Monthly Mash Up (September 2017)

Reading, and learning are a key part to growth. They stretch your mind, fill it with new ideas, and introduce new and varied perspectives to what you already “knew.”

Below is a mash up of the books, articles, and more that impacted me this month.

Quote I’m Chewing On

“Remember that you don’t know everything. Listen and take advice from other people. Always be ready to learn and try  to be better.”

— Jocko Willink, Way of the Warrior Kid

Books I’m Reading

If only I could read faster. I am still working my way through many of the books I began in August. Here are the three currently on my desk.

1. Musashi

2. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World by D.A. Carson

3. On Killing by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

Podcasts I‘m Listening To

1. Here We Stand - We are nearing the 500 year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Here We Stand will introduce you to a new hero from the Reformation.

2. Barbell Logic and 3. Barbell Medicine - If you have questions about exactly what it takes to get strong, these two podcasts are for you. They answer the whys, hows, and whats of barbell training in a thoughtful and helpful manner.

From The Internet

1. Your Fast Car via Seth Godin

2. A Book Is a Tool, Not a Trophy via FEE

3. How to Not Overthink. Act Now With An Adaptable Plan via Jocko Podcast

Legalism and Discipline

Discipline can elicit a harsh and immediate rebuke in many Christian circles because it is often equated with legalism. 

Legalism for the unaware is church speak for man-centered righteousness most noticeable in the Pharisees in the New Testament. 

There’s was an external righteousness of earning God’s love and approval. 

God’s Word forcefully and rightly condemns this way of living. 

Pharisaical legalism and discipline aren’t the same. 

One is based on the idea that your actions earn you God’s favor. 

The other is based on the idea that consistency and diligence are the pathways to spiritual growth. 

One concentrates on attaining salvation by works. 

The other concentrates on being transformed into the image of Christ.

Christians often hear the first message when the other is preached and it leads to frustration and heartache. 

The life God calls the Christian to isn’t a life devoid of work. It simply redefines its why. 

You are called to work hard, just not for your salvation. 

Setting The Tone

Your alarm sounds in the early morning hours and you rouse from your slumber to turn it off. 

That’s your first action of the day—to make the incessant beeping stop. 

But what’s your next move?

Rolling back over to for a little extra rest? 

Telling yourself, “Just ten more minutes?” 

Or do you spring to action? 

Do you climb out of bed and start your day? 

Truth be told, there’s nothing inherently wrong with sleeping in. 

No one is going to look down on you because you choose to get up at the last possible moment before having to leave for work. 

So why do it? 

If sleeping in isn’t wrong, why give up the extra sleep?

You give up the comfort and warmth of your bed because among other things it sets the tone for your day. 

How you respond to that first test sets you on a path. A path towards strength, action, and victory. Or a path towards timidity, reaction, and weakness. 

There are two paths and the one you choose determines a great deal. 

Relish the hard road.

There is no easy path to success. 

Only the hard road reaches that destination. 

Sweat, exhaustion, and tears litter the roadside, but it's not crowded. 

It's followed by the special few who daily take the incremental steps needed to improve.

There are no short cuts to the top. 

Only the long, painful process of discipline.

That's why there is big business in selling people an easier way. Everyone wants a shortcut. No one wants to sign up for years of toil and sweat. 

But that's exactly what it takes to become the person you want to be: years and years of work, sweat, and persistence. 

Relish the hard road. 

If you're on it, it means you're taking responsibility for your life and doing your darnedest to make it count. 

If your not, it's time to turn down that path. To start putting in the work necessary to get 1% better each day. 

You have everything you need to walk that path, so what are you waiting for? 

Get going.

Keep it simple.

This is a simple blog. 

It is full of simple sentences, simple posts, and simple ideas. 

There's a reason why. 

Things don't have to be complicated to work. In fact, the simplest answer is often the best.

• Need more uninterrupted work time? Get up earlier. 
• Want to be and feel healthier? Eat nutritious whole foods and work out.
• Want to grow spiritually? Read your Bible. 

Don't confuse simple with easy. 

The most difficult things in the world are incredibly simple. 

• Love your neighbor
• Control your tongue
• Put others first

Each idea is so simple it's encapsulated in three words. But each is so hard none of us nail them perfectly. 

In a world of ever increasing complexity, your answers don't have to be. 

Complexity is often the lazy man’s way out. He doesn’t want to discipline himself to keep digging, to keep thinking, and to get creative.

One is about minimizing effort, while the other is about minimizing clutter.

Think hard. 

Remove clutter.

Keep it simple.