“God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t. In this trial He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down.”

― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

What a powerful thought.

Regardless of where you stand on believing in God and whether or not God places trials in our lives to test us, life will test you at some point.

The older I get the more I wonder how many of my "temples" are really houses of cards.

We see others whose metaphorical card houses have been toppled and quickly jump to conclusions about what they may have done wrong, not noticing we are balancing precariously in a card house ourselves.

But where’s the positive spin, Jake?

First, showing empathy for the weaknesses and follies of others can help us from meeting that same fate.

Second, seeing our house of cards for what it is before it falls can save us a whole lot of heartache.

Take a look at what you are building your beliefs and habits from to make sure they are built on solid footing.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

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https://youtu.be/9JxIw58lkHQ?si=HlPhUJDu5ARoGoC9

Every year on Groundhog Day I can’t help but think of the movie with Bill Murray.

I often wonder if the movie was really meant to be a philosophical exercise but they ended up with Bill Murray as the star and made a comedy instead.

He’s given the opportunity (or curse) to live the same day over and over.

He pursues all the selfish pleasures that would end up on the top ten list for most people. He gets rich, learns cool skills, convinces women to sleep with him, and becomes the most popular man in town.

Only to find out that all the selfishness he can imagine leaves him feeling empty and as if life itself was pointless.

He finally starts to design the perfect selfless day.

He saves lives, help others and focuses on how he might be of maximum service if only given one day to live.

In the end, selflessness frees him from his prison.

He learns the lesson that life is about service and finds true joy (and love of course, since it’s a movie).

Make it a great day.

Jake

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"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." -Albert Einstein

You aren’t here for you.

You’re here for what you can do for others.

Becoming and being the best you is about offering your best service others in love.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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What do you hang on the walls of your mind? – Eve Arnold

What do you think about most of the time?

What kinds of thoughts run the show?

We go in the general direction of what we think about most of the time.

Think about the mental picture from the quote above.

Time to change what’s hanging on the walls of your mind?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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When you doubt, abstain. – Ambrose Bierce

To make the most of our one chance at life here on Earth we must learn to say no, a lot.

We fall in to the trap of trying to do and have it all.

We dabble and fritter away our resources and time and then wonder where it all went.

The week flies by and we end in a heap, not sure whether or not we did our best or just made it through.

What do you need to abstain from this week?

What doesn’t seem to be paying off?

What would you usually say yes to, but know you shouldn’t?

What’s the most important “no” for you this week?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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“Drunkenness and all the sins which follow in its wake are so obviously ugly and monstrous, and mean such unhappiness for the poor sinner that it is all the more important that we do not judge or condemn. In the eyes of God the hidden subtle sins must be far worse. We must make every effort of will to love more and more—to hang on to each other with love. They should serve to show us the hideousness of our own sins so that we truly repent and abhor them.”

David Brooks – The Road to Character

One of the key themes in the Bible is the idea that God looks at the heart.

He sees through outward attempts to hide the imperfections we all possess.

This quote reminds us all to be wary of our desire to judge. To pick out and focus on the flaws of those around us.

His point is that drunkenness is easier to spot but that pride is far worse.

He goes one step further and offers a solution – to hang on to each other with love.

I literally imagine a hug.

So that we can all be aware of how short we fall and how much grace is required to redeem us.

So that God can be the only solution.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/U_VbwZsYPwY?si=JoOWQ78Fn5urRNzi

We’ve been in Scottsdale all week at the Barrett Jackson auction.

Lots and lots of people who love cars, all in one place.

It’s great to see all the (mostly) smiling faces as people enjoy the work we do at Maxlider.

In the end, that’s what we do. Build cool stuff to make people smile.

It’s easy to get caught up in all the other stuff when trying to get our work done. To focus on all the room for improvement and things that aren’t quite how we like them.

Being here is a great reminder that our work adds value. Our customers get to experience something cool because we put our best into the Broncos we build.

Each day is an opportunity to look at the bright side.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. – Jimmy Dean

Jim Rohn calls this “the set of the sail”.

We don’t control life’s “happenings”.

We only control how we set our sail.

Will we choose optimism or pessimism?

Will we choose grit or giving up?

Will we choose forgiveness or anger?

Will we choose patience or impatience?

Set your sail well today, regardless of how the day goes.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Man is what he reads. – Joseph Brodsky

Reminder for today – we should all be reading – a lot.

Think of your mind as a garden.

It will grow whatever is planted.

Plant weeds and you’ll get more weeds.

Plant fruits and vegetables and you’ll get healthy stuff.

It’s easy to go with the flow and fill out minds with social media, TV, and other thoughts.

While these aren’t bad, they probably also won’t get the kinds of thoughts in your mental garden that will take you where you want to go.

Plant some good stuff. Read something meaningful. Whatever that means to you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out. – Edwin Markham

NFL playoff season the last couple of weeks.

An opportunity to win the big games and get to the biggest game of them all – the Super Bowl.

Some will win the big game and get the glory. And maybe even get Taylor Swift to be their girlfriend.

Most will end in defeat. Another season of life gone by.

In defeat there is still the chance for some glory.

To play and do your best. To lose with your head held high. To be the kind of person they want to be – win or lose.

We each have this opportunity daily as we fight our daily battles against all the difficulties we all face in our way.

Let the glory out today – win or lose.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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