It’s been called the green monster. Invidia in the Latin texts. A deadly sin. And a common one. Envy.
I confess to falling for it at times. Far too many times. No matter how much success I experience, it’s never enough.
The book launch could have been bigger—like hers. The traffic could be higher—like his. The number of speaking engagements could be more—and so it goes. More. Always more.
As we strolled through our neighborhood last night, my wife and I noted features we liked about other houses, and I felt envy creeping in again—even though we have a beautiful home with more room than we’ve ever had before.
Envy, you see, is not rational. It doesn’t make sense when we think about it. But then we usually don’t think about it. We just go with the feeling and end up in a bad place.
But usually by the end of each day we’ve encountered more than a few people who appear to be enjoying success. More than we’re having, at least.
And that’s all it takes. We see it and we want it for ourselves.
It’s Memorial Day in America! A day when we remember those who gave their last measure of full devotion by faith — they died for what they believed to be true.
These brave men and women were FaithWalkers in many ways. And my next post will ask the question — what beliefs would you defend at the risk of losing your life?
A Free Gift for Pastors Only
But today, as you relax, remember, and enjoy the company of friends and family, I just wanted to pass along some news you can use and a few guest posts you may have missed from last week.
First, I’m giving away my new book A Story Worth Telling for FREE to PASTORS ONLY! And one pastor will win two free tickets to Catalyst Atlanta along with 8 copies of my new book for small-group study.
Total prize value: $750!
Click here to discover more — and please pass this post or the page link (FaithWalkers.com/pastors) along to any pastors you may know.
Memorial Day Reading You May Have Missed
If you somehow do get a moment to read today, here are three guest posts I wrote at various places last week:
You may have faced—or are facing now—what appear to be impossible obstacles, massive mountains that threaten to keep you from answering God’s call to live a story worth telling.
But there’s good news: MOUNTAINS MAKE THE IDEAL SETTINGS FOR LIVING THE BEST STORIES.
Continue reading…
Every day you lead, you are writing a story. You don’t have to be a writer or even put pen to paper to make it a good one. But you do need one key ingredient: belief.
Regardless of your beliefs about spiritual matters, your leadership legacy will be determined by your faith.
Continue reading…
It’s time. Or at least you think it might be. You’ve been sensing a struggle within for a while, but you’ve kept it to yourself. You’ve felt a restlessness, a sense that you should be pursuing a new life calling, something more in line with your God-given gifts — but you’re scared to step out without knowing how it will all turn out.
Continue reading…
Quick update: A Story Worth Telling finished the week as the #1 paperback New Release in Christian Faith at Amazon! Many thanks for all of you who are helping to spread the word.
If you don’t have your copy yet, click here now to start making your life memorable.
What if you throw a party and no one comes? Is it still a celebration?
As I write these words, it is the morning of my book launch. A Story Worth Telling has been nearly two years in the making — more than that if you count the living-of-the-story part.
And we have worked hard to prepare for it. There have been a lot of long nights and early mornings and full weekends and questions from my youngest son like, “Daddy, when are you going to stop working?”
This morning I’m not scouring the Internet for any mention of the book. I’m not nervously reading reviews. I’m not watching sales numbers.
I’m pausing to reflect on just how good God is and why I need to celebrate more.
The Tyranny of the Next
In American culture, we seem enslaved by what I call The Tyranny of the Next. What we have now is never enough. What’s coming next is what captivates our hearts. New necessarily means better. New car. New job. New definition of marriage. Different is cool. Normal? Not so much.
Book Launch Alert! #1 New Release on Amazon in Christian Faith!
Amazing! A Story Worth Telling: Your Field Guide to Living an Authentic Life just hit #1 on Amazon for New Release in Christian Faith!
You made that happen. You are part of this story.
Your help has made all the difference in writing reviews, sharing, and getting the word out.
What a privilege to be connected with you!
These rankings come and go by the hour, so there is still more to be done. Let’s make the most of this opportunity to reveal God’s glory!
Three ways you can help right now:
1) If you haven’t yet posted a review at Amazon, please do so ASAP. (5-star ones are the best.)
2) Share the news about the book on social media using posts and images from the Media Kit. Or use this:
NEW! A Story Worth Telling — #1 New Release at Amazon for Christian Faith by Bill Blankschaen! Experience A Story Worth Telling for a faith that changes everything — and get $284 in faith-building resources for FREE! Click the link to explore: http://goo.gl/uncQtY
3) Forward this to your email friends to let the know about the book and all the free stuff.
Oh, and if you haven’t bought the book yet, you might want to start there. Many thanks!
My post in the morning is on why it is important to take time to celebrate faith success.
I think you’ll like it. It might not be what you expect.
You are awesome! See you out on the trail!
I don’t know about you, but I hate to fail. I hate it with a passion. The feeling that I have fallen short of the goal – even a goal I’ve set in my own mind – has to be one of the worst feelings ever.
It happens every time I set aside a day for yard work. I conjure up a long list of things to accomplish. But no matter how much I actually accomplish in the day, it’s never enough. The list is always longer than the day.
Solomon put it this way: “Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.” (Prov. 27:20)
Yep. That would be me. Never satisfied.
Sometimes the Truth Hurts
Can I be brutally candid with you about the launch of my new book? I think it will fail to meet my expectations. Here’s why.
