Amorvia Extrasolar

It’s simple. You go to the greatest conference that you have ever attended in your entire life. You get feed through a fire hose the best, latest, most effective way to do business and it was taught by the most productive, the top experts, people who know what they are talking about. While you are there you are getting PUMPED UP! Your brain is over stimulated. That 3 lb command center is just swimming in dopamine, serotonin, and dozens of stimulating brain chemicals. You are invincible. You are the next super star. You have the plan, all right there, in your head. WOW!
 
And then you go home. It is Friday. And already you are trying to grasp on to the energy and excitement, the vitality and drive of the big conference. But you are determined! But you have so much to do, so much to catch up on. Even before you get to work you start to feel a little guilty because you feel it slipping away. Everybody knows where you’ve been and who you’ve been with. But you are just trying to remember. Who was that guy who spoke on the second day? Or was that the third?
 
I’m feeling your pain!
 
So here is how to capitalize on all the incredible material and the super high of the conference.
 
1)      Focus on ONE THING that you can do that will help you. Have a second one in your pocket for later. Ask your self, “What is the one thing that will help me the most. What is the one thing I can do to make my life/business better? Review your notes about that one thing and make a one page plan about how you can implement it. Begin with the end in mind, with a statement like this, “When I have implemented this one thing this is what it will look like.” Then moving backwards, create a step wise process to meet that goal. After you accomplish the one thing, then, and only then do the second thing the same way.

2)      Go easy on your self. What you probably don’t realize is the attending a stimulating conference actually affects your brain with powerful chemicals that will wear off. It is common. You got drunk on great information by great presenters. But it is not a sin. Just review your information daily for a week or so, so that you can stimulate your memory and hold on to those things that are most important.

3)      Review the material and share it with a friend. This will help you keep focused. Often the sessions are recorded. Get your hands on the recording and review them in the next weeks and months. Offer to teach what you learned at your office. This will do wonders for you and the people who didn’t go.

4)      Realize that you can achieve just about everything you heard and saw at the conference. All those presenter and experts used to be ordinary people like you. Be courageous, fight for your goals, be persistent, reach for your sparkle, believe your can and you are, fight the doubt, fight the entropy, fight the good fight and be everything that you can be plus more.

5)      Help somebody. You situation isn’t the worst in the world. Somebody, real close to you, needs your encouragement, help, push, accountability, and love. Remember this, nobody succeeds alone! We all need each other to meet our goal and change our world. So love somebody!

The conferece was indeed really good! You spent a lot of money and time to attend it. Do everything you can to hold on to, because it really can change your life in ways that you never dreamed possible. I’m praying for you!

I love you- Bryan 
 
p.s. Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. You haven’t forgetten their trouble have you?

American Red Cross (www.Redcross.org)  

Samaritan’s Purse (www.SamaritansPurse.com)
Love your neighbor – Help One

It has been a little like drinking from the fire hose around here. There is so much information and practical-implement-into-your-business-right-now stuff that it is more than mind boggling. But here are three quotes offered this week that are really good. Consider them my gift to you from New Orleans.

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” Brian Tracy

“Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus.” Oprah Winfrey

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.” James A. Michener

Here is a test for all you Bible students. Which Bible verses compare with these statements?

I’m looking forward to returning home and sharing more about what I am learning.

I love you – Bryan p.s.

Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. You haven’t forgetten their trouble have you? American Red Cross (www.Redcross.org)

Samaritan’s Purse (www.SamaritansPurse.com)

Love your neighbor – Help One

 New Orleans’ rebirth is still unfolding. Tourism is back at full steam. I’m here for the Keller Williams Family Reunion. Keller Williams is the third largest and fasting growing real estate company in the USA and THE ONLY REAL ESTATE FIRM THAT ACTUALLY GREW IN 2009! AND remains debt free! Our family became a franchisee in Fresno last year. Since then our agent count has more than quadrupled plus we are profitable this year and project a healthy profit at the end of the year.

The real estate company that Jack Chamberlin started with June and their family is experiencing a rebirth of its own. Now Jack is mostly retired and Jennifer is at the helm as Operating Principle and our daughter Joanna Odabashian is the CEO (What we in KW call “Team Leader.”).

One of the unusual features of our company is that we actually share our profit with agents. What this means, in essence, is that rather than being company where the broker/owner is the main focus of the business the focus in KW is the individual agent and his/her success. There is no other national real estate company in the world that empowers agents like Keller Williams does.

