Top 7 = Good amidst the grind of life

A few things make their way into last week’s “Top 7” that aren’t normally “Top 7” types of things…

First, Beth designed a new podcast logo / splash screen. For the past year or so, I’ve simply used the website logo as THE LOGO on the podcast. It was simple… and didn’t really say anything at all. It was just the bird…

Here’s the update:

The podcast is on my site:

And, all the main feeds:

🙉 Apple

🙉 Google

🙉 Spotify

But, you can also subscribe / listen on a few more:

🙉 Amazon Music

🙉 Pandora

🙉 Stitcher

In addition, Beth created a quick assessment for the home page of our site.

We teach four things: grace, freedom, purpose, and empowerment…

… all in an effort to help people find + fulfill their purpose.

💙Grace, because grace calls you and then empowers you… and then sustains you and everything else.

💜 Freedom, because it’s almost impossible to walk in your purpose if you have unhealed hurts and unprocessed pain. Find healing, and then it’s far easier to move into the reason you’re here

💚 Purpose… is the sweet spot

❤️ Empowerment… so you can mange the daily grind of doing all the things…

We’re all in different places, and we all need different things.

And, we all want to begin at a different pace.

So, we created a quick, 12-question assessment (answer yes/no, true/false on how a question resonates— or doesn’t describe— you).

At the end of the 12 questions, the algorithm (how’s that for a fancy word!?) suggests a TOPIC for you (grace, freedom, purpose, or empowerment) AND it offers you three suggestions:

✅ Good = generally a free, easy-to-do and simple-to-access audio course or short book

✅ ✅ Better = something a bit more robust, like a mini-course

✅ ✅ ✅ Best = a course that will take you “all in” on the subject.

You don’t have to sign up or register to take the assessment…

And, you can take it here: https://www.jenkins.tv/Q

Alright, that long intro done, let’s get into the Top 7 for last week.

(Well, Top 5… no entries for finance and friends this week 🤪.)

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Fitness = It’s all connected

This week, while running, I kept feeling anxious. At the end of the runs.

I couldn’t figure it out… at first.

At some point, it finally dawned on me: it’s all connected.

What happens with your physical body affects your emotions… and your spirit… and vice versa.

I don’t have all the solutions or answers… but, I do know that each area can help “LIFT” the others when we feel weak. As I sort through it, and record a few podcast episodes later today, I’ll come back to the topic and make a few more observations.

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Family = The Birmingham District

I took Michael (my father-in-law) to Birmingham District Brewing this Wednesday afternoon.

A few months ago, I met one of the owners, Brad Kueven. We were talking about how he got to Birmingham (they moved here to start the brewery) when he mentioned he was from Meridian.

“My in laws are from Meridian!” I told him.

When I mentioned that my father-in-law started Dufour Battery, just off the Interstate, decades ago, he said, “Oh, yes, I know Michael and Janice! They used to be customers at our computer store!”

(This, obviously, was a few decades ago, too… when you bought computers from local boutique businesses— not from Office Max, the Apple Store, other big box retailers, or even site-unseen online.)

I told him I would bring Michael by the next time they were in town…

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Field = Going to teach LifeLift / Purpose

Last year, Linda Griggs— who run admin for Believer’s Temple— bought the LifeLift resources.

“We’re moving into a new facility soon,” she said. “We’re renovating right now, but I want you to come teach it as soon as we’re in!”

Construction delays and other projects meant that, just now, over 400 days from that initial convo, they’re in…

Beth and I rode over to see the building last week (on Memorial Day, nonetheless!)

We’ll be teaching Wednesdays June 14 and June 21, 6pm— 8pm.

The event info is here. https://www.jenkins.tv/BT

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Faith = Back to the Advance 

Late 2018 I stepped out of a men’s movement I helped launch…

The men’s Advance began in tandem with a then-small Facebook group (of about 20 or so), and an event in Memphis (June 2014) with about 20-ish men.

Over time, we began hosting 2 events a year…

And the numbers grew.

Eventually the Facebook group hosted 5,000+ and the events drew almost 300.

We named the events Advance, as we wanted our weekend events to help guys move forward— in every are of life.

Helping men grow and…

🔥 build on-fire marriages

💰 begin making progress financially— and in business

🏀 get healthier, drop weight, start sleeping…

🏆 achieve goals such as writing books, learning new skills, launching new careers

❤️ start investing in their kids

🙏 nurturing their faith

… certainly sounded much better than a weekend “retreat.”

One of the guys I became friends with in our group, Chase, sent me this cup back in 2015…

Shot him the pic, this week, via text.

“I can’t believe it’s still around!” he said.

I never let go of it…

… or any of the things related to the event.

I stepped back, in late 2018, when life “fell apart.” Oddly enough, this was when the event was beginning to reach its greatest momentum and velocity.

There was never an “on ramp” to get back involved, even as I began rebuilding…

So, in the background, I continued working on the ideas:

🚐 I refined the 5-part framework

🚐 I wrote the Advance book (which is now in re-write, edit, full blown “fix up” mode)

🚐 I recorded a short audiobook

🚐 I created a planner based on the concepts taught at the events

🚐 I shot a video course

Now, we’re in the early stages of planning the events again…

The last one I was involved with formally, from the stage, was Advance 10.0 (September 2018). Advance 11.0 (San Diego), Advance 12.0 (online), and Advance 13.0 (Austin) all had my touches on them in some way— by creating the website, working on scheduling, etc…

… but, after that, with no on-ramp back, I stepped away completely.

I was contemplating— and got some advice— as to where we start when we “start back.”

Do we go back to GROUND ZERO?

Or do we start where we left off?

Or do we start where I myself left off?

“Keep it from where it is,” my friend David said— he’s on the video on the webpage linked here, BTW. “You can’t start over in life… but you can always build on where you were, the lessons learned… don’t erase the history. It’s part of the story… keep forging forward…”

Great words, super advice.

When’s the next one rolling out?

Sooner the later…

If you want to be “in the know” about all things Advance— join the “waitlist” at the link here. We’ll let you know when the dates / locations are announced.

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Fun = Beth + me after the meeting

After our Monday meeting, Beth and I bounced back through downtown…

I continued finding myself pleasantly surprised by all the things happening in the Magic City. When I moved downtown just over 20 years ago, there were SOME things going on, but…

… I think so much was still in the pre-conception stages back then.

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Grab your planner below..

That’s the highlight reel for the week.

If you’re just now dropping in, each week I look back at the week behind + preview the week ahead— so I don’t miss anything— and look and highlight at least one thing for which I’m grateful in each of the 7 key areas of life…

💙 Fitness

💰Finance

🏠 Family

🛠 Field (work, career)

🙏 Faith

👊 Friends

🎉 Fun

Here’s the link