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God is doing incredible things in your life! He is answering beautiful questions, He is surrounding you with providential guidance and opportunities.  The question is:  Are you seeing it?  Sometimes the lighted path is right in front of us, the next person to influence is right beside us, and our eyes are closed. I want to tell you a story from this past weekend.  God would not let me keep my eyes closed to His work.  He opened them with a ray of sunshine.  I am determined to keep those eyes open for the people in my life He has lined up for me to influence in Christ.  To learn more awareness for that, check out "Open Your Eyes."

- How to see the Providential work of God

- How to notice when God is creating an opportunity for you

- How to be more aware of your surroundings and Christian works

- How to prepare to be more evangelistic.

- How to use church services as the perfect place to Open Your Eyes

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This episode is for people who are trying to get better, who are really seeking to excel, but who fall short of that.  I do.  Many people give up when things go poorly.  But those who are really in this war to win it, will not be stopped by a lost battle.  Some people avoid losing battles by quitting the war for growth.  We cannot do that!  Instead, we can use the pain of a single defeat to drive us to resilience and victory in the war!  Excelling in faith is a war against mediocrity and lethargy.  In that war you will have setbacks.  But we'll talk about why we don't give up and how to use defeats to our ultimate advantage!

- How to handle mistakes

- How to bounce back from disappointment

- How do I keep encouraged when things go wrong

- Why is it important that I keep fighting for spiritual growth

- How do I stay engaged in spiritual warfare for the spirit over the flesh

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Teenagers get a bad wrap sometimes.  Largely because their accomplishments are held back by the low expectations our culture puts upon them.  In their book, "Do Hard Things," the Harris brothers enlighten young people to a rebellion against low expectations.  They talk about how to do things that move us past our comfort zones, reach out for support, and sow for long term reaping.  Their book is awesome for teenagers.  And it is also awesome for adults! In fact, our children will learn how to achieve their goals from watching us defy cultural standards and excelling in our faith!  Take a listen to hear Alex and Brett's story, and to try out their 5 tips for getting better.


- Look for things outside your comfort zone

- Don't limit yourself to what is expected or required

- Discover the power of teamwork and partnership

- Built for a better future, not just immediate payoff

- Take pride in being different for the Name of Christ

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Prayer is incredibly important to daily growth and faith.  But sometimes it begins to wane.  Sometimes it becomes difficult to stay focused on God.  Maybe you are praying, and even journaling about prayer items, but still find it difficult to give Him attention and stay engaged for more than just a minute or two.  I deal with that often. I've dealt with that heavily in the past two weeks.  When that happens, it is time to head to the Throne Room of God!  When you can feel the experience of entering His court and bowing before His presence, He captures your attention. Revelation 4 builds a picture that will transform your prayer life in His presence.  Come and see the glory of God and find a new intensity in your prayer life. 

- How to stay focused on God while praying.

- How to enter the Throne Room and experience the presence of the Lord.

- What can help us to block out worldly influences when engaged in daily prayer?

- How to feel connected to God, humble before His majesty when praying.

- What does the Throne Room look like and how do I experience it? 

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Simon Sinek wrote the book "Start with Why." It discusses businesses and advertising and how the proper use of "the Golden Circle" makes all the difference.  If you can learn the same strategy and apply it in your daily tasks and goals, you too can see incredible differences in your achievements.  We often work from the outside in:  WHAT do I want to happen?  Then we decide: HOW can I make that happen?  But we rarely spend time considering the most important question of all: WHY is any of this important to me?  When if we Start with Why, we can let action grow out of passion.  And that produces the most astounding and consistent results!  To learn how to find your Why and see where that can go, check out today's Excel Still More episode.

- How can Simon Sinek's book "Start with Why" help you reach your goals?

- Why do people who know what they want often times comes short of it?

- How does the Golden Circle help us see goal achievement in a new way?

- How do you find your passion and then use that passion to do great things?

- What are the limits to your production if you are driven by clear purpose?

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I like the word "Try." I think it has gotten a bad wrap over the years. But if you are talking about genuine effort to achieve something, whether you succeed or fail, the diligence to try is noble and God sees that!  But sometimes we try things, good things, one time and then give up on them.  In this episode we look at the psychology behind effort, and discuss why it will take at least three tries to properly access the value of something.  We don't mean it will become a habit that quickly.  We mean you'll have a clearer and more reliable ability to determine if it is worth while to pursue it as a habit.  You can "try" this with things related to Faith, Finance, Friendships and Fitness.  Tune in today to learn more!

- How do I push past trying something just one time?

- Why is a first attempt not a reliable source for determining the value of something?

- How is a second attempt much more indicative of a project's value?

- Why is the third try the most telling of all, in terms of growth potential?

- How can you practically apply the three tries in your Christian walk?

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Just about everyone knows how to zip a jacket.  You put the pieces together at the bottom, get it started rightly, and it glides from there.  If you rush it or force it, the jacket will not come together.  In repairing damaged relationships, we sometimes try to rush it or force it.  We sometimes try to fix it all in one moment.  But if you know how to zip a jacket, you know how to fix relationships.  To learn about the connection, and see the simple little step that makes all the difference, check out episode 22:  Zipping the Jacket!

- How do you get on the same page in a relationship that has had trouble?

- How does the start to unity determine the finish?

- Why is a patient and intentional first step so important?

- How to unite in things you never thoughts you'd agree on.

- How to use "zipping the jacket" in your marriage and family.

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I used to think that affirmations were not cool!  I mean, what good is it sitting in front of a mirror saying nice things about yourself?  Well, I've got news for you: affirmations are very cool. At least, when understand through our connection with Jesus Christ.  We can believe in Jesus to the fullest.  But if we do not also believe in ourselves, and the strength we have because of Him, problems and failure will persist.  But with affirmation comes healthy and powerful confidence, and through this God is greatly honored!  To learn about how "bowties are cool" and "affirmations are cool" check out today's episode!

- How to use affirmations to strengthen your resolve.

- Why are affirmations cool and useful for everyone.

- How to connect God's power to your own.

- How to create accountability in your day through affirmations.

- What are the most effective affirmations in Scripture you can use today?

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Christians are optimists.  We know the Lord is with us and we always expect the best.  And yet, many of those same Christians struggle with Worry.  Why is that?  Well, maybe it's because we are so prayerful about it going right, that we haven't prepared ourselves to handle it going poorly.  And the fear of it not working out can be crushing for people.  In Dale Carnegie's book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, he identifies one sure fire way to be content day after day, situation after situation, no matter the outcome.  Check it out in today's podcast: Accepting the Worst!

- How can Dale Carnegie help you avoid worry every day?

- How to expect the best and accept the worst at the same time.

- How to look ahead and potential issues and handle them before they even happen.

- What can you do to accept less than ideal outcomes?

- How can you improve on poor results with patience and wisdom?

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Everybody talks about gratitude!  I mean, everyone from the preacher on Sunday to your favorite self-help agnostic guru. And while everyone says it will make all the difference in the world... it won't.  At least, not at level 1.  It turns out, there are 3 levels to great gratitude.  When we can get our thankfulness, our appreciation, to that third level, we will truly see a renovation in our spirit that leads to incredible optimism and accomplishment!  To raise your gratitude up to the top level, check out today's episode!

- How to be grateful in a productive way.

- What is gratitude and how does it fuel your spirit for growth?

- How do we get to level three gratitude in our daily walk?

- How to connect thankfulness and the returning of thanks to God.

- How to let gratitude invigorate every other thing you have to do today.