This week I am surrounded by some of the most successful, incredible, and creative people I have ever met. I am soaking up every bit of it so that I can be… a better Pastor. That’s right I said PASTOR… at a huge business conference. Oh yes… I will be a better business person and real estate person… but what I’m learning here is more about… well…let me share with you a couple of items that are central for great business and faith.

“You can’t do it alone.” This is a refrain that is echoing in my ears daily. There is a huge push here to get a coach or at least have really great accountability partner. I’m hearing that loud and clear. I hope you do too. The fact is you can do it alone… but not at a high level. Here is the point of not doing it alone; you can achieve a lot more when you have expert help showing you how. You can achieve much closer to your full potential with help. You can be 100 times more effective with your time, energy, goals, just about everything with help. The real question is, “Why don’t you?” Failure to get help is usually related to fear, ego, pride, or ignorance.

Here is another important item I am relearning. Helping others is key to your growth. You would think that in the real estate business the most important thing is money. Not so! It is all about helping people. Sure people make money in real estate… lots of it…but what is so interesting is that the money is not the primary drive. They know the money will come… that is business. But it is just a vehicle to help others. I am blown away by the willingness of people here to share! The whole banana is all about helping other people be the best they possibly can be.

I’m looking forward to sharing more with you this week. Follow my Facebook and Twitter as I am constantly updating all day long.

I love you– Bryan

p.s. Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. You haven’t forgetten their trouble have you?

American Red Cross (www.Redcross.org)

Samaritan’s Purse (www.SamaritansPurse.com)

Mortality is a bitch. I can’t tell you the number of funerals I have officiated and as I stood over the dead body of some loved person (a father, mother, sister, brother, CHILD!) commending them into the eternal arms of God, I thought, “Wow, what a huge bummer.”

Don’t get me wrong. I believe in everlasting life… it is just that death is so final and the pain of separation is so real even when you know the reassuring words “In my father’s house are many rooms. And when I go I go to prepare a place for you. So that where I am you may be also.” Still… I cry.

There is benefit, though, great benefit in reflecting upon your mortality. And that, my dear friend, is the purpose of the season of Lent, which begins today, Ash Wednesday.

For Christians the Holy Season of Lent helps us to realize the wonderful gift of life and eternal life that God, through Jesus Christ, has prepared for us. In this process of prayer and fasting, repentance, good works and meditation, we are at our spiritual best. We get it.

So I would like to invite you to experience what could be the most important time of your life, the observance of a Holy Lent. Begin right now, even as you are reading this brief note by reciting the following prayer. Read it through twice; once quietly as you become familiar with it, and then a second time out loud. The physical act of reading out loud stimulates your being greater than reading it silently.

“Dear God, you are the Immortal One. I am mortal, formed of the earth and to the earth I shall return. Yet you have given me the gift of life. As I begin to observe a Holy Lent I pray that you would open my eyes to the beauty of this gift of life. Help me to see it and the world through the eyes of Jesus, who lived and died perfectly accomplishing your will. Help me to live my life more fully, with greater intention, with greater love, and with more union with you. I dedicate these days until Easter to seek you and your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Now, find your self a church where you can receive the imposition of ashes upon your forehead as a tangible reminder of your intention and let us begin our Lenten Journey together.

I would like to invite you to my home tonight at 6:30 for a meal, scripture readings about Lent, prayer, and the imposition of ashes. Please join us as this will help you with your observance of Lent.

I love you- Bryan Martin.

p.s. Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. You haven’t forgetten their trouble have you?

Wait a minute. Let’s back up here. A little background information is in order for this one.
 
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday on the Christian Calendar. Ash Wednesday marks the 40 day (sans Sundays. You can’t fast on Resurrection Day) Lenten season in preparation and remembrance of Good Friday and, ultimately Resurrection Sunday, what we commonly call Easter. Lent is a penitential season marked by prayer and fasting. Penitential means the calling to examine the heart before the holiness of God and change, or repent, and turn back toward God. Lent is a solemn season beginning on Ash Wednesday.
 
Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, is the last ordinary day prior to the solemn Lenten season. Consequently throughout the world in places like New Orleans fantastic debaucherous celebrations get their last licks in before the solemn season. You have seen the parades, costumes, drinking, beads for peeks, on so on.
 
