Simplicity

November 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Storms & struggles
Sadness & strife
These are but gifts
Blessings of life
We ride the cycles of happiness and sorrow. With every rotation we learn more of what it is to be human, to have strains, to have challenges, to have difficulties. To recognize that these down times are but part of the whole allows us to let [...]

May

19

The Confident Little Grasshopper

May 19, 2008 | 3 Comments

There was once a little grasshopper who liked to rest in the path where humans walk. Sure there were other places to contemplate life and bask in the warmth of the sun, but he liked this place best.
Occasionally a human would walk by and with the quickness the grasshopper had come to pride himself on, [...]

Jan

9

Daily Planning – A Simple Strategy

January 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

I’ve always learned that planning is good. More recently however, I’ve learned that daily planning carries with it powerful rewards. I’ve been only mildly successful ’till this point in my life in being a proactive participant through planning, but the times that I’ve actually sat down and detailed how I want to live my life [...]

Jan

4

Insight on Parenting for a Single Uncle

January 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

When I was down in St. George for Christmas I had the chance to tend my nephew and neice. I learned that I’m not as patient as I’d like to be. I came home the next night and this talk was on T.V. It was amazingly insightful. It helped me see the kids the way [...]

Jul

2

The Secret: Gratitude

July 2, 2007 | 3 Comments

How do I begin to attract good things? Start with gratitude. Your eyes will begin to see all the things that you’ve been missing.
Application: While in Korea serving my church and God I was responsible for a small group of others who were also serving. At one time one of the Korean sisters in our [...]

Apr

28

Turns out I’m gifted!

April 28, 2007 | 4 Comments

Ryan called the doctor and the doctor said…
“Ryan, you rate very high on the ADHD scale in your testing.”
Sweet Doc! Are you telling me that we can now explain why I’m so brilliant?!
“Yes, Ryan. That’s EXACTLY what I’m saying.”
But in all seriousness. Here’s the skinny…
Before my appointment on April 9th I did a battery of [...]

Oct

20

What of the Quiet?

October 20, 2006 | 2 Comments

We live in a world of shouting (advertising), yelling (sitcoms), non-stop words (radio & TV), and where we give credit & priority to those who say the most (authors in journals, newspapers, etc), a world where people talk rather than listen, where my viewpoint is king and conversations exist merely to convert the nonbeliever.
But what [...]

Jul

23

Impetus: The Messengers, Season Premiere

July 23, 2006 | Leave a Comment

The Messengers: Week 1
10 people put out on the Skid Row for 24 hours. They are meant to gather insight into the world of the impoverished. Some greet them with angry voices. Others find in these temporary visitors friends. Either way, they will return to their homes after 24 hours. No, they may never [...]

Jan

27

Reflections on the Power of Thought

January 27, 2005 | Leave a Comment

by Ryan Mendenhall
Almost childlike I instinctively reach for a book.
I take it and the thought of possessing it sooooths me…
“MINE!”
comes the voice of that energy.
I want, I need and soon I have
a bright, shinny book, with only mild thought of price.
They contain answers.
They are my medicine.
In them I find respite and in them I can [...]

Nov

7

Maslow’s Motivations

November 7, 2003 | Leave a Comment

Courses: “Abraham Maslow (1954; 1970) researched into human motivation. He saw that there are several levels of human motivational needs which must be addressed if effective learning is to take place. These are as follows:
Biological needs – water, food, elimination, rest, warmth, avoidance of pain, etc.,
Safety needs – protection from the physical and social environment, [...]