So much “noise” today. Race riots, political unrest, Coronavirus and more…..listening to all of it can not just be overwhelming, it can be downright depressing. Months ago I stopped watching the news.  I have not been the worse for it. Anything really big you hear about, even if you don’t watch the news. So I am never too far out of touch. That does not mean I do not care about these things-race relations, the election, the virus. But me watching hours of news is actually not achieving anything. All that news watching doesn’t change one thing. If I want to make a difference, watching the news and obsessing over it does not get it done. Controlling my actions and my attitudes DOES make a difference-at least in my sphere of influence and guess what-that is the only place you can truly impact.

Remember when dialoguing with your friends and family one simple rule… Praise in public-correct in private. Going into someone’s Facebook feed and arguing the opposite point, no matter how eloquently done, will not change anything. Why? Because their opinion, once stated and then affirmed by multiple people, becomes a fact in their mind. ONE NEGATIVE OF THE INTERNET IS IT ALLOWS ANYONE TO BECOME A LITTLE DEMI-GOD IN THEIR SMALL CIRCLE-called an echo-circle. John states his opinion, a bunch of people like it and tell him “amen” or “true that” and all of a sudden, John’s opinion has become John’s fact. Pride in his many likes has crept into John’s mind. When you state your opposing opinion in that same forum publicly, you now have attacked John-no matter how nice you try to do it. If you don’t really know John, ignore his post. If you know John, and you want to have any chance of impacting him, don’t do it publicly. Post in his feed how smart he is and then reach out to him over lunch or some other private way. That is your best chance for change.

If you want to make a difference today, model something Jesus did 2000 years ago-he came, he poured into a small group of 12 people, and they changed the world. I need to focus on my children who are being fed all this noise, I need to be a voice of truth-I can do that. I must do that. My friends, my family, my loved ones, those are my opportunities to impact. Build people up publicly, then do the real work of change in the private conversations. Ignoring the noise allows me to stay upbeat and not get dragged down. Then having the private conversations allows me to make a difference. ENCOURAGE FIRST AND FOREMOST-BE AN ENCOURAGER-people are starving for encouragement. Encourage first, encourage often, stay upbeat and you WILL make a difference where it matters most, in the people you love and care about. I pray you have a powerful and encouraging week!