So being the good Christian pastor that I am… I am throwing a wild Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner at my house (no beads for peeks, though). I have invited the entire congregation, their friends and family to join us. Pancakes are a “sweet bread,” and represent the indulgent life. You may recall that Daniel fasted from sweet bread in the Old Testament. But more than anything else our Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner is just another good reason to get together for some good old family fun.
 
We are starting at 5:30 for people who need to eat earlier, but we won’t stop until about 7:30. You are welcome to join us. There is no formal program, just pancakes, friends, and fun. Just email and let me know that you are coming.
 
Tomorrow night we will switch gears and we will have a 6:30pm Ash Wednesday Service, at my home also. We will read a set of scriptures, sing a few songs, and I will impose ashes if you want. To learn more about Ash Wednesday read tomorrow’s blog.
 
I’m looking forward to seeing you.
 
I love you, Bryan
 

p.s. Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. You haven’t forgetten their trouble have you? 

American Red Cross (www.Redcross.org)  

Samaritan’s Purse (www.SamaritansPurse.com)

Love your neighbor – Help One

One of my academic degrees is the Master of Divinity. For most major denominations it is the basic academic requirement for clergy. It is a three year graduate program that broadly covers all the essential areas for scholarly and practical ministry. I’m a proud my Master of Divinity and appreciate the great education it provided me.

Mastery is more than acquiring an academic degree. Indeed most people want to or already have mastered important elements of life. I am proud of the fact that I have mastered being a dad for my kids and being a great husband for my wife more than anything else. Please note that being a Master does not mean perfection or not having the need for growth. But it does mean having a level of proficiency that is remarkable.

My wife is a Master real estate broker, among many other things. Her knowledge experience and success in real estate is amazing. In our community she has perhaps the best reputation for honest dealing, integrity and love… yes she loves her clients, her co-workers, and the business. Her mastery is characterized by what psychologists call “flow.” When she gets into it she is carried to levels of proficiency and expertise where even time itself seems to standstill while she works her magic.

Since I joined our real estate firm a few years ago her level of mastery has eluded me. I want to get and “A” in real estate like I did in graduate school. But recently I discovered that there is a difference in getting and “A” in, let’s say, a foreign language and becoming a fluent foreign language speakers. In deed many people who got A’s never mastered the language!

Let’s take the real estate business. Getting and “A” would be selling 24 units a year. That would be a good living by any standard. Not many people make as much money as a realtor who sells 24 houses a year.

Being “fluent” however is not limited by the numbers. Being fluent in real estate means that you master the all the elements the real estate business; time management, prospecting, lead follow up, setting appointments, getting signed contracts, understanding the contract, negotiating the deal and closing the escrow… and all this done while you are in the flow of it. The fruit of being fluent is more than money (if you are in the flow and a master of your business then you’ll no doubt make a lot of money), it is having control, autonomy, and freedom. The best realtors are fluent and flow.

I am not a master in real estate like my wife or my sons and daughter. But judging from my past experiences I soon will be one. For me the challenge is moving away from the idea of getting an A to the idea of being fluent. Being fluent takes time, repetition, wanting it, and commitment.

For Christians mastery is good stewardship; it is using and developing the gifts that God has given you to the highest level. God gives each person gifts. For business people mastery is the key to success and happiness. For human beings mastery is self-fulfillment and contributing to the well-being of humanity and the world.

Getting an A is great but being fluent is really useful. So here are the questions of the day. #1. What are you a Master of? Remember, Mastery is not perfection; it is a high level of proficiency in some area where you feel the flow. What are you the Master of?

#2. What area(s) do you aspire to be a Master of? And… how will you become fluent in it?

Share your response and inspire others.

I love you – Bryan p.s.

Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

American Red Cross (www.Redcross.org)

Samaritan’s Purse (www.SamaritansPurse.com)

Love your neighbor – Help One

She worked hard all week long. In fact she did everything everybody did; same diet, same exercise regime, same last minute workout. But while everybody else on the Biggest Loser farm lost weight, she actually gained. She only gained one pound but she was the only one who gained and that was enough to get her kicked off the ranch immediately. There was no second chance, no vote, no grace, no immunity; she was out of there. And she only gained one pound! Gone!

