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Reader, My father spent all of his working life with the A.O. Smith Corporation, a huge manufacturer of auto and truck frames at the time. In its heyday, the company produced as many as 10,000 frames per day. Dad was a foreman on the shop floor, working mostly second shift until he retired. As a boy, I remember his schedule changing every few years or so as production stopped so they could re-tool for the new model year. I’ve come to realize I need to re-tool my communications with you. But re-tooling takes time, and production has to shut down In order to make changes. So you’ll be hearing less of me for a while. I know I want to get back to podcasting, but there’s a lot of work I need to do behind the scenes first. I look forward to getting back to you when my re-tooling is completed. So for now, I wish you all the joy that you can wish.* John Certalic * The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene 2 |
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“At the end of the day, nothing matters MORE than relationships.” — John Certalic
We’re All Like Newspapers
We are like newspapers and wildflowers.
A listener writes, “I will try to do more of this today!”
[FIRST NAME GOES HERE], A listener to our podcast from South Carolina recently reacted to Episode #218, “It’s Better to Listen Than to Talk.” This is the episode about the story in Matthew’s Gospel where God tells Peter to stop talking and, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” Here’s what our listener had to say: I actually listened to episode #218 twice last week because it was so good! The past two days I've been reading in John 15 where Jesus is talking...
Joy is a Two-Way Street With God
[FIRST NAME GOES HERE], Last week’s podcast episode, #218 (click here if you missed it), discussed how it’s better to listen than to talk. This principle is illustrated in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 17, verses 1-8. It revolves around what God says to three of Jesus’ disciples. “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The passage seems to suggest we bring joy to God when we listen to his son, Jesus. We sing songs in church about the joy we have in Jesus, and...
Better to Listen Than to Talk
Reader, Season 8 of our You Were Made For This podcast comes to a close today with episode #218. In it, I discuss a story in the Bible in which a man missed out because he chose to talk rather than remain quiet and let things unfold. We can learn from his mistake. It ties in with what made a friend of mine practically gasp out loud at what she saw while eating dinner at a restaurant in San Fransisco’s Chinatown. Click here to listen in. You’re going to like this one. Until next time, I wish...
The Next Time You’re Anxious Try This
Hi Reader, A few weeks ago during a Sunday morning church service we sang "The Goodness of God." Several days later I listened to the YouTube video at home. This time reading through many of the comments about the song. They were quite moving. Listening to the song soothes you like a warm blanket on a cold night during a January blizzard. Click here (or on the image above) to listen in yourself. Then read the sampling below of how the song touched people in such a deeply personal way. It most...
An Unusual Surprise From God
Hi Reader, Today’s episode of You Were Made For This, #217, finishes the story of tracking down my birth father. In it you’ll hear (or read): The odd thing he said to me when I told him I was his son What happened when my birth father showed up at a family reunion The surprising way God prompted two friends to help me get through this chapter in my life The larger relational principle from this story that applies to all of us To listen in, click here. Until next week, I wish you all the joy...
A Timely Quote From Albert Einstein
Reader, Last week’s podcast episode was the story of how I located my birth father by searching through public records and making lots of phone calls. It was using one bit of information to lead to another to another to another. Click here if you missed episode #216. I also mentioned in the episode how God orchestrated four important events in my life to all occur on April 4th, decades apart. It’s one of the most comforting things I’ve ever experienced. Albert Einstein describes it like this,...
Our Past Helps Us Understand Our Present
Reader, Today’s podcast is what its title describes, Our Past Helps Us Understand Our Present. You can listen to it on two levels.The first is the investigative work I did to locate my birth father. It was an energizing exercise to start with very limited information about him. Then overcoming various obstacles in tracking him down. More importantly, there is the role God played in guiding my search and the unusual way he used one particular day of the year, April 4th, to reveal his loving...
Searching For My Birth Father
Hi Reader, If you missed last week’s podcast episode #215 you can listen to it when you click here. I read from a section of my book, THEM about a conversation I had with my mother that began was I was ten years old, and that took 30 years to complete. It had to do with getting information from her to help me track down my birth father. Some people will think, “Why bother? It’s in the past and it’s not going to change anything.” I wish it was that simple. Historian David McCullough describes...
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