Everyone Needs A Set of These!

We all need them.

You can't grow in faith and courage without them.

I call them hearing aids. But not the kind you might be thinking of.

What kind of hearing aids?

They can come in the form of podcasts, audible books, paper books, mp3 players, movies, CDs and radio waves, etc.

They are tools that produce words that help us 'hear' better.

"So then, faith comes to us by hearing the Good News. And the Good News comes by someone preaching it." Romans 10:17 New Life Version.

What do you hear?

All day long I hear things.  Positive words.  Negative words.  They are inside me and also come from outside of me. Twenty minutes of listening to the news and I can instantly feel depressed, or elated. It depends on the message.

Over time, I'm learning how to tune into stations broadcasting words that bring faith and hope. I wish I could say that I don't need help with my thoughts and that my faith was always strong and steady. Truth is, I'm just not there yet, though I am improving.  I am learning how to choose what I will listen to, think on and ponder.  Both on the inside and from the outside.

Choosing good hearing aids.

It's easier to control my thoughts and feed my faith when I listen to uplifting things.  So I choose them often.  Music, podcasts, books...things that always leave me feeling like I CAN instead of I CAN'T.  Left to my own devices, I will tend toward thinking I CAN'T.  

So I'm not ashamed to say that I need hearing aids.  

When my Mother was being fitted for a pair of high-tech hearing aids, I was intrigued by the testing they did on her to find out what frequencies she couldn't hear.  Everyone is different.  Some lose ability to hear bass frequencies first. Others lose the mid-range.

Many people put off getting a set of hearing aids until they can't function in society anymore and realize they need assistance.  They miss out on so much because they won't admit they need help. But how many of us go through life emotionally or mentally deaf and wait until we are too far gone to get help for other kinds of hearing.

Everyone is different in the aid that they need.  Some tend more toward negative thoughts when it comes to fears.  Others have a deficit in the area of love or joy. 

Do you have ideas about leading a group of people toward healing from past relational issues?  Then listen to things that teach you about leadership and be inspired to lead others.

Do you need help getting your life organized?  Listen to books or podcasts that teach you how to manage your time.

Do you need an overall better outlook on life?  Listen to positive, upbeat music. Change the playlist until you find what feeds you!

If you would spend any amount of time with me, you would quickly learn that I am almost always listening to something.  I invest plenty of time in being quiet too, but when I'm exercising or driving or even working in the yard, I will be listening and learning.  It feeds my faith.  It helps me be a better leader.  It helps me dream and sustain those dreams.

It's my own tailored set of hearing aids.  

Want to grow in your faith?  You have to hear the right things!

Go get yourself some hearing aids.

"The Elephant Diet" Day # 118 Writer, Speaker or Leader?

I'm sitting in my room at the Prince Convention Center at Calvin College getting ready to do a concert tonight at the Speak Up With Confidence Conference in Grand Rapids, MI.

This is the 3rd time I've been the worship leader/musician for this conference and it's amazing to see what God is doing in my life now compared to the first time I attended this conference years ago and met Carol Kent for the first time. Meeting her has changed my life and ministry.

There are 3 tracks you can choose from at this training conference:
1) Writing
2) Speaking
3) Leader

150 people from 28 States, Canada and Hong Kong have descended upon MI to listen, worship, be critiqued and encouraged. It is an overwhelming experience. You will see little huddles all over the convention center and hear bells ringing every 15 minutes. A hopeful writer is pitching their book idea to a publisher. They have 15 minutes to sell their vision. When the bell rings, you have to move on. It's inspiring to be a part of this.

Tonight, after my concert, I will attend a workshop on blogging. I am so ripe for this workshop. I would have never dreamed years ago that I would crave training on blogging or any form of writing, in addition to songwriting, but that is what happens when we start dreaming and pursuing the seeds planted in our hearts. I remember when Carol reeled me in from just being a songwriter and told me she wanted to develop me as a speaker. I quivered with excitement and anxiety. Now I get invited to speak almost as much as to lead worship or do a concert.

You may start out as a writer, but you will need to learn to speak. As you learn to speak, you will find yourself leading others because of what you have to say. You may be a speaker, but there may come a time when your message should be written down for others to read - you then become an author. It all overlaps in many ways. Either way, you will definitely become a leader. You could choose any of the three tracks here and benefit from all of them no matter who you are. You might even consider coming to next year's conference. I highly recommend it.

To learn more about it, visit http://speakupconference.com/. (You might have to paste this into your browser, since I'm doing this on my iPad which doesn't seem to make hyper links when blogging).

I'll be anxious to see what I learn at the workshop tonight and how it changes this blog.

I first met Carol because I had the desire to learn how to speak better in between my songs during concerts. My oh my, I had no idea what that encounter with Carol would do for me.

What about you? Don't doubt the nudges and desires you have inside. If they never go away, no matter what happens to you, it's probably an indicator that you should follow those inklings. They will take you on amazing journeys.