LifeLift

Relationships are the currency of those who live in the realm of their inherent greatness. Walking in healthy relationships with whole people is essential to living your purpose…

🚌 BUSINESS example =

In the book Good to Great, Jim Collins studied the factors that made companies— working in the same time period with identical market conditions and opportunities— excel towards “greatness” while others plateaued at “good.” This was a change, because— until that time— most compared the great to the bad. He wanted to identify the determining factors that helped some companies “level up.”

Here’s what he discovered:

The “good” companies first charted their vision (the WHAT), their mission (the HOW), and even their values (the WHY). They evaluated organizational structure and titles…

… and, though these seem like the things they SHOULD focus on, the “great” companies did something counter-intuitive.

They first built a team. They got the right people together.

Collins likened the companies to a “bus.” He said that whereas most companies were enamored with the color an destination and seating arrangement of those buses, the great companies simply wanted to get the right people on the bus.

From that point, everything was easy…

💥

🚌 BASKETBALL example =

Bill Walton, quoted in “The Fifth Discipline” (Peter Senge) spoke about times in which the oneness of his teammates hit a level that was unsurpassed…

… such that it became “magical. “

💥

🚌 BIBLE example(s) =

Good to Great taps into something we see in the Bible. Namely, relationships matter more than the other stuff we can do. That’s because we were designed for relationship.

⭐️ In Genesis 1 we see that God is relational. Over and over, we see the refrain, “Let us…” during the creation account.

⭐️ In addition, we’re created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). This means that we, too, are relational.

⭐️ Jesus was / is relational as well (see John 14:6). He says that He embodies truth (i.e., truth exists in a person— not proposition statements of right and wrong). And, He’s taking us to the Father, to a relationship in its fullest expression.

⭐️ We’re promised that God sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6), and that He binds us together in the “household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).

This fits with other stories we see in Scripture:

✅ Building the Tower of Babel, according to God, would have been possible— because the people were unified. In fact, He— relationally, the Godhead— declared that nothing would be impossible for them because they were one (see Genesis 11:6).

Notice: this was spoke by God about a people who weren’t doing something religious or even noble. They were building a monument to themselves.

✅ Psalm 133:1-2 tells us that “unity” is like the oil flowing down the beard of Aaron, conjuring images of the anointing of the priest to do a sacred service on behalf of God. In other words, unity— oneness— the “who”— is an anointing of the Spirit. It creates a supernatural super-power.

💥

🚌

Important links:

⚙️ Download the free planner— on PDF— at www.Jenkins.tv/FreePlannerPDF 

⭐️ Claim your Advance book + audiobook for just $5: www.Jenkins.tv/A5 

🚎 Ready to test drive the planner? Access it at www.Jenkins.tv/8  

Knowing your true internal motivation(s) for the life you’re trying to build empowers self-awareness (knowing who you are), as well as self-leadership (knowing how to move forward with faithfulness).

Here are a few things you need to know about “the why,” that is, the third rung of the ladder in the Advance framework.

💙 The HEART is never neutral (it may be numb, such that you don’t hear what it’s saying, but it’s always expressing its opinion about things).

Learn to listen to your heart, because one of two things will dictate the steps you make to move forwards towards your dreams:

❌ REASONS (read: excuses) you give not to pursue your call

✅ REALITY that God has called you to something more— and that those desires are placed in your heart by Him.

++++

Note: at this point it’s important that we understand our true identity.

⭐️ Your IDENTITY is based on what you think the most important person or voice in your life says about you. ⭐️

This understanding of identity flows into our next point about HUSTLE. You won’t get that one right without a healthy view of your identity.

++++

💙 HUSTLE… but do so in the right way.

Jesus tells us not to “seek” over the things that the “gentiles” (read: pagans) seek after. He says they worry about the things they’ll eat, what they’ll wear, and the normal routine of life (see Matthew 6:32).

He then tells us, in the Sermon on the Mount, to “seek first His kingdom” (Matthew 6:33).

He promises that “all of these things” (read: what we’ll eat, what we’ll wear, etc.) “will be added to us as well.”

Notably, it’s not just the object of WHAT we seek that Jesus contrast here (i.e., “They seek lesser things, but if you’ll see the greater things those lesser things will seek after you such that you don’t have to chase them…”). Rather, He contrasts the MODE of seeking.

In the original Greek language, He uses two different words in this passage:

❌ The gentiles seek as a “striving and a desperate chase” (which sounds a lot like the hustle culture of today).

