Top 7 = two weeks in one, but the LifeLift project is (almost) ready for 🚀

I didn’t write my weekly “Top 7” last week. Looking back,  think it’s the FIRST time I haven’t done it in over a year, since I began my weekly “mind dump” and digest of some of the highlights from the previous 7 days…

The decision was intentional. 

And it was a reminder that we don’t need to feel burdened to do the things that we’ve decided we enjoy; we need to enjoy them— and do them only so long as we enjoy them. 

Don’t get me wrong. I really LIKE the weekly review.

And, I’ll keep doing it. 

But last week, I had other opportunities which, as of the Thursday afternoon before (the 21st, just one day before that weekend kicked-off) I decided to do… 

(I talk about it in the FINANCE and FIELD section below…) 

💙

All that said, here’s the Top 7– a rare combo that includes TWO weeks, wrapped into one. 

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Fitness = 11.5 mile run, because I thought I had nothing to do that day…

Saturday, the 23rd I decided to go for a long, easy run— the kind where you put the headphones in and just “lose yourself” in the enjoyment of coasting at however fast or slow you feel like going, stepping out for an unhurried stretch that takes whatever time it takes, knowing that you’ve got nothing else to do in that moment,  nothing else required, except to just enjoy that time. 

Earlier in the week, Thursday afternoon, I’d ordered a few gadgets and gizmos from Amazon— so I could record the LifeLift videos… 

(LifeLift is the project that leads you through a process of finding AND fulfilling your purpose… you can get the workbook FREE here: www.Jenkins.tv/free )

… Amazon said the equipment (a microphone, a camera stand, a few other items) would be here by Saturday at 8pm.

I thought, “Great. That works. I’ll take Saturday off… easy day. The gear I need will be here by 8pm. So I’ll set everything up, get it in place as soon as the stuff is here… and then I’ll be ready to shoot a few videos early Sunday morning, another batch Sunday afternoon, then some on Monday…”

(The pic at the top of this post is me doing my sound / video check, etc… Friday evening, making sure everything is in place, ready to go.)

Anyway, the equipment all arrived around 11am. That is, about an hour after I returned from my long, easy run…

… and was sitting down, having taken a shower, rehydrated, and just enjoying the morning….

😳

I’ll pick up the story in a moment, because this section was really to highlight FITNESS, yet I’ve already gotten ahead of myself 😂

 And, yes, here’s a pic that verifies the workout…

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Finance = ordered some equipment to record, then crushed the LifeLift videos…  

Anyway, ordering that equipment (total cost = $70, then I ended up NOT needing some of it, so I returned it and received $21 back in my account) saved my THOUSANDS over what it would have cost to have a crew of 2-3 camera guys record a LifeLift workshop live (which I don’t even have on the calendar yet), then pay them to edit…

I’ll eventually do it. But, the model I’m working off right now is the exact same approach I used several years ago with The Healing Workshop (which, btw, is on sale— link here 

 Here’s what I did— and what I’ll do now: 

🎥 record it in the “studio,” speaking to the camera, as a 1:1 approach 

🎤 begin teaching the material live

🎬 grab the best version of the live material, at some point in the NEAR future, as it’s recorded…

⭐️ make BOTH versions available to people (2 for the price of 1), as each version brings slightly different nuances— each of which is helpful

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Family = the boys, wrestling, football, missed games 

The boys wrestled in the garage— I asked Levi why the garage door was up.

“Ambiance,” he said. “It just looks way better with the door up.”

Here’s another look, the other way…

I get it. And he comes by it honestly. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve moved stuff, repositioned fire pits, and changed entire patios and MORE because of…

… well… how it looks.

🏈

We decided to go to the Stallions game LAST Sunday (the 24th). We got a great parking spot, walked towards the stadium, and were met by a super-nice host.

By now, you may know…

… you caught the date. 

The game, was Saturday, not Sunday.

So, we drove around, got something to eat, and called it a night. Then, we decided to DOUBLE CHECK the schedule and mark it for the weekend of April 30.

I know. Over-sized “Connect Four” isn’t the same as a pro football game. But… well, you know, there’s always next week. 

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Field = Two days of recording = all the film complete, followed by editing… 

Like I mentioned above, the equipment I needed arrived before lunch on Saturday, so— as Beth expected— I jumped right to it. 

(Everything was already set up— I was literally ONLY waiting for that gear.)

