Your Champions Brew for Friday, February 4, 2022

The Champion’s Brew is a weekly assembly of material I am reading, listening to, watching, or thinking about that is designed to equip and call you to uncommon leadership.  I often add my own little spin based on my takeaways and would love your input as well.  Any of the points especially impact you?  Drop me a note at [email protected], or comment on the blog to keep the conversation going!  I believe you will discover that the format is not only useful, but also that you can consume it within the time it takes you to enjoy your daily ‘brew’!  Become a member of the Champions Brew Nation by subscribing here!!

Here is your weekly drink of what I have been reading and experimenting with to help me to:

• Build My Faith, Worry Less, Network Well:

In 2021, one of the goals I completed was to read the Bible in a year.  There have been many personal benefits I have realized from this accomplishment.  Any time you complete a large task, project, or initiative, you should take the time to reflect on what you learned through the process both positive and what could have gone better.  Here are a few of my takeaways:

1. I became a Bible reader!!  Add me to the club and I am proud of the accomplishment.  There were many times that I had said that I wanted to read the entire Bible” but saw the task as insurmountable.  I completed my reading assignment/discipline every day for 365 days.  Well done, John! 
2. I gained a better knowledge of the entire story that IS the Bible! Reading the entire Bible changed my perspective about this book.  Each Sunday at church, or during a Bible study, or devotional, I read “pieces” of the Bible.  It was  a reference book for me (and a good one at that!) that I used.  But, reading it in a year changed it from a reference book to a story.  And, what a great story it is!!
3. I became a better conversationalist – Reading the Bible connected me with others – It gave me an opportunity to connect with people I did not know.  It gave me an opportunity to participate in conversation I may not have in the past.  It deepened relationships I already had. 
4. I worry less – Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews is the faith chapter in my opinion.  With all that is going on in the world, our communities, and our homes, it is easy to invest a lot of time in worrying.  By reading the Bible, I am assured that my Hope is not in our government or our media (thank goodness!) or in my work , but my hope is in my faith, hope and assurance of this story.
5. I became a better husband, father, friend, family member for reading the Bible – To me, the Bible is the ultimate personal development book.  There is self-help, priority management, leadership development, great story telling, conflict resolution, purpose, passion, excitement and more. 
6. I still have lots of room to grow – The book humbled me, challenged me, forced me to personally reflect on the distance between where I am and where I want to be as a man of faith.  The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago… the next best time is today! It’s never too late to start.

Here are some tips to make this goal attainable and fruitful for you:

1. Use a ‘plan’ – in 2021, our church sent out a daily devotional with the reading assignments that ultimately divided the reading up over 2 chapters in the Old Testament and 1 chapter in the New Testament each day to get through it in a year.  The Bible app has some great plans, too.  I enjoyed the process so much in 2021, I decided to “run it back” in 2022 and am using the Bible Recap plan, which is a chronological walk through the Bible
2. Have someone else do it with you – As with many tough tasks, it is always better to have an accountability partner on the journey.  My wife, as well as a couple men from church, would check in with me often to see how it was going.
3. Make it part of your morning ritual and do it first – By reading it first thing after I woke up, there were many benefits, including the simple task of “getting it done”.
4. Share with others what you are reading – I loved having conversations with others about what I was reading.  Great books that you read should not be consumed alone but shared!!
5. Quote: “The Gospel is The Good News that Jesus died for our sin and rose from the dead SO THAT through faith in him we can me made right from God and enjoy life with him forever.”

What you need to do:

Call to Action:  Have you read through the entire Bible before?  If so, CONGRATULATIONS!!!  I hope that it impacted you the way that it did me.  If not, I would highly suggest this book.  It’s simple, but not easy.  20 minutes a day for 365 days = 7,300 minutes, 121.67 hours and 5 days of time invested!!! 

Let’s continue the conversation.  Email me at [email protected] or comment on the blog.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you enjoyed it, I would appreciate it if you would share it with a friend who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.

Until next time, go and Grow Champions!