"Take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows...".
- The Apostle Paul

Life often throws flaming arrows our way—doubt, discouragement, fear, worry, criticism, failure, frustration, disappointment—the list goes on. These challenges can feel overwhelming, but we don't face them alone.

There's a powerful truth in the lyrics of a song that says:

"Where there is faith,
There is a voice calling, keep walking,
You're not alone in this world."

Faith is our shield against these arrows. As part of the Armor of God, the shield symbolizes the strength of faith to protect us. But this shield isn't just for defense; it calls us to action. When those arrows come your way, actively raise your shield. Stand firm on the promises and truths you hold dear, and let them guide you.

Couple your faith with grit. Grit is the resilience that keeps you moving forward even when the arrows keep coming. It empowers you to walk in faith, even when the path is...

Happy Father's Day to all the amazing fathers who inspire and uplift us every day. A father is someone who tells us, "Yes, You Can!"

This Father's Day, I'm inspired by the incredible story of Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father-son duo who demonstrated the power of love and determination. When Rick was born with cerebral palsy, doctors advised Dick and Judy Hoyt to institutionalize him. Instead, they chose to raise him with love and support, treating him like any other child. Rick's passion for sports led them to compete in over 1,100 endurance events, showing the world that anything is possible.

Rick once said, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped." This statement reflects the profound impact of a father's love and courage. In an article titled "What My Father Means to Me," Rick shared a note to his dad: "I hope that everyone who hears our story knows that you taught me the key to my daily life is that I believe the phrase, Yes You Can!” Their journey teaches us...

I recently recorded my top three tips to make the most of Summer 2024.

Check out the video on YouTube.  And let me know what you think.

https://youtu.be/DXwYG3tHP2Q

If you can do one thing each day that will increase your joy, it is to be creative.

That’s the thought that hit me as my son and I cleaned out my Mom’s apartment in Colorado after her recent move to South Carolina. What we found were over a dozen beautifully painted water color paintings that she had created over the last 10 years. I realized that my Mom, who is now 90, rediscovered the secret to a joyful life – it is to be creative. It’s one of the things that has kept her going!

Made to Create

Long ago God set the pattern. For six days straight He created. One of those creations was mankind. He made us in own image. We are to create too. Not just procreate – but make things – shape things –transform things – and bring things to life. Why? Because there’s joy in creation – and God wants us to have joy.

In world of latte sipping, Netflix bingeing, movie watching, food consuming, smartphone browsing, social media posting,...

My audio for IMAGINE finally hit the streets. I can't wait for you to listen to it.  (Here's the link: https://adbl.co/3Q0kZmW)

Recently my friend Roger on LinkedIn asked me if I had gone to a recording studio to get it done, and inquired about the steps in how I brought it to life. Here's what I shared back, but also with the inclusion of the SECRET NOTES, which just wouldn't fit in the LinkedIn response.

-- 
Roger. I have a home studio for podcasting, that I can use for vocal recording. It's something I enjoy doing when I have the downtime. 

Here are My 12 Steps for making an Audiobook:

1. Get the right gear - see my secret notes below.
2. Read your book from MS Word.
3. Start at the beginning of the book
4. Don't worry about messing up. If you do, just repeat the phrase. You can fix it in the edits.
5. Save each chapter individually (and often) as a project in Audacity.
6. Go back to the audio project and edit out the lines you may have repeated.
7. Add a stereo...

May was Mental Health Awareness Month. I want to take a quick minute to talk about the significance of our mental stress and offer fifteen strategies that can help you and others stress less.

First - let's be honest.  Each of us deals with some level of mental stress. A quick search on Google will reveal some common symptoms of mental stress.

• Over-burdened or overwhelmed
• Irritable, frustrated, or impatient 
• Anxious, nervous, or worried
• Racing thoughts that you can't switch off
• Uninterested or unable to enjoy life  
• Feeling sad or feeling depressed
• Feeling like you've lost your sense of humor

If you're like me, you've likely experienced one of these at some point in time -- likely many times. These are real conditions - real struggles for millions of people. You are not alone. It's why we have a Mental Awareness Month each year. Even Jesus experienced Mental Stress. (Think 40 days in the...

Here's a cool idea with Chap GPT.  What if you could use it to get summaries of a book you want to read?  How good is it?

I recently asked Chat GPT, "What are the Big Takeaways that you got from Paul Gustavson's BOOK Imagine which is available on Amazon?"

Here's what she said, which I thought was pretty good.

---

As an AI language model, I do not have personal experiences or emotions, but I can provide some general takeaways from Paul Gustavson's book "Imagine," which is available on Amazon.

1. Creativity is a learned skill: The author emphasizes that creativity is not just an innate talent, but a skill that can be developed and improved through deliberate practice and experimentation.

2. Imagination is essential for innovation: The book argues that imagination is a crucial component of innovation, and that fostering a culture of creativity and imagination is essential for organizations to stay competitive and thrive in today's rapidly changing business...

On PI day - March 14, we also celebrated the birthday of Albert Einstein. He amazing life.   Despite his challenges, he found a way to make a different.

I asked Chat GPT another question recently about Einstein that's very revealing. "If Albert Einstein read the book IMAGINE by Paul Gustavson, what would he say about it?"  

Here's her response.

---

It is difficult to say what Albert Einstein would say about the book "Imagine" by Paul Gustavson, as he passed away in 1955, and the book was published in 2016. However, given Einstein's interest in creativity and innovation, he might find the book insightful and useful.

Einstein was known for his creative and unconventional thinking, and he believed that imagination was more important than knowledge. In his famous quote, he said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."

The book "Imagine"...

This is funny.  I asked Chat-GPT for a review of my book "IMAGINE".  Here's what she said. :-).  

--

Christmas is a big build up.  It starts Black Friday and then for four plus weeks it doesn't stop.  Holiday Music. Lights. Parties. Santa. Shopping. Sweets. Presents. Glitter Cards. Then we get to Christmas Eve and Christmas and it's Magic! But the day after Christmas, it suddenly stops. 

What happened to the magic?

On Facebook and Instagram.  We might see pics of what was. Smiles. Presents. Trees.  But the trees are coming down. The Party is over. Christmas is now in the rear view mirror. 

It's that lull between Christmas and the New Year -- that's a weird state.   Can we just fix that?

The question of the day is how do we recover?

I have some tips.  But be warned, these aren't tips that come easy.  I deal with the after math of the post Christmas blues myself every year.  It takes me a bit to remember how to recover.  Here are my tips.

Tip #1 - Rewind

I call this my "Go Back" Tip,...