💥 I recorded ten lessons Saturday, breaking the effort into 5 talks at a time (each talk averages 20 minutes AND there are 4 parts to the LifeLift workbook, each part comprised of 5 lessons, so this worked well with the flow 

💥 I recorded ten more lessons Sunday… again, in sections of 5 at a time

💥 I recorded a LONG (read: about an hour) video file with all of the spiritual gifts found in the New Testament discussed, one after the other (so they could be edited as their own 1-3 minute video each)

💥 I recorded a video, one apiece, for 16 different personality profiles 

In the end, I looked back at the hard-drive…

✅ 45 video files

✅ Videos for 20 lessons, the intro, 24+ spiritual gifts, 16 personality-types, 7 created designs… AS WELL AS a few other instructions and remarks 

✅ Contents for the course as well as 50+ hidden webpages (already built, on a trip Beth and I took out of town two weeks earlier for the purpose of getting the project done) 

After a few days of editing— and dropping my slides into the video— everything is DONE. Ready to roll…

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Faith = The LifeLift assessments are up and running 

Last month (final week of March) I spoke at the Birmingham Metro Baptist Association about the LifeLift project…

I refer to it as a project, because it includes— 

 👉 Four books (about 120+ pages each) 

👉 A larger book (500+ pages), containing ALL of the info

👉 A workbook  

👉 A video course, with 20 lessons 

👉 5 personal assessments 

The assessments are ALL found in the books, but, when I was at the BMBA, one of the leaders asked, “Hey, are those assessments going to be available online?”

Then, another…

I received a message later in the day with the same question.  

Beth mentioned to me, “Hey, I REALLY think we need to get those online.”

With everything else happening (see the list above), I thought, “I don’t have time…”

But she did.

And she dove in.

This week, we completed them…

Here’s a pic Beth snapped one night at the Westin in HSV, right as I was plugging away on the webpages… 

⭐️

LifeLift utilizes 5 personal assessments to help you find + fulfill your purpose.

❤️💙💛💚Personality profile / DISC + Colors = helps us see if we primarily focus on projects or people, as well as if we're more extroverted or introverted.

🌎 🎂 Created Design = one of 7 ways we were naturally "bent" when we were born. This highlights how we uniquely approach circumstances, and add another layer to what we discover in the first assessment.

🤔 Reflection Questions = four questions help highlight where God may be leading us, including the burdens we uniquely feel and where we see specific needs that others may not see. 

🎁 Spiritual Gift Questionnaire = provides clues as to where God may work through us in a supernatural capacity, allowing us to "out-perform" what we can do in our own strength.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Personal Preferences and Skills = reminds us of past experiences and knowledge acquired, all of which can be 

This provides you with a comprehensive look at who you are AND offers great info as to what you were created to do…

And, although your ultimate purpose can't be found on paper, these resources to help confirm what you see and help you focus as you move forward.

🥁

Here’s one of the best parts:  

👉 The assessments are FREE

👉 You can take them in one sitting OR you can step through them one at a time

👉 Once you take them, you’ll receive PERSONALIZED videos and content FOR YOU, based on your answers… about EACH of the categories (short, 2-3 minute videos, with the option to take a few deeper dives if you choose)

👉 You can take and retake them as many times as you’d like 

👉 They all go with the workbook, which you can get free: www.Jenkins.tv/free   

🗓 ⏰

Here’s where we are…

This week we are testing everything. Next week, I’ll post links and pop a graphic on my home page, where you can take the journey for yourself.

🤩

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Friends = didn’t make any time for it this week… 

… I was busy using every bit of free time to edit, update, upgrade, etc., and get this project ready.

I will say this, though.

Last week, it was a lunch with two friends, Bob and McKinnon, that led to the final push on the LifeLift project. 

We were meeting to discuss the Warrior Hope podcast, as well as some of the web services McKinnon provides for Crosswinds.

(Bob and I are also finishing a book on Moral Injury, a Bible study…)

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While sitting at Taco Mama, I asked McKinnon, “What would it take to do the videos for the LifeLift project in the studio…?”

McKinnon was the guy who shot the Warrior Hope videos I taught for Crosswinds a few years ago— he recorded (and edited) me teaching and then Bob and me doing an “after-talk” for each lesson. He’s got skills…

“Just order the equipment you’re lacking…” he proposed. 

Blame the final push on the lunch with friends, because I walked into Taco Mama with no intention of creating videos that weekend and walked OUT of the the restaurant ordering equipment. 

😂😂

On a serious note: friends can push you towards things that are outright dumb OR they can propel you to do things you wouldn’t have even thought of…

Until that lunch, I’d seriously just thought I would wait until I taught LifeLift live to record it…

That convo changed all of that and now, as a result, the videos are ready, the assessments are done…

In other words, the project can continue moving forward, unhindered. 

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Fun = Wednesday, date night at North Italia…

Beth and I took a break this Wednesday and rolled up the backroads out to 280, to the Summit. 

North Italia. It’s one of our favs, and it’s easy to get in— even past a long wait— if you’re willing to sit at the bar (which we are). 

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That’s a wrap, for two weeks… 

That’s the highlight reel for the week. For two weeks, actually. 

As always, I record a few thoughts each evening in my planner, then I take a look back as I get ready to live forward— every Sunday afternoon. 

These are all some of the best moments. And, every week there are BIG things and SMALL things, many of which— apart from taking time to review— I would have simply overlooked, forgotten, or failed to remember the great tapestry of our stories that God continues weaving together with us— and for us.

Download the planner FREE at www.Jenkins.tv/FreePlannerPDF and see if it works for you…