You would think that she would forget about it; just give up. Her body just functions differently than everybody else. Obviously it is impossible for her to lose weight. Her metabolism is just retarded; it is too slow to allow her to lose any weight at all. We all should feel sorry for her because she is stuck forever. There really is nothing she can do. Clearly all the best exercise, diet and world class personal training can’t help her. She ought to just give up, not worry about it and go about her fat life the best she can. Right?

HELL NO! Okay, it was true, all those things about her metabolism are fact, but that did not mean that she was helpless. She would have to work harder, longer, with more discipline, get more help, spend more hours, have better accountability, believe that she could, see her future self through the fat, and never, NEVER give in.

Guess what? There is life after failing and getting kicked off the ranch. After Melissa’s dramatic exit she did not give in to the inevitable. In spite of what happened, she continued her weight lose program at home. And guess what again; so far she has dropped from 233 to 175 lbs! That is AMAZING.

But more than that she has a story; even if your body is whacky you can still do something about it. Melissa is now the poster child for defying the odds, overcoming nature, fighting in the face of impossibility. She has a testimony to share with the world; even fat loser women can overcome!

As far as I am concerned this is not just the story of “fat loser women.” It is “just” another story about how we (read EVERYBODY) overcome the limiting beliefs and seemingly impossible realities in our life. YOU CAN DO IT! Even you can reach your goal!

You can grow your business, fix your relationship, stop drinking, pay off your mortgage, get out of debt, make more money, have a life worth living, learn to love again… You can transform your life!!

You can do it because God is for you; you have the love, drive and everything else you need at your finger tips. You have the encouragement, the accountability, the plan to work. You have coaches, counselors, and friends to help you. You have the testimony, story and example of others who have made it. They did it, SO CAN YOU, with God’s help and a lot of hard disciplined work. You are not the only one who has struggled with this problem!

Here is THE KEY; you need to do this for your self, no doubt. BUT, and this is the biggest BUT, YOU NEED TO DO IT OF THE SAKE OF OTHERS. Your family, friends, the people around you… they need to see you make it. They need to know that it is possible. Your kids, your spouse, your best buddy is looking for hope. Guess what? You are the one! You are the chosen one who is to be the poster child for making it. When you make it you have a story of hope. You have a testimony of faith. You are the living example that people can overcome. You make a difference.

Don’t stop, even when you gain weight, get rejected, have major set backs, fail, lose, fall off the wagon, feel like it’s the end, want to give up. Don’t stop, get help, persist, fight, do something different.

Always remember, others have made it, they blazed the trail ahead of you. You are not alone. More than that, you can and will make a difference for somebody else just because you keep moving forward.

Transformation, resurrection, and new life is in your future!

I love you – Bryan

Don’t mess with Jillian Michaels. You know, the in-your-face personal trainer of Biggest Loser fame. She is the hottest fitness guru on the internet and video right now. Jennifer thought she would check out her website and even signed up for an on-line fitness program…but she didn’t hit the “submit” button…she wanted to think about it. Guess what happened!

She got an email (probably auto-generated) from Jillian saying “You went through all the trouble of filling out the personal information, why didn’t you push the submit button?” And, “Your weight problem is probably related to your metabolism, and you can fix that… if you chose to.” And “Don’t blame your genes. Your genes are only one part of the equation. You still have choices you can make.”

Imagine that… Jennifer did not even complete the process and Jillian was after her to get on the fitness track.

I am certain that that kind of tenacity, persistence and in-your-face assertiveness is what makes Jillian Michaels one of  the world’s best personal trainers. She knows what it takes to get people to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle.

Part of Jillian’s technique is that fitness is a daily lifestyle; you take care of and be disciplined with your body every single day.

Jillian, I am sure, would tell you that it is not just a “body” thing, as if all you have to do is diet and exercise. It is a mind “thing” and a spirit “thing” too.

It is like what spiritual leaders, like me, say, It is a body, soul, and spirit thing.

My son Jared is a big fan of Earl Nightingale. Nightingale writes “”Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”

Nightingale would have you discipline your mind not every day but “every minute.”

Here is my point for the day… listen carefully, it is a life changer. You were made needing accountability, encouragement and hope. You were made needing to be disciplined about tending to your body, mind and spirit every single day. The repetition of daily physical training, mental training and spiritual training is an essential component of your well-being, and, what’s more important, your ability to help other people.

