Leaning Toward Wisdom podcast

#Society #Conversations #Randy Cantrell #Religion #Christianity

23:28

My guest today has been keeping us up to date with the current state of hiring for marketers on a quarterly basis, which has taken us on quite a roller coaster ride. Today we’re going to look at how marketing and communication execs are responding to the latest developments in the world while still needing to get their work done. To take a look at the latest here, I’d like to welcome back to the show Sue Keith, Corporate Vice President at Landrum Talent Solutions. About Sue Keith Sue Keith is Corporate Vice President at Landrum Talent Solutions. With deep expertise in navigating complex labor markets, Sue has a front-row seat to the evolving dynamics of marketing roles, hiring trends, and the broader implications of AI and economic uncertainty. RESOURCES Landrum Talent Solutions: https://www.landrumtalentsolutions.com https://www.landrumtalentsolutions.com This episode is brought to you by Landrum Talent Solutions, a national recruiting firm specializing in marketing and HR positions. https://www.landrumtalentsolutions.com Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Online Scrum Master Summit is happening June 17-19. This 3-day virtual event is open for registration. Visit www.osms25.com and get a 25% discount off Premium All-Access Passes with the code osms25agilebrand Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company…

Leaning Toward Wisdom

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Modern Tales Of An Ancient Pursuit

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Leaning Toward Wisdom

updated 5 днів тому

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Modern Tales Of An Ancient Pursuit

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#Society #Conversations #Randy Cantrell #Religion #Christianity

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1
It’s Hard When You Don’t See Results Right Away 46:40

5 днів тому46:40

46:40

A few weeks ago, Megan Moroney was on The Bobby Bones Show . She’s an emerging country music star touring with Kenny Chesney. I only know that because I’ve seen snippets of their shows on social media. Not knowing who she is or anything about her, I trolled through a short clip of Bobby Bones’s interview with her. During the interview, Bobby asked her a question that prompted an answer we can all relate to, but here’s a young lady who seems to be breaking through country music in a BIG way. But that’s hardly the whole story. For Megan, it was country music. For me, it’s currently two things: learning to play the guitar and starting a carnivore diet. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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Experience Changes Our Mind 42:32

20 днів тому42:32

42:32

Thanks for watching. If you choose to listen, thanks for that, too. Other than that, I’ve got nothing. The show speaks for itself. But here are the links I mentioned (and promised to share): LetTheBibleSpeak.tv https://hotspringsvillageinsideout.com/a-champion-bull-rider-who-loves-to-cut-hair/ Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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Irons, But Not Too Many In The Fire 33:01

5 weeks тому33:01

33:01

I apologize for being absent lately. Let me explain. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me

1
How Do You Measure Success? 36:06

8 weeks тому36:06

36:06

He asks me, “How do you measure success?” I have questions before I answer. “Success in what?” “Sales success is easy to measure. Serenity, not so much.” Turns out he was focused on how I viewed MY success in general. Part of the challenge of measuring or defining success is the common disease of comparisonitis. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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You Are Responsible For Everything 17:45

17 weeks тому17:45

17:45

It doesn’t mean you’re to blame. It means you accept responsibility for yourself—for your choices, decisions, behavior, reactions, feelings—and all the rest. I’ve yet to discover a downside. Mentioned in today’s show: VIA Survey Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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I Learned Everything I Needed From The Bible 51:45

