Ken Davis Blog

Beaten by a stroke! A true story.

 Today I rode 16 miles on my bike.  It was hot and the last three miles were all uphill.  I was one mile from home, pedaling up hill with all my might, when I was passed by an old guy with a gray beard.  I tried to catch him but could only watch as he disappeared around a corner.  As I rounded that corner I saw that he had slowed down and was waiting for me to catch up.  When I reached him he greeted me warmly as he slowed to my pace.  "I won't keep you long." He said.  "I wanted to tell you to never stop doing what you are doing.  Today is the seventh anniversary of my stroke."  "I have regained my speech but my left side is still mostly paralyzed," He said.  "I ride every day because I want to live.  I don't do it to stay alive, I do it to live."   "Don't stop doing this," he said with a smile. "LIVE," he shouted over his shoulder as he left me in the dust. 

What a jolt of encouragement and wisdom.  We really live only when we challenge ourselves.

Daily.....How do you challenge yourself physically?
Daily.....How do you challenge yourself spiritually?
Daily......How do you challenge yourself mentally?
Daily........How do you challenge yourself socially?

Men and women who continually reach for new challenges not only live...... they live longer?

My challenge for tomorrow is to recover from the fact that I was soundly beaten by a partially paralyzed man older than myself. My challenge for the next day is to find him, thank him for his advice and beat him up that hill!

 

How to twitter without being a twit!

I am usually way behind the technology curve.  I still have a rotary phone.  I thought "blog" was Minnesotan for "big Log"  You know,  "bring the blogs down here and leave the smlogs up there."  Fortunately or unfortunately, my friend Randy Elrod came back, got me and dragged me kidding and screaming over the textans and the blogs and smlogs all the way to twitter.  I have wrestled with this new social media tool for awhile now.  At first I despised it.  Should a man really twitter?  I grew very tired of getting updates of people walking and sitting and sneezing and going to bed.  I saw so many pictures of other peoples food that I started to gain weight.  Not a lot of weight, just a twitter. I have gone from despiser to believer.  Recent events in Iran have shown that this is a powerful tool..........  WHEN USED PROPERLY.  It can be a powerful tool for you as well......  WHEN USED PROPERLY. 

Seriously, to my Christian family I say that we dare not summarily dismiss today's social media.  Years ago we turned our backs on much of the arts and now we rue what has happened to them. So......

Here are four rules for using twitter taken from an excellent Christianity Today article. 

Five Tweeting Tips
(1) You are what you tweet. Are you an encourager, a humorist, a businessperson, a pastor — a complainer? People will know.

(2) Craft your words. This may be instant publishing, but it's still publishing. Your words will last longer than you will.

(3) No cheating. Say it all in 140 characters. Don't use a second tweet to continue your point.

(4) Don't answer Twitter's standard question, “what are you doing?” Rather than your flight plan, nap schedule, or lunch menu, say something that will benefit others.

(5) Don't overtweet. If people quit replying to you, it may be because they can’t keep up.

Please read the entire article here.   It is very thought provoking and gives insight into the power of the tweet, even to save lives. 

If you decide to twitter.  Please DO NOT  twitpic me any pictures of your food. 

If God had texted the 10 commandments

Yesterday I got this in an email from MikeysFunnies.com I'm still trying to figure some of it out. Some of you hip people help me with #4 #5 and ttyl,JHWH

What if God had text messaged the 10 Commandments?

Originally from Jamie Quatro

1. no1 b4 me. srsly.
2. dnt wrshp pix/idols
3. no omg’s
4. no wrk on w/end (sat 4 now; sun l8r)
5. pos ok – ur m&d r cool
6. dnt kill ppl
7. :-X only w/ m8
8. dnt steal
9. dnt lie re: bf
10. dnt ogle ur bf’s m8. or ox. or dnkey. myob.

ttyl, JHWH.

ps. wwjd?

All Grizz or all Biz?