Exercise every day! Recharge your mind every day! Tend to your spirit everyday! Help change your world everyday!

Keep reading my blog… it helps more than you know.

I love you– Bryan  

p.s. Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. 

American Red Cross (www.Redcross.org)  

 Samaritan’s Purse (www.SamaritansPurse.com)

 Now you can view next Sunday’s Gospel lesson at www.St-Pats.com.

Love your neighbor – Help One

This is exactly what happened to seven year old Katelyn Pool last year. It couldn’t happen at a worse time; the economy is just wreaking havoc on the family’s personal finances to the limit and beyond. It’s the perfect storm all over again.

In cases like Katelyn’s the only way to achieve balance and stability is with an insulin pump, an expensive ($9000.00) piece of medical equipment that monitors and controls blood sugar without constant injections.

I have watched Katelyn during her ordeal. She remains spunky, courageous, positive and best of all she is an inspiration to everyone around her.

I invited Katelyn to speak at our church yesterday. She joined me in front of all those people and told them about her new foundation, the Katelyn Pool Pump It Up of Diabetic Kids Foundation. Katelyn’s goal is to raise enough money for five insulin pumps for diabetic kids this year by collecting cans and bottles and recycling them. You should have seen her. She took one look at those people watching her, took a deep breath and launched into her speech. Seven years old! She was amazing! We are going to help her raise that money!

Now… what about you? What are you facing today? What ever it is I want you to remember Katelyn all day long. Say her name out loud right now, Katelyn. Let this little girl inspire you. In all that you do remember this, there is a way for you to help make the world a better place. In spite of what is going on with your family, your finances, your personal relationships, your health, you can let your light shine.

Be like Katelyn, let the love of God flow through your heart to your world.

For more information about how you can help Katelyn raise money for diabetic kids needing insulin pumps call (559) 2590in

I love you — Bryan

p.s. Say a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

American Red Cross (www.Redcross.org)  

Samaritan’s Purse (www.SamaritansPurse.com)

Now you can view next Sunday’s Gospel lesson at www.St-Pats.com.
Love your neighbor – Help One

 I’m not just talking about PTSD that affects so many Veterans and victims of sexual assault. I’m talking about the “ordinary” betrayals suffered by so many of us. “Victim,” I hate that word, but that, is essence, is what we are. Or are we?

 When I was six years old, before Moses and I met, I was play on a swing set in a friend’s back yard. Some how my right thumb got stuck in between two moving parts and ripped open. The bloody mess required a stitch, which to this day, fifty years later is still there! My hunch is that those betrayals are literal scars in our brains clearly “visible” to us; you just can’t make it go away!

It is like the time my dear friend and colleague stabbed me in the back and threw me under the bus and left me for dead. Now he did not literally stab me in the back and throw me under the bus and leave me for the birds to peck at my bones, but it sure felt like it. More than that it ruined me, it truly did. I had to start all over again. That scar is in my brain visible for me to see every single day.

What to do?

Here is where the old Biblical concept of forgiveness is so powerful. Forgiveness is God’s gift of healing to the scars of victimization. It takes the wounds and makes a new story out of them. Forgiveness turns those scars into “battle scars.”

Here is my new story. When my victimizer assaulted me he was as guilty as sin. He had no idea, though, that God would take that God awful event and transform it into a major story of God’s redeeming grace and empowerment for my life. But that is what happened. I’ll be honest with you. I would never want to experience that kind of betrayal again and more than that I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Heck no! But somehow I survived, and more than that, I have overcome, I am victorious. And more than that, I live to love and empower others. How did that happen?

Here is something you may have never heard before; Forgiveness is changing the story and making it just another episode in the on going saga of your life of love. I got hurt, I have a scar, I have a story, I know how you feel, I’m really sorry that happened, I’m living my life of love.

What about my perpetrator? I can’t tell you much about him. I see him every once and a while. Frankly, I feel sorry for him. And while he may have screwed me (pardon my French), I think he must be really screwed up to do the things he did. He has no power over me. I’m praying for him and his family. God knows they need all the help they can get.

Actually, I’m pretty proud of those scars. Even though those scars didn’t come while I was serving my country or something great like that, they are meaningful to me. You see, when God forgave me, he changed the story of my life. That is the least I can do, just like it says in the Lord’s Prayer, “as we forgive those who trespass against us.” There is a story in that, a new story.

I love you — Bryan