21 weeks тому51:45

51:45

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things by Robert Fulghum was published in 1986. It was quite the rage because it was filled with commonsense life maxims. I read it and appreciated the author’s point that even children can (and should) learn how to behave toward others. We are almost 40 years later, and it seems like a prehistoric work of fiction. When I purchased this book, I had yet to turn 30. I had two small children and a wife I’d been married to for about nine years. Back then, the content was much less remarkable than it is today. I appreciated Mr. Fulghum’s sentiment that kindness and courtesy are behaviors he learned as a small child, but that was then and now. When Fulghum grew up, parents trained children by providing guard rails, forbidding certain misbehavior, and encouraging proper behaviors. That’s much less visible today. When I first read the book, I quickly realized that kindergarten didn’t teach me these things, but my parents and older folks did. Increasingly, I realized they weren’t teaching me some arbitrary rules they had constructed. Their training manual wasn’t a book by some doctor or psychologist. They were using the Bible, the Word of God. The book focuses on fundamentals, such as the ” golden rule,” which originated in God’s mind. John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. Matthew 7:12 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” I learned that at home while reading the Bible. I also learned it by attending worship services every Sunday, a day that was (and still is) referred to as “the Lord’s Day.” Of course, every day belongs to the Lord, but the day of worship is unique and set apart for public worship. Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day (of worship, Sunday) approaching.” As an old man, I reflect on my training, and I’ve remained true to it because it was always based on the ultimate authority, God, and the Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ. It wasn’t just a group of old people who littered my life, nor was it just my mom or dad imposing their will. It was a pattern for living, trained into me by these people who loved me and wanted only my best. Over the years, I’ve leaned hard on the precepts and principles of my training and continued it. It didn’t stop when I turned 18 or 21. The truth is, I made more dedicated, conscious efforts after I became an adult. I spent more hours studying and conversing with older mentors who continued my training. The foundation had been set, but the building didn’t begin until I was an adult, out on my own. That’s the litmus test for convictions – when you’re on your own, no longer under the thumb of anybody else, and free to choose for yourself. When that time comes, what will you do? How will you behave? Honesty, truth, kindness, courtesy (and much more) were instilled when I was a child, but as an adult, many no longer make those choices. We justify our poor behavior, choosing to be victims of others or circumstances we don’t think we deserve. I first saw deception at work on a stereo store showroom floor during my teen years. If a shopper was lied to about a piece of gear they considered, they might buy it. If you told the truth, they might not. My training and my conscience wouldn’t let that happen. It became easier when I realized that telling the truth worked better than telling the lies I knew others were telling. It turns out that the truth always works best. Personality and communication play a role, but the truth and doing what’s right aren’t subjective to either one. I’ve learned that some people struggle to communicate clearly, while others overcommunicate. Some need more public adoration and attention, while others don’t want it at all. Everybody has the God-given obligation to behave in ways that please God, and these are the ways taught to all of us in scripture. I was 27 when I first formed my business philosophy. I’ve always been prone to candor. Telling it as accurately and honestly as I can. It’s helped me avoid confusion that otherwise may have occurred. For instance, in every business dealing, I abhor ambiguity. I abhor it in my personal life because I’ve seen much misunderstanding result from people who lack the courage (or whatever it may require) to say what they want, what they require, and what they’ll accept. Even with explicit candor, people can still remember things the way they think they should have been. Years ago, while talking with an old businessman who was retelling a story whose facts I knew, I challenged his recollection. It didn’t happen as he said it did. When I confronted him, he said, “Well, I remember it the way it should have been.” His recollection made him the hero that he never was. Our minds can fool us into such conclusions. But we’re still wrong. Honesty is hard if it’s not your habit. It’s harder still if you’ve not been trained to exercise it. Without fear or compromise. Competence demands work and commitment. I believe it’s also a Bible-based principle. Colossians 3:23-24 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. The Bible contains many stories and illustrations of people dedicated to their work or servitude. I sought to be the best employee, boss, and cohort possible—not because everybody always deserved it but because I was attempting to serve God through Christ. I’ve devoted countless days to achieving greater competence. History will judge whether I succeeded. Giving more, like all the rest of this, is not negotiable. This has been a thorn in the side of others in many business situations because I’ve always begun every business relationship by focusing on how I might benefit the other person. It’s my worldview. They need to benefit before I can think about what I want. It’s God-centered, but it also feels especially good to me. Simultaneously, within this business philosophy, I also formed my own definition of leadership. While studying the Bible more, I also studied leadership and business more. I defined leadership as: a) influencing others to improve, b) doing for others what they can’t do for themselves and c) a focus on others (which turns out is the definition of compassion). I don’t find it difficult to give more, but I’ve had cohorts over the years who did. My behavior wasn’t driven by being altruistic. It was driven by faith, conviction, and doing what’s right. I quickly realized it was a competitive edge, but that wasn’t the point. Have I left profits, revenues, or anything else on the table? In other words, have I failed to maximize all I might have been able to get? Sure. And I’m good with it. It feels good to be because it’s right. Make it right. Fix it. Apologize where necessary. But don’t just say you’re sorry, actually change. The Bible calls it repentance. It’s making up your mind to change. Stop doing whatever you’re doing that’s harmful (to yourself and others), and start doing better. Lip service is easy. That’s why the bad husband can apologize to his wife, but nothing changes. He continues to mistreat her, selfishly patching things up because he’s the most important person in the world. Repentance is hard but worthwhile. It demands self-sacrifice, which is the hardest part. I’ve learned not to enable poor behavior. My own or others. As a young leader, I was offered a position at a specified pay rate. After a small bit of negotiation, I agreed. I was an employee. Over time, I discovered I had made an unfavorable deal compared to my co-workers. I was underpaid. At first, I was angry, but a mentor taught me not to be angry because I had agreed. He reminded me of the Lord’s parable of Matthew 20 . 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? I immediately felt guilty because I realized I was the whiny worker the Lord spoke of. I dove into my work, continuing to do the best work of my life. Some months later, at a time I felt was appropriate, I had a meeting with my boss. I didn’t mention any co-workers but asked for a raise. I explained my reasons, and I was respectful. I reminded him of my competence and dedication and told him he knew I would continue to work as hard for his business, and I was now working for my own pay. He smiled and raised me, making me the highest-paid person among my peers (something I wasn’t chasing). But what if it hadn’t gone as I had hoped? Would I have changed my work ethic? Would I have been angry with him for my having made a deal? We’ll never know, but I know this – I could have made whatever decision I wanted. I was just a kid but closer to adulthood than childhood. It was my call. My responsibility. Nobody else. Which brings me to one last thing I want to mention that I learned from God’s Word as it relates to this episode – I have no right to be a victim. God didn’t create any of us to live as victims. Yes, bad things can and do happen to us because of our sin and the sin of others. But our reaction to that sin is entirely on us. “Turn the other cheek” is the response to somebody hitting us in the face. That’s a decision we can and should make, if we aim to please God. Was the slap deserved? Doesn’t matter. We don’t strike back. 1 Corinthians 6 7 Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! But if I suffer wrong, I want to feel victimized. I want to blame somebody. Or something. I want the world to know I’ve been slighted. Sure. Do it. It’s a choice. Not a scriptural choice, but it’s a choice. I could have lamented the deal I took when a boss offered me less than I realized I could have had. Instead, thanks to an old head, I was trained to be thankful, dig deep, keep doing good work, and figure out what I (not my boss) might do next. That helped me avoid bitterness, resentment, and all that God abhors. It was difficult but doable. Right is right. Always. Wrong is wrong. Always. It’s not situational. It doesn’t depend on the circumstances or how it impacts us. Life has taught me that God, the Supreme Creator, knows better how our lives should be lived. He knows what’s best for us. He knows that being self-absorbed is contrary to our best interests. He knows that being undisciplined hurts us. Thanks to our Savior, God understands how hard all this is, so He has done everything possible to help us. There’s only one thing God won’t do for us—something we must do for ourselves—decide. Visit InThyPaths.com . Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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If Your Habits Don’t Change, You Won’t Have A New Year. You’ll Just Have Another Year. 37:26

