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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We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours. – Dag Hammarskjold

So much of our life is framed by things out of our control.

When and where we were born.

Who are parents were.

The economy, politics and global events.

But we get to decide what to paint on that canvas and in that frame.

We can choose whether it becomes a masterpiece or a disaster.

We can choose what we think “good” looks like and how we live the life we are given.

We are stewards of the short time we have.

Might as well make it a good one.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/AlTfYj7q5gQ?si=axoMOY3nTH8T4vdz

Me: Annie – what song should we send out for the Friday Morning Toe Tapper for Mom’s birthday?

Annie: “I’m Only Me When I’m With You” by Taylor Swift. Then you could write something like we’re ourselves when we are with Jesus.

Not really where I thought she was going with that, but a good idea.

Meaghan and I have been married for 21+ years now and I can say that she has seen all the good, the bad and the ugly versions of Jake.

And somehow she still loves me. She really is a special person.

Our best relationships are the ones where we are our most vulnerable.

Today is a day I’m thankful to have that with Meaghan.

I’m sure you have someone like that in your life too. Make sure to thank them today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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We talked about the beatitudes in small group last night and it reminded me of this daily attitude from a few years ago…

In the Bible it says the meek shall inherit the earth.

It’s hard not to bristle a little when you hear that.

We hear words like meek and humble and think of the perennial doormat that doesn’t think enough of themself to stand up for what they believe in.

I went in search of something around the topic of humility and found this short excerpt:

One of the most powerful prayers in the midst of suffering I have read was uncovered from the horrors of Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ravensbruck was a concentration camp built in 1939 for women. Over 90,000 women and children perished in Ravensbruck, murdered by the Nazis. Corrie Ten Boom, who wrote The Hiding Place, was imprisoned there too. The prayer, found in the clothing of a dead child, says:

O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us: Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering, our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.

I think that is the kind of behavior the Bible is talking about.

The kind of humility and meekness it takes to write something like that is hard to imagine.

It’s easy to read something like this and feel bad. Hard to live up to those kind of standards, so why even try?

Why try? Prayers like this one are proof that better is out there. We are capable of amazing things.

Use this as inspiration to get started on your own amazing thing.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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