Terry Storch Dispatch w.38.2020
Dispatch w.38.2020
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” - Ferris Beuller
Constant Growth
We were built to grow...constantly. From the time we’re born all the way until the day we leave this earth, we were designed by God for constant growth. Unfortunately, we can often find our growth stunted because of something we believe, a phase we’re in, or a part of life that’s new to us.
One of the most brilliant investors embodies this understanding. Charlie Munger is still learning and growing as a person, and he’s 96 years old! I love what he said:
“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.” - Charlie Munger
Knowing what you don’t know! Think about that statement for a moment. What don’t you know? It takes humility and a posture of openness to approach this way of thinking. We naturally want to know how to solve a problem in order to have the right answer. The need to be right is rooted deeply in the ego, and one thing our egos lack is humility.
Let’s take a look at Jesus' words in John 15.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2 NIV
Jesus is the true vine, and God is the gardener. God cuts off every branch in Jesus that bears no fruit. We see constant growth in Jesus. We also read that Jesus has branches that did not have fruit, and God cut them off! So, if Jesus is being pruned, then don’t you think we need to be pruned as well?
In every part of our lives, we need to have a mindset and posture of growth, a humility that fights our ego, and an open heart to be molded by our creator, God. Jesus goes on with the vine and branches analogy and delivers an essential part in verse 5:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV
Staying tethered to the vine, and pursuing and remaining in Jesus is vital and critical. However, this does NOT mean being rooted in beliefs you “think” about Jesus or our dogma that has nothing to do with Jesus, for we tend to carry around religious baggage that we haven’t inspected and discarded appropriately. This could be concerning for some or even a little scary, but let me share a quote that I believe really sums it up:
“I must confess I spent many years studying the Bible to prove what I already believed rather than allowing it to shape my beliefs.” - Randall Worley
This concept can be taken towards the Bible or really anything in our lives. Are we studying and reading to confirm our biases and beliefs, or are we humble in our learning, growing, and seeking so that we can expand our minds and thoughts in a way that genuinely bears fruit?
If you’re uncomfortable and possibly squirming in your chair with the thought of expanding your mind with the Scripture or allowing your view of Jesus (or the Bible) to evolve and grow, let me show you the perfect example of growth. Here’s more insight I learned from Worley based on the story of Apollos in Acts 18:
“Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.” Acts of the Apostles 18:24-26 NLT
Apollos had an incomplete theology! Yes, he knew the Scriptures, he’d been taught the way of the Lord, and he preached boldly in the synagogue, but his theology needed more growth and understanding. Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and poured into him.
Think about it this way—our world view and context is limited to our experiences. If you have lived and grown up in America or another part of the western world, you’re missing so much context of the rest of the world. We already have no way of grasping the breadth, size, and magnitude of God, but we also really don’t have the ability to step outside of our own worldview and see the world and Scriptures as the other nearly 8 billion people on earth.
If we aren’t continually growing and evolving in our thoughts, views, and theology, I grow concerned that we might get stuck in our ways, miss the growth that Jesus is calling us to, and stop producing fruit. Constant growth is critical. May we remain in Jesus and continually be growing in all areas of our lives. I’ll leave you with this verse once again:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV
Why does my fifteen-year-old love Dunkin’? Well, last week’s Culture Translator answered that question for me.
America Runs on Charli
What it is: Dunkin’ recently made TikTok star Charli D'Amelio's “go-to” order an official item on their menu.
Why it’s an act of marketing genius: Charli D’Amelio, a Connecticut native, is known for three things: her viral TikTok dance videos, her authentic (and often teary-eyed) Instagram Live videos with fans, and carrying an ever-present, mega-size iced coffee. Charli’s favorite drink (cold-brewed coffee with whole milk and three pumps of caramel, in case you’re interested) launched as a Dunkin’ menu item on September 9, 2020. To market her eponymous drink, a tie-dyed clad Charli dances enthusiastically with coffee in hand to a hip-hop song called “The Charli,” which is the perfect TikTok clickbait. If the TikTok enthusiast under your roof is suddenly “running on Dunkin,’” now you know why.
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“Your team can’t read your mind—and most people are conditioned to assume the worst. You think you’re giving them autonomy; they think you don’t care. The key is to give them context; communicate explicitly that you want to empower them but that you’re there if they need support.” Servant leadership is a mission-critical skill and a talent we must develop. However, it has its pitfalls. This is a great read.
Work hard, play hard! That’s the motto, right? I was reading an article on Forbes called How to Get Mentally Tougher in Difficult Times, and I immediately thought of the latest prank my design team did to me.
This prank was amazing, and it was nuts that it took me nearly a month to discover it. I’m so thankful I have a team that pulls pranks and has fun in the workplace. What better place to have a bookshelf of sex books than the local church, right!?! And all God’s people said..
Ryan Holiday, one of my favorite writers, wrote a brilliant article called Hard Facts. Please take a moment and read it! I believe the sooner we realize that “Life is hard. It is filled with hard facts and hard decisions,” the better off we will be as contributing humans here on earth. Holiday goes on to say, “You cannot flee it. You can only defer the consequences for so long or, perhaps, if you are content to be an asshole, shirk them onto some other innocent person. Read more.
I mentioned Randall Worley above. If you’re interested in reading his manifesto, Questioning my Answers, you can download it for free .