22 weeks тому37:26

37:26

I posted this on social media a few days ago. It’s easy to desire improvement, but it’s hard to change our habits to bring about improvement. Each year begins with the hope that 2025 will be better than 2024. Maybe it will. Maybe not. Our habits are going to determine it. These 2 sentences are true. Life bears witness to their validity. Links mentioned in today’s show: • In Thy Paths, a YouTube playlist of sermons • A TV segment about why most New Year resolutions fail Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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The Ongoing Quest For Greater Wisdom 12:24

24 weeks тому12:24

12:24

Happy New Year, 2025! In the fall of 1997, I uploaded my first audio under the tagline “Leaning Toward Wisdom.” It was my documentary, the journey of a 40-year-old dad desiring to pass along whatever lessons I might. Twenty-seven years later, I’m still unsure how successful the quest has been to lean more toward wisdom and away from foolishness. But life ain’t over yet, so let the leaning (and learning) continue. Thank you for joining the journey. I hope it benefits you. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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Am I Solving The Right Problem In This Relationship? 46:18

24 weeks тому46:18

46:18

It started with a voicemail from a client. His message said, “I’ve got a situation – a problem. I could use your advice. Call me back.” The problem? A relationship. A couple of relationships. At some point during my questioning him, for my understanding, he stopped and said, “What I thought was the problem may not be the problem. Guess I’d better make sure I’m solving the right problem, huh?” That’s solid insight – especially when it’s a relationship problem. During the holiday season, relationships are often strained. It might be a good time to examine how we solve our relationship problems. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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Staying Around The Smart Spots 51:52