While on vacation we had two visitors to our little cabin on the lake.  One was immediately smothered in hugs, fed every spare scrap of food and invited to spend time with the family. The tag he wore told us his name was "Grizz." Not "Grizzly," which has a mean and scary connotation, but "Grizz."  Something you could snuggle up to.  From the tip of his tale, to the shaggy deep fur that couldn't keep up to the cadence of his walk, to the long tongue that never completely disappeared, everything about Grizz whispered, lover, friend, fun!  We could not keep the grandchildren or the adults away from Grizz.  And it was obvious that he loved being with us.

I found myself asking,"Is that the way people view me?" How about you? 

Another visitor appeared on our deck one morning.  He was a Stag Beetle. Stag Beetles are actually quite harmless and can be handled.  Yeah, right!  No one in our family volunteered to caress this creature. It is a nice little bug, but he is all business. His posture and mean look scare people (and other bugs) away. When "Stag Man" appeared screams could be heard for miles and the deck emptied of humans in a millisecond. 

 

I thought, "Is that how people view me?"  How about you? 

I know for certain that there are times when my attitude and demeanor resembles the stag beetle more than Grizz.

Today I prayed that God would give me lots of shaggy fur, a wagging tail, and the warm friendly demeanor of Grizz. So far I haven't emptied any planes and one person even shared food with me.    

Is it worth it to be "Discovered?"

A young boy walking on the beach found a fish washed up on the beach.  Gently he picked it up and brought it to his father.  Dad praised the boy for discovering the fish and "saving" it.  They bought a bowl, filled it with water and slipped the fish inside.  They toured with the fish.  Everywhere they went they told the crowds that gathered the story of how they had discovered this hapless creature and "saved" it.  Thousands of people lined up to press their faces against the glass to see the fish that had once floundered in the sand.  Had they looked closely some one might have seen that something had changed.  But no one noticed. There was a longing in the creatures eyes...... not for fame but for freedom.  Certainly the fish being discovered and saved was a good thing.  But perhaps something in the soul begins to die when the end result of discovery and even salvation is exploitation. 

Susan Boyle comes to mind.  Recently a story ran of Susan "losing it" after being hounded by reporters.  Anyone who watched her last performance could see nervous tension that was not there before. I couldn't help but wonder.....  

There's no question the moment of discovery and acknowledgment of her talent was wonderful and right. 

But what about now?

What about the makeover and the fishbowl and the exploitation?

When I look closely, I wonder if I can still see the joy that accompanied the moment of her discovery or do I see a longing for the peace and freedom and the tranquility of the sea.   

What do you think?

Your home Bible study may be in violation of the law.

Do you believe you might need a permit to pray and read the bible with friends..... in your own home?  If you don't, you may be in for a surprise. Read this story!  Grab your wallet!  Blog the story!  Fight for your freedom! Silence is no longer Golden!  It is deadly. 

SAN DIEGO -- A local pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a San Diego County official, who then threatened them with escalating fines if they continued to hold Bible studies in their home, 10News reported.  Read the rest of the story!   Please comment. 

An old guy places third!

There are no words to describe the satisfaction of completing my first Sprint Triathlon.  On top of finishing, I won third place in the "So old they might die before the finish line" category.  Team Magic and GJJC did an unbelievable job organizing this race. 

Thanks to Spence Smith for inspiring this adventure, and to Randy Elrod for demonstrating effort above and beyond the call of duty.  Randy rode five miles on a flat tire and finished with honors.  Read more here.

Next year my granddaughter and my wife are going to race.  Why don't you join me too!   Enjoy the pictures.

 

 

Four resolutions that will turbocharge your learning!

We just finished our first session of "The Dynamic Communicators Workshop" at "The Cove" in Asheville NC.  I asked the students to make four resolutions that would help them maximize their learning experience.

These resolutions will work for you!

1.  Resolve to Relax

So many times we go into new situations tense and defensive, fearful of change and concerned about what people will think.  We assume a negative posture that stifles creativity and inhibits learning.    

