SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

My Year in Review (2015)

We are coming to the end of another life changing year. When I look back over the past twelve months of 2015, it has been quite a journey for us all. As I reflect back over 2015 I have already started to lean forward into 2016. Nothing happens without a plan, and it looks like it will be another amazing year for the record books just as this past year has been. Before I get too far ahead it is best to take stock in the humbling events that 2015 brought us through. I wrote about a hundred blog posts, had numerous guest bloggers join me and share their stories along the way. Thousands more readers visited my blog this year versus last, and many of you have commented and shared your thoughts. I was humbled throughout the year as you shared the posts with your friends and family both in person and on social media. You joined me as I traveled to Haiti on my first mission trip, and supported me as I fought writers block as I wrote my first book. You were by my side as I finally graduated college and faced numerous fears and obstacles. Without you, my readers none of this would matter, better yet much would likely never have happened. As we close out the year I simply want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I look forward to sharing more of my story with you and, in turn, hearing about yours in the months and […]

We Were Not Created to Be Happy (Guest Post)

The last two Wednesday night’s at Bible Study, Mrs. Laurel has been talking about marriage. That is a weird topic for someone like me, who is divorced and single. I do hope to be remarried one day though, so I went and took plenty of notes. This whole topic is what jumped out at me last night. A LOT of marriages end because someone “Isn’t happy.”  Well, guess what? You weren’t created to be happy anyway!  Mrs. Laurel said, “Happiness is a by-product of what God created us to BE, not DO. When you make happiness your purpose, you don’t feel like it’s enough once you reach it.” Happiness is based on circumstances. That’s why it doesn’t last. It can go away quickly. For example, maybe you want a new rug for your home, or new shoes, or to be a certain weight, or to have your hair a certain way, or spicy Chic-Fil-A nuggets, or the latest tech gadget…. you just KNOW you’ll be happy when that happens. Right? Wrong! Once you get whatever it is you think will make you happy, you almost immediately start thinking about the next thing that will make you happy. What we should be striving for is JOY! Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Joy is actually already inside of you if you are a Christ follower. It’s not one of the things that God gives to certain people. Gifts and fruits of the Spirit are two different things. In my Christine Caine devotional book “Living Life […]

Every Writer Needs a Tribe to Call Their Own (free ebook)

This sounds too good to be true. When I started this blog back in 2013 I had no clue what I was doing. Not to say that I am an expert now but I do know more thanks to the leadership of others in the field. One of the people of whom I follow as a blogger is Jeff Goins.  As a writer and blogger he has taught me a great deal over the last couple of years. Granted he likely had no idea that he has had such an impact but that’s okay. I have read every book of Jeff’s that I could get my hands on. In fact I helped promote one of his called the Art of Work. Being a fan made wanting to be a part of his launch team a no brainer. Jeff is at is again and this time has brought out an ebook that he wanted to share. There is a catch though, the book is currently free. Yep that’s right an expert in the field wrote a book about creating your own tribe and is giving it away. For a limited time, my friend Jeff Goins is giving a free eBook on how to build your audience called, Every Writer Needs a Tribe. Click Here to get your free copy today Now, this isn’t some short PDF “report” or white paper. It’s a full-out book that Jeff has never before released to the public. And he’s letting a handful of friends offer to their audiences for free. Whether […]