Beyond Clichés

Becoming so heavenly minded that we are of some earthly good.

Category: Life (Page 1 of 2)

What Will You Give Your One Little Life For?

09/05/2016 / / 0 Comments

What would your life look like if you found the one thing you were called to do?

Think of the great leaders of the past. Men and women who gave their lives for something that mattered. People like Benjamin Franklin, Ronald Reagan, Aimee Semple McPherson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

People who actually changed the world.

At some point they stepped into their God-given destiny and pursued it with all their might.

…now think about what matters to you.

What do you constantly think about?

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About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

Thankfulness Is A Choice

04/15/2015 / / 0 Comments

Is it possible to always be thankful?

I think it is because the Bible commands us to. So how do we do it? How do we cultivate a thankful heart and attitude despite what’s going on?

I don’t know. But I want to find out.

I do know one thing though… thankfulness isn’t dependent on circumstances or things going our way. At least that’s true for me.

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About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

The Lost Art Of Saying No

05/19/2013 / / 4 Comments

NoNo is a powerful and important word.

And now that I have a 1-year-old daughter I use it now more than ever.

“No Emma, don’t touch that!”

“No Emma, don’t crawl up the stairs!”

“No, Emma don’t take Daddy’s chess pieces!”

I say no a lot.

But I’m also learning that saying no is important in other areas of life.

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About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

Why Introspection Is A Waste Of Time

04/07/2013 / / 0 Comments

Why Introspection Is A Bad Idea

Should you be more introspective?

Well, it depends what kind of life you want.

If you want to rob yourself of joy, stunt your spiritual growth and become a more self-absorbed person than yes, by all means, you should be introspective.

But seriously, think about it.

Have you ever felt empowered after an intense time of introspection?

Did you examine all your motives and then walk away feeling refreshed and closer to God?

If you’re like most people then probably not.

And why would you?

The nature of introspection is to look for things that are wrong in your life. Areas of your life that need to be corrected. Trying to judge yourself according to your own internal belief system.

And from my experience (and observation of many well meaning Christians) introspection does little to change your life for the better.

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About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

2 Reasons (aka “excuses”) Why I Haven’t Posted in 10 Months

03/11/2013 / / 2 Comments

It’s been a good 10 months since I’ve posted here.

And I’m tired of letting this blog sit here and collect dust while I wait for “inspiration” to strike. So I decided to commit to posting on here at least every other week (If more than 14 days go by without a new post you have my permission to email me and ask what’s up… my email is [email protected]).

The truth is I have 23 “draft” posts I’ve written but haven’t published on here.

Why?

Well I have two excuses reasons:

1. My struggle with perfectionism

2. I’ve allowed myself to become too busy

OK. Enough about me and my excuses. Bottom line: I’m back.

Now let me ask you a question:

Do you ever feel like you need to “make a comeback” after it’s been a long time since you’ve done something you think you should’ve been doing all along?

Let me explain… Continue reading

About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

8 Years Ago Today I Woke Up After Relapsing on Cocaine

05/24/2012 / / 10 Comments

Cocaine Addiction

8 years ago today I woke up in my parent’s bedroom after another relapse.

The night before I took my new ADHD medication, Adderall, and it reminded me of the feeling I got when I used cocaine.

So I took some more Adderall, called some friends and went and bought an 8-ball of cocaine.

My mind immediately returned to a state of paranoia as I crept around the house peering out the windows looking for cops.

This is how I spent countless nights before I was set free from addiction. I would usually drink a fifth of Malibu Rum and about 6-10 Coronas, snort/smoke about $500-$1,000 worth of cocaine, smoke a pack of Camels all while looking out windows and peepholes in fear that cops were watching me and about to break in.

It was not what you call fun.

I didn’t use or drink to “have a good time” like many do. I used because I didn’t feel normal sober.

I used because drugs were my master. I worshiped them, sang songs to them and desired to be with them 24/7.

And on May 23, 2004 I thought my life was over.

I hadn’t used cocaine – my drug of choice – since the prior September (although I relapsed on alcohol and marijuana 2 months prior). So when I used again I heard voices in my head tell me, “See, God gave you 2nd and 3rd chances and you screwed it up. You’re going to die because God is going to teach others a lesson about what happens when you screw up.”

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About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

Death, Destiny and Deadlines

12/09/2011 / / 0 Comments

Death, Deadlines, and Destiny

Every now and then I like to reflect on my own mortality. Some people might find that depressing but I, on the other hand, feel inspired when I think about the fact that my days are numbered.

It helps me get my priorities straight. If I knew I were going to live for a million years on this earth I don’t know if I’d be as motivated to do the things I feel called to do.

 

Death Reminds Me of Deadlines

As a freelance copywriter I understand deadlines. In fact I had an important deadline today…it was 5pm EST (So 2pm for me). I had to send my client 3 promotional emails that they will then send out to their list of 20-30k people.

I made my deadline with 45 minutes to spare and it felt good!

Knowing that I had a deadline forced me to focus on the task at hand until it was done. Focusing is not easy for me either. I love starting new things but it’s hard for me to see them to completion….almost impossible unless I have a deadline.

And when I think about death I’m reminded that there is a deadline for accomplishing God’s purposes for my life. This perspective helps me to focus on the big picture. It becomes much easier to say “no” to things too.

I believe God created all of us with unique gifts and a purpose. It’s the “why” behind our lives.

I don’t know about you but I want to remember that I don’t have an unlimited supply of days. I want to steward my time wisely. I want to get to the end of my life and hear those words spoken by my Creator, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

Why Do You Go To Church?

11/19/2011 / / 5 Comments

A couple of days ago I was working from a coffee shop. It was very busy that day when a couple of men walked in. The only place for them to sit was across the counter from me. So they sit down and start to talk business.

Then after they finish with their business transaction the conversation drifts towards church.

The one man said, “You know, the reason I go there [his church] is because of the teaching (he made sure to really emphasize the word “teaching”). When I sit down with those guys we’ll all bring our concordances and references books. We’ll cross-reference verses and look up the Greek. You know [name of friend] went to Multnomah Bible College and [name of another friend] went to [name of some other well-respected Bible school].”

The conversation continued like this. It was all about how good they could analyze the Bible. There was no talk about God or people. No mention of the friends this man had at church or the bond they had in the spirit. No discussion about how his life had been changed. Continue reading

About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

All I Want for Christmas is to Be Wantless

10/29/2011 / / 0 Comments

 

My spell checker just told me “wantless” isn’t a word. Apparently over the last hundred years we’ve not only lost the ability to be without want but we’ve also lost part of the language that describes such a foreign state of mind.

An Archaic State of Mind

Noah Webster reminds us what wantless means in his 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language:

WANTLESS, a. Having no want; abundant; fruitful. Continue reading

About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

Why Should Anyone Make a Covenant with Another Person?

09/24/2011 / / 6 Comments

I think it’s important to answer the “why?” question before we go out and form covenants with people. Should we form a covenant because we go to the same church or because we’re part of the same ministry?

Should it be based on proximity — if you’re a Christian in my town is that enough to form a covenant relationship?

Or are these foundations too shallow to build such meaningful relationships on? Continue reading

About Josh Monen

Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.

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