"Who do you know?"

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I was talking with one of my radio syndicators for the first time. You know, kind of a getting-to-know-you call. He had placed my show on a station and I called to thank him.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I’m talking with someone for the first time, I’m a little unsure of what to talk about. There’s no common ground. So I usually listen carefully and search for something we have in common. And I offer up life stuff about myself to prompt conversation.

Well, this time, I mentioned that my wife raises yellow Labs and knew immediately I had hit the paydirt of common ground here. He has a yellow Lab, Mitzi, whom he just adores. She has a great disposition, and don’t tell her that she’s a dog. She believes she’s a person!

And of course I then had to talk about Princess, Dutchess, Tessa, Lucy, and Jake—our yellow Labs. And after that it seemed like we were old buddies.

You’ll probably meet someone new today. Search for common ground. And know that God has been ahead of you to create your relationship.

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"Do you have room?"

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A three-year-old girl was waking up one morning. Her mother heard her stirring around and went up to tell her good morning. The mother found the little girl still in bed, struggling to open her eyes.

So she wished her a "Good Morning!" and told her, "Daddy is fixing breakfast for you. Are you hungry?"

The little girl immediately threw back her covers, and pulled up her nightgown. She pointed to the side of her tummy and said, "I have room right here."

I’m a lot like her. I can make some room in my tummy when it’s time for breakfast and someone else is cooking. Can’t you?

But what about your heart? Can you make room in your heart for someone when they’ve got a problem to share and you’re in a hurry?

Or what about your mind? Can you make room in your mind for someone else’s concerns and you’ve got so many of your own?

Make room in your day to listen to life and make a life, not just a living.

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"Do you stake out your position?"

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I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, "stake out your position." Ever wonder where we get that phrase?

It actually is derived from the ancient Aztec Indians. In times of war, when their homes were under attack, the Aztecs would go outside the village to defend it. The men would tie one end of a rope around their leg with the other end attached to a stake. They used a hammer to drive the stake in the ground then threw the hammer out of reach. And there they stood, weapons in hand, having staked out their position, ready to fight to the death, or until they drove the enemy away and a friend would release them.

What are you willing to die for? Anything?

What position are you willing to stake out and never compromise?

Sure, we all have to give and take to get along in the world, but it seems to me there are some things that are non-negotiable. What are yours? What would you die for? Think about it as you listen to life today for what God has to say and make a life, not just a living.

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"What do you pray for?"

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Last month, I shared a story about my mother having a heart catheterization and asking me after receiving a great report, "Do you think I was healed?" That story prompted one from a woman who listens to life with us through our website at www.listentolife.org.

She shared that as she donates her blood and watches it flow into the bag, she silently thanks God that her blood is healthy enough to be used to heal others. Also, she prays that God use it to bring someone closer to God.

As I read her story about that great prayer, I thought, "We all can pray a similar prayer." For instance, the person who works in a lab making medicines can pray God’s healing blessings on those who take them. And if you work in a factory making chairs, you can pray God’s comforting presence on those who need to sit down. And if you sell hearing aids, you can pray God’s blessings on those who hear a grandchild say, "I love you!" much better.

Pray God’s blessings on others whatever you do as you listen to life and make a life, not just a living today.

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"What kind of mental diet are you on?"

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Most all of the diet plans I’ve read or heard about encourage you to eliminate junk food. You know, the foods that really taste good, the stuff you crave while watching "American Idol", "CSI" or "House." Most of these diets suggest you give up Twinkies for toasted rice cakes, or marshmallow, peanut butter sandwiches for melons. Junk food clogs up your arteries, adds unwanted pounds, and shoves you toward diabetes early in life.

So what did you eat over the weekend?

Okay, the effects of junk food are obvious, but have you thought about the effects of junk thoughts? Those negative thoughts that you know bring you down, keep you from being your best, and just generally make your life miserable? And yet you choose to think them anyway. They start as one little worry, or an isolated frustration, and then build and grow into full-blown mental obesity.

What kind of mental diet are you on? Junk or healthy thoughts?

Ask God to guide your thoughts today as you make a life, not just a living.

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