Personal Development on Advice

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Author

Jack Adams

Keywords

If it’s free, it’s advice; if you pay for it, it’s counseling; if you can use either one, it’s a miracle.

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Strange Advice from a Counselor

Author

Annie F. Downs

Keywords

My counselor gave me the strangest advice a few months ago. Almost out of the blue, she said, “You should start waiting in the longest lines you can find.” She meant everywhere—at the grocery store, g...

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A Shaman Decides to Practice What He Preaches

Author

Mia Levetan

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 7:3-5, 1 Peter 5:3, James 3:1, 1 Corinthians 11:1, Matthew 23:3

There once was a popular shaman in India whom people would seek out for advice. People would stand in line for hours, waiting to hear the choices they should make in their lives or the changes that wo...

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Lucy's Advice

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Jeremiah 29:11, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 119:105, Matthew 7:7-8, Isaiah 30:21, Matthew 16:24-26

In a “Peanuts” comic strip, Lucy sets up a small stand with a sign: “Advice—5 cents.” Charlie Brown approaches, looking for guidance. “Lucy, I need help,” he says. “What seems to be the trouble?” she ...

Quote

Author

Basil the Great

Keywords

Scripture

Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 19:20, Proverbs 16:18-19, Proverbs 28:26

To believe one does not need counsel is great pride.

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Preach or Pray: St. Francis Seeks Guidance from Holy Friends

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Early in his career, St. Francis of Assisi was in great agony of doubt about how to proceed. Should he devote himself to prayer and meditation alone or to preach? A humble man, he sought out the wisdo...

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A Father’s Judgment

Author

Jon Meacham

Keywords

A young man won admission to college. Instead of writing a letter of congratulations, his father penned this note: Now it is a good thing to put this business very plainly before you. Do not think I...

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When Rulers Refuse to Listen

Author

Adam S. McHugh

Keywords

Scripture

1 Kings 12:6-16 , 2 Chronicles 24:17-22 , Jeremiah 36:20-31 , Luke 23:1-25, Acts 7:51-60 , Psalm 2:1-12

The kings Of history are rewarded with many impressive descriptors: majestic, exalted, glorious, sovereign. Men and women bow before such heights of nobility; even the eyes of wealth and status fall t...

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The Monk and the Cup of Tea

Author

Ruth Haley Barton

Keywords

The story is told of a learned professor who went to visit an old monk who was famous for his wisdom. The monk graciously welcomed him into his temple and offered him a seat on a cushion. No sooner ha...

Quote

Author

A. W. Tozer

Keywords

We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts”

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Asking for a Pastor’s Advice? Mostly Not

Author

John C. Knapp

Keywords

Despite a widely shared belief that faith should inform ethical decisions at work, a mere 18 of 230 respondents had ever consulted a pastor for advice about a work-related matter. Of these, six were ...

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Making Good Decisions

Author

Ben Patterson

Keywords

I read of a young man who had just been appointed to the presidency of a bank at the tender age of thirty-two. The promotion was far beyond his wildest dreams and very frightening to him, so he went t...

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Prayer for Guidance

Keywords

O God, who guides the decisions of the meek, and whose light shines in darkness for the godly: Give us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit...

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Giving Advice to (Bob) Dylan

Author

Alan Jacobs

Keywords

When Bob Dylan was recording Blood on the Tracks – possibly the single greatest album in popular music history – he had to deal with a junior recording engineer who “explained” to him that he was goin...

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Crisis Intensifies our Search for Wisdom

Author

Andy Cook

Keywords

Scripture

Romans 8:28, Ecclesiastes 7:12, Psalm 46:1, Isaiah 30:21, Proverbs 3:5-6, James 1:5

A life-threatening crisis came to my home when I was only 25. My wife suffered a near-fatal stroke and was rushed to the hospital, where doctors scrambled to keep her alive. Within hours, we were maki...