✅ You should seek as a hunger, as a desire… that is, as a yearning for God’s presence and power in your life.

This leads us to a position, first of all, of humble confidence, because the driving “why” is that THIS is what my Father has called me to…

💙 HOLD FAST to your call…

We used to talk about our career as a “vocation.” Notice the root word of “vocal,” that is, “calling.” The original way we viewed the work we do each day was that a VOICE actually chose us to do the work— and then directed us…

… and, this can affect every area of life…

Notice, when we see ourselves as sons (of the King) we realize that this affects EVERY dream we have. Those can ALL be ordained by God, with His voice directing each of them.

(And, as we discuss in this episode, we may have a different “why” (or inspiration) for each of our dreams. Furthermore, the reasons may change over time.)

🚌

Important links:

⚙️ Download the free planner— on PDF— at www.Jenkins.tv/FreePlannerPDF 

⭐️ Claim your Advance book + audiobook for just $5: www.Jenkins.tv/A5 

🚎 Ready to test drive the planner? Access it at www.Jenkins.tv/8 

Saying “yes” to the great stuff in life often requires saying “no” to the good. That is, our most pivotal decisions don’t usually come to down a choice between “good” and “bad” but, rather, “good” and “great.”

But…

If we say “yes” and prioritize our process— the plan we’ve created to move from “where we are to where we’re designed to be”— and do those things consistently, we can relax about the results. They’ll come.

💥

Note: in the Advance framework, under “implementation” (how, the hands), we talk about TIME not talents or tasks, we discuss SCHEDULING not skill.

The reality is that most things can be learned. You may need a class to acquire mastery or expertise in them, but you can acquire the “how to.”

Here’s how to manage the daily grind, assuming you know the “how to” for each area of life:

💥

👉 #1 = CATEGORIZE everything you do using the “start-stop-continue” grid.

Everything you need to do in order to achieve the dreams you listed in the previous section (the WHAT) falls into one of these three categories:

✅ START = There are some things you aren’t doing that you need to ADD to your schedule.

For instance, you need to START tucking the kids in at night, START planning date night, START waking up an hour earlier to exercise, START reading certain things…

❌ STOP = Part of this plans means HALTING other things in order to make room for the new agenda.

For instance, STOP vegging in front of the TV until AFTER the kids are in bed, STOP hanging with the guys multiple nights a week so you can invest in your marriage, STOP eating sugar & drinking & staying up late so you can better start the health regiment…

♻️ CONTINUE = Some things are right on track. Affirm them and continue.

For instance, CONTINUE managing your schedule with the same discipline. CONTINUE managing work in the same way you are currently doing, CONTINUE your personal development routine…

⭐️ NOTE: at this point we also suggest that some things are a “NO-FOR-NOW-NOT-FOR-LATER.” That is, they’re things you may want to START— but not yet. Or, they’re things you temporarily STOP…

For instance, “cheat days” on the diet may be “off the table” until you hit a certain weight goal. Or looking at houses may be off the table until you pay off your debt or reach a specific income goal (i.e., you decide not to even shop around now, lest you be tempted).

This temporary pause gives you something to look forward to in the future, yet affirms that— currently— you have a limited amount of time and focus…

…. you effectively punt these goals to a future time when you can more readily embrace them and actually enjoy them.

💥

👉 #2 = CREATE your “perfect week” template

Step back while you’re not IN the week and create the ideal outline FOR your week. That is, pinpoint when you’ll exercise, when you’ll do certain repeating tasks such as connect with family members, and when you’ll block time for friends and/or other priorities.

Even though the week will rarely go 100% perfect, you’ll make more progress with the plan. And, you can always adjust the plan as needed.

💥

👉 #3 = CALENDAR from your priorities instead of a “to do” list.

Note: when we succumb to working from mere lists, we often find ourselves trapped in the tyranny of the urgent rather than working on what’s important. Lists don’t valuate how much things matter; they’re generally created in the order we think of things…

… and, as a result, the most important matters rarely make the list (i.e., date night, personal time, etc.)

💥

🚌

Important links:

⚙️ Download the free planner— on PDF— at www.Jenkins.tv/FreePlannerPDF 

⭐️ Claim your Advance book + audiobook for just $5: www.Jenkins.tv/A5 

🚎 Ready to test drive the planner? Access it at www.Jenkins.tv/8 

The first step to living a life by design (instead of default) is deciding where you want to go. The second step is owning where you are now…

(Where you are NEVER defines who you are— it’s just your current location, your starting point. Nor is where you are where you must remain. However, where you are IS where you must begin. So…)

Create a plan, and enjoy the journey. Here’s how…

✅ DREAM— and develop the “best case scenario” for every area of life.

