Duck Trace Farm

Homesteading, Adventure, and Inspiration

Good Brain Food

Success in life requires we consume good actionable information usable for improving the lives of family, friends, and acquaintances; therefore, we must proactively consume “good brain food” and do something with the information. We must stop consuming junk and only consume good.

I love to research new things within my “circle of control” and find ways to make the information actionable for good. At times my research seems a little obsessive, but I find it enjoyable. Life-long learning is a priority of mine because I never want to stop growing and improving my ability to protect my family and help others. In addition, growing in my understanding of what falls within my circle of control focuses me on what really matters and also strengthens me to cope with life’s challenges.

Today my challenge is for you to read and apply to your life this “good brain food” from one of my favorite authors:

Stop Overdosing on Celebrity Gossip, The News, and Low Quality Information

Simply Serve the Community

The Stam family only wanted to serve the community. An innocent reason for being in China resulted in unwarranted brutality of an extremely tragic nature. I encourage you to research these Christian martyrs and allow their story to motivate you to think about Jesus the first thing in the morning and then every waking moment throughout the day.

“Stam Baby Safe”: Remembering John and Betty Stam

I am a HUGE note taker in both personal and business life, and I want to share my notes with you on a regular basis. Rather than taking the time to type all of my notes into the computer, I’ve decided it would be fun to post snippets of my notes to the blog. Most of my notes come from “meetings” I attend periodically at the office, at church services, in a small group Bible studies, or in times when Laurel and I are simply enjoying our farm and meditating on God’s blessings. Each time I post a snippet of my notes, I will challenge us all to dig deeper into the topic. Today’s challenge is to learn more about John and Betty Stam and to meditate on Galatians 4:19.

Photo by David Monje on Unsplash

Trust Securely

It is not a suggestion, but rather a command… “Follow me.” It’s a life-long pursuit to be as much like Jesus as possible. No matter where He goes, I will go. Am I really believing that and trusting in Him? Am I heeding His command, or am I simply taking the easy road and following His “suggestion”?

Four Things
by Henry Van Dyke
Four things a man must learn to do
If he would make his record true:
To think without confusion clearly;
To love his fellow man sincerely;
To act from honest motives purely;
To trust in God and Heaven securely.

Photo by Dimitri Houtteman on Unsplash

Simplify Your Life

“Simplifying your life can be more than just removing physical belongings. If minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things that I most value, it is also about deciding what is most important in my life and removing the things that distract me from it. It is about removing the urgent for the sake of the important.” from “Simplify” by Joshua Becker

Fire in the Sky

Thank-you so much Lord for revealing yourself to me this morning in such a beautiful way. I looked up from my scripture reading and was blessed with the beauty of another sunrise, giving me motivation and encouragement to live for You today. The fire in the sky puts a fire in my soul, motivating me to be a light to others with a hope and desire that my life can reveal a glimpse of your beauty to them.

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
Psalm 113:3