What do you believe in on a Monday?
Do you believe in a dreary, hopeless work week?
Or do you believe in the first day of a new set of possibilities and opportunities?
If you’re having trouble believing this Monday could be any different than the rest, maybe you could use some Monday Morning Music.
(Click Here to listen to How Could We Not Believe from Ben and Ellen Harper)
(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)
If you’re anything like me, you look at Mondays the same way as Walt Grace – you’re done with them.
Walt Grace is the title character from John Mayer’s song “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967” from his Born and Raised album. It’s kind of a goofy title. And it’s kind of a silly song.
But I just love it. “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test” is the perfect type of Monday Morning Music. Continue reading
It’s hard to feel beautiful on a Monday.
You wake up late, still hungover from a weekend of fun, forced to go back into the work and grind. You don’t have time to pick out a great outfit or fix your hair the way you like it. You still feel guilty over the mistakes you’ve made – the same ones you made last weekend.
You may not see something beautiful staring back at you in the mirror. You may not see a beautiful day ahead outside your window. You may not be able to see through the fog of shame you carry with you.
Maybe you could use a little Monday Morning Music.
Whether you’re a rock star, a pro wrestler, or just an everyday joe, the way you make your entrance is of the utmost importance.
You can tell a lot from someone’s entrance. Are they loud? Quiet? Strong? Weak? Confident? Defeated?
Every Monday morning, you decide how you will make your entrance into the week. Maybe you need a little entrance music to motivate you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O-BwV0DDUY
(Click Here if you can’t see the video above)
A new week can overcome you before it even begins. Your mind may weigh heavy with the consequences of all your past failures from the previous week. Your body may still be reeling from losing an hour of sleep this weekend.
The great thing about Monday is you have the choice to see things in a new way. Today can be a fresh start. You can leave the old you behind on Monday and start seeing things differently. Continue reading
It’s Monday.
Back to work. Back to school. Back to the cycle.
The weekend gives you freedom. But now it’s Monday again. Time to relive the same meetings, same classes, same routines.
Ever feel stuck on Mondays? Continue reading
(Click Here if you can’t see the video above.)
There are few things more brave than dancing like crazy in a public place.
One of them may be admitting I really like the song and the video for “Brave” by Sara Bareilles.
Sara Bareilles’ song and album have improbably garnered a slew of Grammy nominations for this year’s awards.
You may not even realize you’ve heard “Brave” until you recognize it as the jingle for all the new Windows commercials you’ve seen during every commercial break of NFL football and just about everything else you watch on television. Continue reading
(Click Here if you can’t see the video above.)
It’s the first Monday of 2014.
Your week may be starting off full of the promise and resolve of a brand new year.
Or you may have already screwed everything up in the past 5 days.
Wherever you are, know this: It’s ok. Today is a new day. Today is your second chance. Today you can start again.
Here’s the perfect song to remind you today is a great day for a do-over. It’s called “Start Again” by Counting Crows (the original version of the song is by Teenage Fanclub).
“Start Again” is a simple song that repeats the same refrain multiple times. It’s the story of one person telling another, “Even though it’s complicated, we’ve got time to start again.”
I love how the song loops around over and over again. It’s like with every verse the main character is waking up on a new day reminding himself to put the past behind him and start over.
No matter where you were last night or what you’re facing today, if you’re alive and breathing than you’ve still got time to work it out.
Starting again can be daunting and overwhelming. Starting all over can make you just want to give up.
Remember starting again doesn’t have to mean you’re starting from the bottom. It can be more like starting over in a video game.
When you fail in a video game, you don’t always have to start a level all over again. Most games let you start a new life right where you left off.
God’s grace does the same thing for us. He picks us up where we fell down and let’s us start again on life.
He doesn’t hold grudges. He doesn’t make us earn our way back into His good graces.
He just gives us a night of rest, sets us back on path, and tells us to “Start again.”
I’d love to know: where you are starting again this Monday?
(Click Here if you can’t see the video above.)
Everyone talks about the transition from Saturday night to Sunday morning being a daunting one. But what about Sunday morning to Monday morning?
On Sunday morning you sing of hope. On Sunday you’re surrounded by fellow believers. On Sunday your tank is recharged.
On Monday morning it can all fall apart. On Monday inbox is full of problems that just can’t wait. On Monday everything that drags you down about your job is right back in front of you. On Monday the weight of commerce brings you back down to earth.
A bit dramatic? Maybe. But for some of us it’s not that far off. Maybe to keep you with a Sunday attitude you need some Monday Morning Music.
Here’s a favorite tune of mine to get my mind right for Monday morning. It’s a song from The Avett Brothers called “Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise”. Don’t let the long title scare you off.
As the lyric goes:
Where nothing is owed, deserved, or expected,
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected,
If you’re loved by someone you’re never rejected,
Decide what to be, and go be it.
Whether you’re starting a new job or walking into a familiar one, make the decision this Monday to be who you were on Sunday. Be the person God already sees you as.
God sees you not as who you are, but you are becoming. He sees past your flaws. God sees you as His beloved child.
When you’re loved by Him, what does the rejection of the world matter? Instead, you are free to reject what the world offers you as a satisfactory way of life. You can release your dreams from the cage and be free to follow them.
As you start off this week it’s time to make a decision. Who will you be? Who do you want to be?
You can change your path. You can be the type of person who influences your entire office and paves a road full of promise leading back to the Creator.
Let’s do it together. Let’s keep Sunday alive on Monday.
I’d love to know – what are you facing down this Monday? How can we support each other as we do the work of a new week?
POP GOD 