We spend more time planning what we’ll wear on any given day than we do actually orchestrating the hours of that day. That is, we dress by design, but we often live by default.

Make a decision to live by design…

… and to create the best case scenario for each area of life, not just one area.

(Because every area is connected— what happens in your family affects your work, what happens in faith affects friendships, etc.)

✅ DETERMINE the steps you need to take in order to move from here to there, but create them in reverse— from “there to here” instead of “here to there.”

In other words, reverse engineer your path. This guarantees you won’t move in a random direction but that you’ll actually move toward your dream.

✅ DO the small stuff.

In the Advance book (and workshop, as well as video courses), we actually talk about how to create a bridge from “there to here.”

Many times, people FAIL to make forward progress because they think in terms of concepts instead of actions. For instance…

…. they make goals like “lose weight” instead of calendaring actions such as cutting the alcohol and sugars, exercising every morning at 6am, and monitoring their meals.

…. they make goals like “having a thriving marriage” rather than calendaring activities such as “date night each week.”

It all comes down to activity— and, generally, some of these actions seem so small we overlook them.

PRO TIP:

In the Advance material, we help you identify the catalytic action(s)— the ones which create disproportional momentum relative to the time and effort required to complete them. Download the Advance audiobook (free) for more info on what this looks like….

++++++++

🚌

Important links:

⚙️ Download the free planner— on PDF— at www.Jenkins.tv/FreePlannerPDF 

⭐️ Claim your Advance book + audiobook for just $5: www.Jenkins.tv/A5 

🚎 Ready to test drive the planner? Access it at www.Jenkins.tv/8 

Back in 2014, a child-therapist my family visited for a season described stress in a revealing way. Kristen, the counselor, likened our souls to balloons…

“You can blow a balloon up,” she said, moving her hands larger and farther part as if an expanding party-type of balloon rested between them. “At first the balloon is fine with the air you blow in…”

“At some point, the balloon reaches max capacity,” she continued. "Then we have four options.” She described the first three scenarios, explaining—

🎈 You continue adding air to the balloon, thereby causing it to explode.

This happens to some people.

They— seemingly overnight— explode. They “flip their lid.” They lose it.

But, the outburst you see isn’t the result of the final air pushed inside the balloon. The added tension is merely the “final straw” to break the camel’s back.

🎈 You squeak and squeal the balloon, shrilling a sound that lets you know something is not right.

I’m sure you’ve met people like this— people who seek to dominate tough situations by complaining, acting caustic, or exerting control over others.

They’re often battling an unseen enemy— or enemies— you know nothing about. Many times they still stand face-to-face with the enemies of their past.

🎈 You “let go” and watch the problem fly away (read: hide). People like this are the proverbial “take my toys and go home” pouters.

Unskilled in conflict resolution, they simply leave.

Or, at other times, they take flight— as in the “fight or flight” response commonly associated with PTSD.

The solution…?

Margin.

Have a gap between what you “have available” and “what’s required.”

In other words, let some air out of the balloon…

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Important links

💜 The “best of” Soul Wholeness audio course = FREE at www.Jenkins.tv/best 

💜 The free PTSD self-check = www.Jenkins.tv/PTSD 

💜 The Soul Wholeness video course = www.Jenkins.tv/SWV 

It’s easy to forget that we’re truly valuable…

🔥 that we bear the image of the Creator

🔥 that we’re chosen, Holy, and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12-13)

🔥 that He promised we’re never separated from His love (Romans 8:31-39)

🔥 that God doesn’t hold our sins and failures against us, so He isn’t punishing us because of them (see Jeremiah 31:34)

🔥 that the same grace that “saves us” also calls us to do something extraordinary (Ephesians 2:8-10)

🔥 that the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).

Yes, it’s easy— despite these truths— to somehow think that when life gets tough— and situations become “less than desirable” that we’re LESS valuable…

… that, somehow, our worthy is attached to “where we are” and not “who we are” or even “whose we are.”

In this episode we talk about the importance of affirming our true identity, as well as holding the tension that sometimes hard things happen… and that has no bearing on who we really are at all.

