Anger a fools way

I am a fight
Not flight
Kind of soul
My anger can get
Out of control
Being angry isn’t a sin
No
The issue lies within
The loss of self control
Which can easily happen
And then
Foolishly
Holding onto anger
Until
To yourself
You become a stranger

E.A. Fussell
10.16.2021

Stand alone for a time


To be outstanding in your field at times you have to stand alone.

Time alone allows us to adjust our focus on the ever changing big picture. After this time alone we take pieces of the big picture back to our team to help them set their own goals which won’t be easy, or fast, and will require constant re-evaluation. We remind them that a strategic plan is more like how to run a marathon than a sprint.

The internet doesn’t help. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok make everything seem instant, exciting, fun, excessively beautiful, overly easy. When in reality life is full of difficulty, pressure, challenges, frustration, heartbreak, heartache, setbacks, ugliness, obstacles, both small and large.

Leaders are called to survive and not only to survive, but to thrive. Learning how to stay positive, grow strong in faith, and retain joy while life ebbs and flows around us is an ongoing process.

If you have more than one team member you have learned that “one size fits all” does not apply. Each individual has their own mode of learning, communication and motivation. With multiple variations across the board. It is our role as leaders to determine how to meld all these variations into an efficient functioning team.

One of my biggest challenges is that the workforce of today is more fragile than my generation. This requires a change in approach in how to hold a team accountable while helping them stay focused on their individual role as they attain their team goal.

Self-awareness is my starting point. Standing alone for a time today to reflect, pray, repent, prioritize, strategize, and plan as I adjust and focus on the big-picture.

Ann Fussell
10/02/2021

Founding principles still present

A reminder to those who would completely cripple this country:

We are the silent majority
Going to work every day
Trying to survive
Trying not to get caught up
In the rhetoric and chaos
Trying just to live our lives

But don’t be fooled
By our quiet ignoring
Of your ridiculous antics

We are the ones
Who started revolutions
That founded this country
That have always
Fought valiantly
For what we believe in

When our belly is full
It is not a nap we will be taking
We will take this country back

E.A.Fussell
09.26.2021

Even if you don’t understand

The enemy will try to move you off course, and dishearten you. He will try to make you question yourself and feel unworthy, inadequate, unprepared, afraid, worried. He will try to crush you using whatever weakness is in your flesh.

It’s okay to trust God’s direction even if you don’t understand what He has planned or where He is taking you. It’s okay to take up your sword confidently even when you feel unsure or inadequate. It’s okay to remember you are royalty and worthy to bear arms and fight for your kingdom. It’s okay to stand still, it’s okay to retreat, it’s okay to rush in fiercely. As long as your direction comes from the One you believe in, He will guide you and it will all be okay. Be courageous and let the Lord do what is good in His sight.

1 Chronicles 19:13
Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God; and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight.

Falling (modified)

Falling can be beautiful
In rain
In autumn leaves
In snow
In love I suppose
But falling can also be
Scary
Destructive
Ugly
Most things in life
Are that way
Dynamically opposed
Good
Bad
Beautiful
Ugly
Love
Hate
And they are also
Frighteningly
The same
What makes it so
The thought
Or the feeling
Can one exist without the other
Can we hold a thought
Without experiencing a feeling
Can we experience a feeling
Without having a thought
Can we love without hating
If there is no ugliness
How would we recognize beauty
Does good exist
Because evil fights to prevail
Is pondering such things
A waste of mind
Or
A profound expenditure of time

E.A.Fussell
Modified 09.09.2021

The dark knight

The dark knight
Isn’t coming
For more dark knights
His purpose
Is to extinguish
The Light of Hope
Believers hold in their heart
He may appear
Looking like our King
Tempting us to accept his reign
Playing the false savior
Don’t be fooled
Hold firm to the Word
Guard it in your heart
Seal it in your mind
When our real King returns
Let Him find
A faithful servant
With a lamp burning bright

E.A.Fussell
09.11.2021

That fateful day

🖤 This day of reflection holds much emotion for our country. Most of us can remember exactly the moment we heard the news that the first tower had fallen on 9/11. Time stood still for a moment as we listened in disbelief.

The enemy was a foreigner then, or at least appeared to be. Now the threat to our safety is obviously our fellow countrymen, on our own soil, under the same constitution that my grandpa and so many others believed in and fought to defend.

Regardless of what is to come in this life (much of it I’m sure will be unimaginable) I pray for a kind heart, fierce mind, and brave spirit:

💖 Kind Heart:
May I have a kind heart without judgement, sharing my understanding with those who may be interested and accepting their right to choose what they believe

🏹 Fierce Mind:
May I have a fierce mind pushing past self-imposed limits to reach full physical capacity; asking for, seeking and receiving Divine knowledge, understanding and wisdom as I encourage and uplift others

🕊 Brave Spirit:
May I break free of all control; societal, spiritual, governmental, to change paradigms in all areas of life, boldly pulling down strongholds and expressing big unlimited love for my God, others, and myself

E.A. Fussell
09.11.2021

Spiritual gifts & talents

During my morning walk. I was thinking about all the many ways I have failed in life. So, of course, that led to thinking about my accomplishments in order not to feel bad about myself. I’ve had some horrible failures and some amazing accomplishments. The magnitude of each may not have been recognized without the contrast of the other.

Have you ever pondered the theory that we aren’t taking any of our accomplishments or failures with us to the next life, all we are taking is our character?

It isn’t an amusing thought for me. Character, the same one that has propelled me to success and to the depths of failure, that’s what I have with me as I meet God, Jesus, the Saints, and angels? Seriously, thank heaven for mercy and grace!

Oh sure there are some things I might say are good about myself. My work ethic is phenomenal, my boldness is legendary, my intelligence is sufficient, my common sense is sound, my love is passionate. Like most people I’ve been educated in proper processes, maximizing resources, the latest how-to’s to handle todo’s, efficient organization, team building, self-motivation, effective communication. And like most people I was encouraged from a young age to be a good person, a productive law-abiding citizen, a hard worker, a loyal friend, a responsible adult.

It’s not the outward obvious things that bother me about myself, it’s the innermost workings of my mind and heart that give me cause for pause. Perhaps it’s the rapidly changing times we are living through that make me wonder, will I stand firm on my beliefs regardless of who is shaking their finger in my face? Or will I be like Peter and betray my closest friend?

Character, the inward part of ourselves that only we know, is the most important and the most difficult part of ourselves to face, to control, to change, to accept, to live with, to carry with us into the next life. Our personality and outward appearance seem to get most of our attention and although those things can be challenging, they aren’t as difficult, or scary, as looking inward.

Lord, teach us how to focus on building the character traits You want to see in us. Show each of us what our spiritual gifts and talents are, the ones You embedded in our core being before we were born to this life. Instruct us on how to integrate them with our personality to successfully maneuver through the physical world while winning battles for You in the spiritual world.

E.A. Fussell
09.12.2021