27 weeks тому51:52

51:52

“My ambition didn’t allow me to fail,” said Jack Barsky, an ex-KGB spy who was a sleeper agent in the United States. Barsky was quite successful in avoiding detection. Until he was, then no amount of ambition would prevent authorities from moving in. He stayed around his smart spots for years, navigating North American culture to spy for the Soviet Union and his faith in communism. Barsky might argue that over time, he learned how corrupt and wretched communism was – and how he had been brainwashed to think the pursuit of Utopian socialism was the ideal course of action. Armed with high intelligence, Barsky figured out the need for his smart spots to change, so he changed his mind to become politically a modern-day conservative. We usually think of being smart around spots regarding achievement in business or some other pursuit. Barsky reminds us that being smart around spots can – and probably should be mostly focused – on our learning ability. To see things more clearly. To remedy our delusions. Too few of us are geniuses; even genius has a severe downside. Sometimes, we can be too smart to be wise. We may even become stupid in our genius. I’m thinking of serial killers like Ted Bundy, reputed to be high-IQ individuals who arrogantly thought they were smarter than law enforcement. But they were caught by mostly average intelligent people who stayed focused around their spots of expertise and training. With enough time and sufficient clues to follow, law enforcement often (thankfully) figures it out. As we’ve all heard about criminal behavior, criminals must remain lucky daily, while law enforcement often just needs one moment of luck to capture them. Thankfully, most of us aren’t Soviet (or even American) spies. Or criminals. We’re just ordinary Joes and Janes going about our everyday lives. I’ve realized that it may be an act of genius to a) recognize our smart spots, b) stay around those smart spots, and c) understand if/when those smart spots disappear or change. All of it is hard. Thomas Watson’s quote makes it sound far easier than it is. And given IBM’s success, I have little doubt he mostly accomplished it. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is said to have this quote posted on his refrigerator… “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” Perhaps Mr. Watson’s quote and that quote attributed to philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson are consistent. But Emerson’s quote sounds more difficult, doesn’t it? Seems downright daunting! Truth is, life is daunting. Success is hard. Failure is harder! Choose your hard. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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Will Video Kill The Audio Podcast? 59:18

34 weeks тому59:18

59:18

https://randycantrell.com/inside-the-yellow-studio/ The link above is a comprehensive list of the gear inside The Yellow Studio. Assume every link is an affiliate link. Ironically, I chose to make this an audio, not a video. Yes, that was intentional. I hope you'll click PLAY. It started in 1997. This podcast. It was a handheld Olympus digital recorder. No SD card. Just built-in memory. It was less than $100 and I'd been using it for a while to dictate work notes and ideas. Audio was easy. And cheap. Well, recording it was easy. Getting it online was a bit more cumbersome. Getting it off the Internet to listen was infinitely more difficult because we knew nothing of MP3, today's defacto standard audio file format. My digital recorder used some funky format, but it was still possible to hear it from a website with a domain name a foot long, comprised of a bunch of letters and numbers (a free web page that came with my Internet service provider - ISP - Flashnet). Somebody other than my family found it because my first email came from somebody in Sweden. It blew my mind. It was all done with a digital recorder, a dail-up modem, and an Internet connection. Add in a bit of rudimentary HTML skills, so I could build an ugly website, and you had the first iteration of Leaning Toward Wisdom. I dubbed it that because it was what I was trying to do - lean more toward wisdom and away from foolishness. I was 40 years old and that was 27 years ago. Within a few years, I got serious. I registered LeaningTowardWisdom.com and invested a few thousand dollars (okay, probably closer to three thousand) for a rack of equipment and a couple of Heil PR40 mics (an amateur radio operator friend recommended them). That was The Yellow Studio for many years, recording into a Mac computer using software I can't remember until I found Twisted Wave, a Mac audio recording/editing software recommended by a voiceover actor friend. I bumbled along for a few more years. My audio quality was a point of pride and I was regularly complimented for it thanks mostly to good room acoustics thanks to a ton of books AND to Aphex 230 voice processors (one for each mic, I had two). My broadcast workflow meant that whether I was on Skype (later Zoom) or recording, my audio quality was always the same. I went for years without investing anything more. That rack of gear and those two Heil microphones were stapmles inside The Yellow Studio for years. Audio was easy. And after that initial investment, cheap. The ongoing costs were maintaining domain names and website hosting (I hosted my own audio files for years before learning I should get a media host). Eventually, I found MapleGrove Partners thanks to a buddy, Jim Collison. They would host my site and my media files because they're podcast-friendly like that. But beyond that, I had no real costs. People entered podcasting trying to figure out how to do it as cheaply as possible and I never understood it. I don't hunt. Or fish. Or bowl. Or golf. I don't collect anything (well, I once collected books...but only to read). I had no hobbies except this. That's still the case. Buddies who were into all of those things (and more) would regularly spend hundreds or thousands of dollars every year. Most of them weren't wealthy. They were just ordinary guys who enjoyed whatever they were in to. They didn't think twice about investing in hobbies they loved. I loved podcasting and I had saved for a good while before buying my initial setup. Admittedly, I made a sizeable investment, but it was calculated, planned and well thought out. It stood the test of time, too. I produced untold podcast episodes with that rig. Then Rode, an Australian company, bought Aphex, the makers of my favorite vocal strips, responsible for how my podcast sounded. It didn't affect me...until it did. Around 2019, Rode introduced a mixer with Aphex technology built in. Wait a minute, what?…