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Encouragement Can Make all the Difference

Author

John C. Maxwell

Keywords

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:11, Romans 15:2, Proverbs 12:25, Ephesians 4:29, Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

There is no better exercise for strengthening the heart than reaching down and lifting people up. Think about it; most of your best friends are those who encourage you. You don’t have many strong rela...

Quote

Author

Basil of Caesarea

Keywords

So long then as the word of truth is on our side, never be in any wise distressed at the calumny of a lie; let no imperial threats scare you; do not be grieved at the laughter and mockery of your inti...

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Beware the Dangers of Success

Author

Thomas Merton

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 16:26

The following advice on success, written by the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, is extremely different from what we are used to (at least in the West,) where success is often seen as an absolute good. ...

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Learning by Example

Author

The Pastor's Workshop

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 18:15-17, Luke 15:11-32 , Hebrews 12:11, Genesis 18:19, Psalm 25:4

The late comedian Sam Levenson enjoyed sharing funny anecdotes about his childhood, especially his early school days. One of his favorite stories was about his first day of school, when his overly pro...

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A Good Start to the Day

Author

Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie

Keywords

Scripture

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 2 Peter 5:1-8, Hebrews 10:24-25

Martin Luther, whose actions sparked the Protestant Reformation, recommended a very manageable start to the day. He wrote: In the morning when you get up, make the sign of the holy cross and say: I...

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Pursuing a Version of Something

Keywords

Scripture

John 10:10, Psalm 16:11

There is a lovely book of advice for writers called Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield, which talks about how much easier it is to pursue a version of something than the real thing. Pressfield say...

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Review: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Author

Scott B. Bullock

Keywords

Scripture

Psalm 1:null

My Aversion to Self-Help Books & Their Gurus but Why I Recommend This One! I am not one for “self-help” books. I know that I probably could use some more personal coaching advice, but… my habit ...

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The Case of Courage

Author

G. K. Chesterton

Keywords

Courage

Scripture

Joshua 1:6-9, Isaiah 41:10, Ephesians 6:10-18, Matthew 10:28-31, Psalm 56:3-4, 2 Corinthians 4:8-12

Take the case of courage. No quality has ever so much addled the brains and tangled the definitions of merely rational sages. Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to li...

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What Instrument Should My Son Learn?

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Sir Thomas Beecham, a famous British conductor, was once asked advice from a lady regarding which instrument her son should learn next. Her son, whose first attempt at both the violin and trombone wer...

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What every leader should know about change in organizations

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

You know the adage “People resist change.” It is not really true. People are not stupid. People love change when they know it is a good thing. No one gives back a winning lottery ticket. What people r...

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God’s Spiritual Growth Plan

Author

John Ortberg

Keywords

Imagine a doctor’s office where every patient is told, “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.” If I have a headache, that is great advice, but if my appendix has just burst, I will be dead befo...

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The Ways to Self-Knowledge

Author

Henri J. M. Nouwen

Keywords

“Know yourself” is good advice. But to know ourselves doesn’t mean to analyze ourselves. Sometimes we want to know ourselves as if we were machines that could be taken apart and put back together at w...

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Better to be Silent and Real

Author

Ignatius

Keywords

One of the great truths in life is that you can only go so far as you can be trusted. Every time a well-known pastor has a moral failure, the church’s reputation is hurt. This is at least partially wh...

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Tell Them About the Dream, Martin!

Author

Stuart R. Strachan, Jr.

Keywords

Scripture

Matthew 5:9, James 2:8, Proverbs 21:3, Romans 12:21, Isaiah 1:17, Galatians 3:28

Most of us in the United States know the famous “I have a Dream” speech Martin Luther King Jr. gave at the Lincoln Memorial as part of the 1963 March on Washington. On a sweltering, humid day in the n...

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Doubting the First Days

Author

C. S. Lewis

Keywords

In this short excerpt from C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, the fictional demon Wormwood instructs his apprentice Screwtape to build on the doubts that often occur once the initial spiritual and emo...

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