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Important links

💜 The “best of” Soul Wholeness audio course = FREE at www.Jenkins.tv/best 

💜 The free PTSD self-check = www.Jenkins.tv/PTSD 

💜 The Soul Wholeness video course = www.Jenkins.tv/SWV  

We’re promised two gifts that we each desperately want and need come when we take the hurts and pains of the past, stop hiding them, and move into the light:

🎁 Connection = that is, we find we’re not alone, we meet acceptance with a healing community

🎁 Cleansing = we find healing, and we’re able to repurpose the pains to help others…

Here’s part of the problem:

We don’t like the light.

(Guilt and shame THRIVE in the dark— and fight to keep us there.)

But…

❌ Freedom isn’t found in hoping no one finds out about the clutter in your past. Even if your past is fairly present.

No.

✅ Freedom is found when it’s in the open, when there’s nothing more to hide.

That bold audacity is what strips the enemy of his power and it’s where we find the connection and cleansing we so much want / need.

💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

HEre’s another part of the problem…

Not only do we NOT want to “deal with our stuff,” he other part of it is that when we do, we tend to share it with the wrong people. We over-share with the masses; we under-share with the people closest to us…

The only people who can help carry the burden of connection and cleaning are people who can ALSO correct you.

😳

That’s a high bar.

In this talk we outline the importance of:

👉 The few = who get to know EVERYTHING

👉 The some = who get to know “most” things

👉 The many = who get to know “some” things

👉 The most = who get to know… nothing.

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Important links

💜 The “best of” Soul Wholeness audio course = FREE at www.Jenkins.tv/best 

💜 The free PTSD self-check = www.Jenkins.tv/PTSD 

💜 The Soul Wholeness video course = www.Jenkins.tv/SWV 

In this talk we discuss the notion that everyone is “window shopping.” We’re constantly looking for a better plan, a different program, or more reliable steps to take us where we want to be.

In the same way that we look in storefronts for the latest shoes, the coolest gadget, or the most up-to-date fashion, so do we often “shop” for our spirituality.

And then we seek to perform to earn it.

👇

Yet everything you need is already here…

💙 Peter says that, since you’re reborn in the line of Jesus rather than the line of Adam (see the previous talk), you’re now born of “incorruptible seed” (1 Peter 1:23).

💙 He also says that we share Jesus’ divine nature (read 2 Peter 1:4).

💙 Paul says we reflect Jesus so clearly that to see Him is as if we’re looking in a mirror (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).

👇

The problem…

… well, we forget our true identity. We forget who we ACTUALLY ARE. And, as a result, we begin searching for that identity through achievements, accolades, applause, accomplishments… EXTERNALS.

Sometimes, it’s a bigger check.

Or a promotion.

Or some artificial marker we create that will verify that we’re worthy and valuable.

Yet Jesus’ little brother, James, said this…

“The one who reads the perfect law of liberty and then goes away and doesn’t do what it says is like the man who sees himself in a natural mirror and goes away, forgetting what he looked like” (read James 1:23-24).

Or, to say it another way: “The person who walks away and doesn’t LIIVE OUT the truth of who they are… well, they forget who they are. Or, perhaps, they never actually even knew…”

👇

Here’s my conclusion of the past six talks in two statements:

✅ Jesus is perfect theology = He shows us what God is like.

✅ Jesus is ALSO perfect anthropology He shows us what we’re designed to be.

👇

Listen here.

💙

Identity eBook referenced in this talk $5 = https://www.jenkins.tv/offers/LcR6Bz3a 

Take the free assessment at https://www.jenkins.tv/assessment-DISC-colors 

Identity video course = https://www.jenkins.tv/offers/twHHm6Lh 

The Purpose paperback = pay the shipping & handling, and we’ll send it! https://www.jenkins.tv/purpose  

I don’t know where I first got the thought— “we seem more confident in the enemy’s ability to deceive us— and to steal, kill, and destroy— than we are about Jesus’ ability to heal and mend and restore all things.”

I guarantee the concept isn’t original to me, but maybe you can relate. Maybe you’ve even— like me— found yourself on the WRONG side of that belief structure at some point.

🤔

Buried in the New Testament we find an interesting title given to Jesus. Actually, we find two of them that correspond to each other. They’re so closely related that they’re virtually inseparable. Yet, as important as they are, I bet you’ve never heard a sermon on either one:

✅ The Last Adam

✅ The Second Man

👇

Here’s what they mean…

As the “Last Adam” Jesus ended something Adam began— a lineage of sin and (subsequent) death.

Adam was the “first man.” Everyone, everywhere on the planet knows that. He’s the first guy that ever walked on this planet. No argument about him being the first man, so let’s move on.