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People Who Want To Feel Important 14:47

35 weeks тому14:47

14:47

Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm—but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves. - a line in the T.S. Elliot play, The Cocktail Party It's another episode of Free Form Friday for October 11, 2024. Enjoy. Links: Hot Springs Village Inside Out, the podcast - HotSpringsVillageInsideOut.com Barry Switzer article at EPSN Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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Accidentally On Purpose 38:29

35 weeks тому38:29

38:29

“It's a bizarre but wonderful feeling, to arrive dead center of a target you didn't even know you were aiming for.” ― Lois McMaster Bujold Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for. --- Lawrence Block Travel light and trust in serendipity. --- Mike Brown Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. Stories abound of people pursuing one thing and stumbling onto something else. Something better. It's likely happened to you, too. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me…

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I’m Not The Man I Used To Be 42:26

37 weeks тому42:26

42:26

John Newton said, “I am not the man I ought to be, I am not the man I wish to be. I am not the man I hope to be. But by the grace of God, I am not the man I used to be”. He was a slavery abolitionist who had once been a slave trader. Perhaps that context provoked his statement. I can't fully relate to the first 3 statements in the quote... I'm not the man I ought to be. I'm not the man I wish to be. I'm not the man I hope to be. Not because I'm perfect, but because I'm dedicated to improvement. My own. Most of the time I am the man I ought to be because a) I know what kind of man I ought to be and b) I work to be that man. More easily, I know the man I wish to be and I'm working to be that man. Ditto for the man I hope to be. For me, the terms "ought," "wish," and "hope" are all synonymous, but ought is the most important one. How do YOU determine what "ought" means? What's it based on? Mine is based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We all need a standard, some measurement against which we can examine ourselves. I heard a city councilman on a YouTube video about a horrible drug scene in a major U.S. city remark on how addicts needed faith. Asked if he meant faith in God, he replied that to beat addiction - something he had done himself (he wasn't the man he once was) - a person needed to believe in something bigger than themselves. For many, it is God. Since God is THE supreme being without a peer, it makes logical sense that it should be God. But the term "ought" means more than having faith in something. It means having something to serve as a standard for your life. Life is filled with standards. They serve us daily. Time has a standard. Every minute has 60 seconds. Every hour has 60 minutes. Every day has 24 hours. Every week has seven days. Measurements have standards. One gallon contains 128 ounces. We pump a gallon of gas in our cars with some assurance that we're getting a full gallon and not something else because the government inspects gasoline pumps to ensure they're accurate. These two examples occupy all of our daily lives. Without them, life would be much more chaotic. Without standards imagine how crazy our houses would look. With no standard of measurement to follow all construction would be ridiculous. Some try to convince us that we can establish our own rules of conduct. You get to decide what's right for you. What you "ought" to do. And that might be very different from what I "ought" to do. But that defies the whole point of a standard, an authority. How about I decide that a gallon of gasoline isn't 128 ounces? It's 150 ounces. Ridiculous! Nobody would accept my personalized "standard." Rightly so because it's not a standard. It's an arbitrary desire. And that's what is happening today, stretched to the point of being ridiculous. The Bible contains the truth of how humans have always tried to behave when they don't want to recognize God's higher authority, which always has mankind's best interest. "Every man did that which was right in his own eyes," Judges 21:25. It speaks of ancient Israel who rebelled against Jehovah because they did what they wanted and called it "right." Calling it "right" or what we "ought" to do doesn't make it so. Not unless we're the standard bearer and in matters of right, truth, and morality...we're not the standard. If we were then societies that once sacrificed children in the fire to false gods would have been approved. Nazi Germany would be free from condemnation because in their eyes, they saw it as "right." No, there's got to be some standard recognized as the authority. It's God Almighty. Despite modern culture's refusal to acknowledge, much less follow, God's standard, mankind must accept all the visible, scientific, and written testimony of God's existence and rule. Man or woman. Boy or girl. I'm taking off on John Newton's quote only because like him, I'm a man. It would equally apply to a woman,…

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The Distractions Of The Side Hustle 57:59

37 weeks тому57:59