to change us (v. 21) but it also reflects who God is to others: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Psalm 103:8). Let’s model our loving God with our words—and our silences.

As I gazed at the intricate etching Christ and the Woman of Samaria by Dutch artist Rembrandt, two interesting details caught my eye. The first was Jesus’ humble pose—leaning over, with His hand over His heart—as he addressed the Samaritan woman. By depicting Jesus this way, Rembrandt captured a significant aspect of the biblical story. Due to centuries of hostilities between the two groups, Jews typically did not associate with Samaritans (John 4:9). Yet Jesus reached out with respect and dignity to a woman considered an outcast, not only because of her ethnicity but also because of her checkered past (vv. 17–18).

Jesus knew the woman’s struggles and offered “living water” (v. 10) to satisfy her deepest need—the gift of cleansing and life-giving grace available through a restored relationship with God.

The second detail that caught my eye was the dark shadow covering the woman’s face, symbolizing her initial struggle to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, or Israel’s promised rescuer. When the woman told Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming” (v. 25) and He responded, “I am he” (v. 26), her eyes and heart were opened (v. 29). 

As we encounter people who are spiritually thirsty, Jesus’ example reminds me to speak with humility and kindness, praying for God to remove the shadow that “has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4) so that they can fully understand Jesus’ life-changing offer of living water.

The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II thought so much of himself that he had numerous structures served up in his honor, including many monuments that captured his physical features. One, the colossal statue of Ramesses II, stands thirty-six feet tall and weighs eighty-three tons in all its red-granite glory. Age wasn’t kind to the proud ruler, however. In fact, when he died he was suffering from bad teeth, arthritis, and chronic heart problems. Some of his monuments might last for a while, but—like all mortals—he himself passed.

Absalom, one of King David’s sons, also built “a monument to himself” (2 Samuel 18:18). Fueled by rage from past tragedy (see ch. 13) and selfish ambition, this younger man worked to steal “the hearts of all the people of Israel” (15:6) from his father. When Absalom attempted to pilfer the throne, however, God did not allow him to overpower David, His anointed king (1 Samuel 16:12-13), and David's fighting men (2 Samuel 18:6). In the end, Absalom was killed for his treachery. Although his monument still stood (v. 18), he died humbled and defeated.

Building monuments to ourselves and serving our own pride and desires won’t end well. But as we humbly serve God and love Him well (Philippians 2:3-8), we’ll find true meaning and fulfillment in His presence.