Jesus was the “Last Adam.”

Paul tells us that as the “Last Adam” Jesus ended something that Adam began.
Somehow in the great scheme of it all, we can theoretically trace our lineage back to him. Given enough time and help from ancestry.com or some intensive archaeological work, we can map our family trees all root right back down to him. Physically, that is.

👇

But there’s more. Jesus wasn’t JUST the “Last Adam,” He was— IS— also the Second Man.

As the “Second Man” Jesus began something new— another bloodline of humanity which is unchained from sin and hitched to radical freedom.

But Paul tells us there’s another kind of life than the life we merely see in the physical realm— a spiritual one. The physical one came first, and then the spiritual one emerged (1 Corinthians 15:46).

Jesus has given us a new spiritual DNA. And, as you might suspect, He’s done this because we’re included in Him like we discussed in the previous chapter.

As the “Last Adam,” Jesus walked this planet as the final man born in that spiritual line of natural-born sinners. Yet, at the same time He lived as the Last Adam, He became the “Second Man” (v47). Jesus literally launched a new race of humanity— one unchained to sin yet bound to freedom!

🔥 Physically, you’re related to Adam… in the flesh. You have his physical nature.

🔥 Spiritually, though, you stand in the lineage of Jesus. You have His spiritual nature. The “us” that was born in the image of Adam was crucified, died, and was buried (see chapter 3). We arose— re-made in the image of Christ.

Let’s get practical. Here’s what it means for me and you:

Either Jesus makes all things— or He doesn’t. And if He does, I mean, if we truly believe He does, then we really need to look at the ramifications of what that means for us…

… and, even more, we need to “walk out” those beliefs… with a humble confidence that, in time, all things change.

👇

That’s the subject of this talk.

💙

Identity eBook referenced in this talk $5 = https://www.jenkins.tv/offers/LcR6Bz3a 

To assess yourself = https://www.jenkins.tv/assessment-DISC-colors 

Identity video course = https://www.jenkins.tv/offers/twHHm6Lh 

The Purpose paperback = pay the shipping & handling, and we’ll send it! https://www.jenkins.tv/purpose 

We have a lot of crazy ideas about God. Lots of them.

We talk about His discipline- and how harsh it can be. How he scourges us to get us “in line.” As if God is very much like the high school hall monitor that was always waiting to catch us…

… but on a cosmic level, one with bigger ramifications.

😳

Today, I hear THREE primary areas that (in my opinion) we get wrong about God. Namely, we mistakingly believe that God causes:

❌ sickness

❌ storms

❌ struggles

For instance…

👇

We talk about sickness— and how He brings it to refine us, to make us more dependent on Him…

… and even how we were “chosen” for it.

If so, if sickness is God’s will, then why go to the doctor? Why pray for healing? Why not just accept the lot…?

(Side note: I wouldn’t bring a sickness on my kids to make them love me more, or to make them better people… Would you?)

👇

We also call storms— natural disasters— “acts of God,” and we often link them to Divine punishment for something we’ve done (or something others have done) wrong.

But we never see Jesus send a storm in the Bible. In fact, He always CALMED them rather than CAUSING them.

(And, if He truly shows us what God is like, as we discussed in the previous lesson… then we can presume that God doesn’t storms either.)

👇

Finally, some people suggest God causes our struggles, that He leads us into tough situations in order to shape and refine us.

I dunno…

I don’t think He intentionally TAKES us there, but I do believe He MAKES the most of those circumstances to shape us into the character we need so we can carry a greater degree of His presence and a fuller measure of compassion to others, later imparting to them the same hope and consolation we’ve received.

👇

Here’s what I’m getting at: We shouldn’t assign to God things that don’t exist in Heaven… things that don’t reflect His character.

The Bible says “Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil” (Acts 10:38). It doesn’t say, “Jesus went about doing MOSTLY good… and healing all who were oppressed— or disciplined— by God.”

In fact, when Moses asked God to show him His glory, atop Mount Sinai, God actually showed Moses… His goodness (Exodus 33:18-19). His goodness and His glory are inextricably linked…

🔥

💙

Identity eBook referenced in this talk $5 = https://www.jenkins.tv/offers/LcR6Bz3a 

https://www.jenkins.tv/assessment-DISC-colors  to assess yourself

Identity video course = https://www.jenkins.tv/offers/twHHm6Lh 

The Purpose paperback = pay the shipping & handling, and we’ll send it! https://www.jenkins.tv/purpose