Worth-a-look Wednesday

Because it's hump day and we all need a little "umph" to get through the week, here are 10 things you should watch/read/ponder that will give you life, make you think, get you out of your own head, and maybe even shift your perspective!

1. Six Ways to Love a Depressed Person - "Don’t give a depressed friend a book. Give them a steak instead. Preferably an expensive one. And pair it with a loaded baked potato... and if you want to get really spiritual, a whole pan of Sister Schubert rolls. That’s what God did for Elijah when he was depressed to the point of wanting life to be over. He didn’t give him a lecture, or even a devotional. He gave him a meal and then let him sleep (1 Kings 19:4-7). He didn't Jesus juke him."
2. Empathy vs. Sympathy- "Empathy fuels connection, sympathy drives disconnection."  Cartoons AND Brene Brown's voice, you know it's got to be good. To check out more of their videos go to www.thersa.org
3. The Two Most Dangerous Words In Your Vocabulary- "The number one casuality of a scarcity culture is vulnerability. We shut down. We're scared and we're not going to let people know we don't have it all together....but vulnerability is the birth place of everything we are hungry for...innovation, love, joy, creativity..."
4. Six Types of People Who Don't Deserve Your Shame Story- "It's hard to practice compassion when we're struggling with our own authenticity.... You share with people who earn the right to hear your story. It should be an honor."
5. Don't Forget...- A reminder of what we all have access to. "Circumstantial changes have no say in my identity. My environment does not dictate who I am. The leanings of my heart do not shape how heaven sees me."
6. Why Switchfoot Won't Sing Christian Songs- "To be honest, this question grieves me because I feel that it represents a much bigger issue than simply a couple SF tunes. In true Socratic form, let me ask you a few questions: Does Lewis or Tolkien mention Christ in any of their fictional series? Are Bach’s sonata’s Christian? What is more Christ-like, feeding the poor, making furniture, cleaning bathrooms, or painting a sunset? There is a schism between the sacred and the secular in all of our modern minds."
7. The War on X-mas- "As we live in a culture that is increasingly post-Christian, my thought is that if Jesus is our example, then the battle for the Gospel is best fought by losing. Stay with me. As good missionaries in a culture where Christians are statistically seen as judgmental and moral police, I think it’s time we let the gnats fly by so that we can concentrate on the camels. As I often say, my mission in Post-Christian America is to concede people into the Kingdom of God."
8. She Was 40 When the Nazi's Took Her - Stories matter, and hers will touch your heart and widen your worldview. 
9. Don't Ever Let This Happen To Your Dream - "The halls of our buildings are lined with those who are functionally amputated, the singer who no longer sings, the writer who never wrote, the blogger who never blogs...a pile of talents goes unused every time someone believes the work must be miserable and that we should live for the weekend."
10. Listening to Shame - Because right now I can't get enough of Brene Brown and her work on vulnerability and shame. "Empathy is the antidote to shame."

There you go! Enjoy, ponder, get all thinky, and immerse yourselves in other's stories and words.