"Are you listening?"

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Each morning, I get up early to read and meditate. My favorite place to spend this quiet time with God is in our kitchen, rocking in the chair I rocked our infant daughters in while looking out over the horse pastures through the bay window. There are windows beside the bay window and on a cool morning, I’ll raise them.

One morning, I sat sipping my coffee, rocking and meditating on the day ahead, eyes closed. I realized that the window was closed so I got up and raised it.

As I raised it, a bird was singing the most beautiful song, welcoming the day and gifting the world with his music. I enjoyed the bird song as a kind of morning serenade. Then I thought, “I’m sure this bird was singing before I opened the window, but I either didn’t hear it or pay attention to it.”

Your life is a lot like that. There is so much to listen to in life—birds and all of life, really—but if the window isn’t open to your spirit, you miss the music.

Throw open the window to your spirit right now and listen to life for God’s voice.

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"Are you afraid?"

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A year ago today, bombs exploded in London, killing at least 52 people riding on the mass transit system. As with so much of life, British citizens couldn’t control whether or not such tragedies happen in their country, but they discovered again that they do have control over how they react to it.

One way they chose to react was through Alfie Dennen’s web site at www.werenotafraid.com. The purpose of this site is to “show the world that we’re not afraid of what happened in London, and that the world is a better place without fear.” Tens of thousands of people have posted images on the site, each one proclaiming, “We are not afraid.” There are pictures taken moments after the blasts. There’s even a photo of Mr. T—remember him from “The A Team” TV show?—and the caption reads, “I ain’t afraid of no fool!” A community of people encourage one another to choose not to cave in to fear, the real target of such insane acts, through this site.

As you listen to life today, don’t be afraid and remember: God is in control.

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"How's your vacation?"

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Why is it that to take a week of vacation, so many of us have to do two weeks of work before we leave and two weeks of work when we return? You’re only gone a week! Does the work multiply while you’re gone?

This reality can produce a certain amount of guilt about vacation times. For instance, let’s say you go to the beach, pick up a seashell, and put it up to your ear. Do you hear the soothing tides of the ocean gently rolling in on the shore? Or do you hear, "So you thought you'd get away from work for a week, did you? Don't you feel guilty? Just think of all the work you’re missing. That associate could be moving up to take your place, you know…"

When making a living interrupts your making a life, when work intrudes on recreation, remember that the word “recreation” comes from two words meaning, “to create again.” Your vacation is a time to re-create your spirit, your family relationships, and your passion for life. So listen to your life today and focus all of who you are on making a life, not just a living. And enjoy your vacation!

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"What does God's voice sound like?"

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I walked into a restaurant recently, recognized someone and spoke to him for a moment. I moved on toward my table when someone called my name. I turned around and there was another friend. She said, “Even though my back was to you, I heard your voice and knew it was you.”

Some sounds are just more familiar than others, aren’t they? There are three trademarked sounds that I know you will recognize immediately: the NBC chimes, the MGM lion roar, and the Harley-Davidson engine sound. We hear and recognize these sounds quickly, like my friend did with my voice.

But there are some other sounds that we don’t recognize so quickly. What does God’s voice sound like anyway? God’s voice can sound like any voice, at any time, and anywhere. It sounds like goose bumps up and down your spine. Or a baby’s soft breathing. Or an “I love you.” God’s voice is more than a sound. It’s a feeling, too. So listen to life today for God’s voice with your ears, your eyes, and your heart as you make a life, not just a living.

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"Who's winning your race?"

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I coach a lot of business people about various aspects of their lives and businesses. A lot of them think of life as a rat race.

Maybe you do, too. You think of yourself as in a race with other rats, running around a track or a maze for whatever your cheese is, convinced there’s not enough of it to go around.

Running a rat race is exhausting work so you’re tired a lot. And one morning you look in the mirror while putting on your makeup or shaving and discover that your nose is longer and you have whiskers and tall ears. Then you look behind you and there’s this really long tail. You start to brush your teeth and your front ones are huge. Yep, if your life is a rat race then you become one of the rats.

But what if you just left the race to the rats? And instead of competing against others and comparing yourself, you relaxed and focused on doing what you do best, using the passion and talents God gave you, knowing that there really is enough cheese to go around? Listen to life and make a life today.

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