    Anticipate a great experience
    Believe that you will learn something helpful
    Don’t set yourself up to compete.  You have nothing to       prove.  Learning is not competition it is
    absorption.  Become a happy Sponge Bob Square Pants. Soak it up!

2.  Resolve to Disarm

We put it this way, “Leave your guns at the door.”  All those little tricks and stories and shortcuts that you usually use when the pressure is on; the candy stick, shoot from the hip easy way out solutions that keep you from trying new things, leave them at the door. 

Open yourself up to learn new techniques. Risk by exploring new ideas.  When you leave the conference you can pick up your guns and take them with you.  You may not need them anymore. OR you may find them more affective with the new material you have learned.  By leaving them at the door you will resist the temptation to depend on them and miss out on learning something new.

3.  Resolve to connect

Dive in.  Introduce yourself to instructors and other attendees.  Ask questions, offer insight.  Eat and talk and laugh with other people.  TURN YOUR PHONE OFF! 

In twenty years of doing workshops I can count on one hand and half of one foot the number of people who said they got nothing out of it.  ALL OF THEM remained isolated and refused to get involved with the people around them.  Some felt they knew it all. Usually those were sent by someone who knew they didn’t.  Others never disconnected from phone - computer - business, so even though they were physically at the conference, mentally they never left the office.

4.  Resolve to commit

I ask our students to commit to what we are teaching just for the length of the conference.  Long enough to try the principles, get past the discomfort of doing something NEW, and experience the difference it will make in their performance.  Once they leave, I give them permission to dump the whole thing and shoot me with the guns they left at the door, BUT BY THEN THEY ARE HOOKED.

The new grip suggested by a golf pro seems intolerable until you commit to practice it until it becomes natural.  Only then will you hit the 250 yard drive or sink the 15 foot putt.

Try these resolutions the next time you are at a conference.  Better yet, come to one of our conferences and try it there.  You will see ----THEY WORK! 

 

              

Praying "boy and dog" caption winner!

Many of you enjoyed the post with the picture of the praying boy and dog.  I received a number of suggestions for captions in the comments section and by e-mail.  My decision was influenced by the fact that I have been on the planet for 62 years and have been yelled at for 60 of those years about putting the seat up!  I have also owned more dogs than I can remember who took advantage of the situation when I forgot.  That's why I chose this caption and that's why I never let dogs lick me. 

The winning caption is:

Boy: Dear God, I pray that I remember to put the toilet seat down after I am done, so momma will be happy with me.

Dog: Dear God, please, please please let the boy remember to leave the toilet open so I can get a drink.

Posted by: Jessica Ellenberger

Jessica, Here's proof that what you say is true.  Send me an address and the new DVD "Together again for the first time" is yours.

What to do with your 5 minutes of fame.

In the last few weeks I have done several television and radio interviews that seemed like prime opportunities to promote Ken Davis Productions and the programs that we provide.  All of them were positive experiences, but each of them taught me new valuable lessons about these short and important opportunities.

1. Know exactly what you want to accomplish and the points you will use to get there.

Being there just for exposure is not enough.            
    People die of exposure.
    People get arrested for exposure.    
Don't just plan to ramble about humor in a down economy.
    Be prepared to show three ways to keep your sense of humor in a down economy. 

2. Keep everything short and crisp. 

In my first television interview, I tried to illustrate the first point with a l o n g story. Time ran out.  I never got past point one or the story. Five points in a three minute segment isn't going to cut it. 
    Give them two and send them to your web/blog site for the rest.

3. Get them to your web/blog site. 

Let them know at least once, and twice if you can, that there is SOOOO much more on your website.  (make sure there is)
    www.kendavis.com   Say it. 
    www.kendavis.com   Ask them to Say it. 

4.  Have fun. 

Get your point driven home and have fun doing it.  If you have been crisp and crystal clear there will be time to banter with your host. 

These opportunities don't come along every day so make the best of them.   

Tomorrow "praying dog and boy" caption winner will be announced!