{"id":7036,"date":"2015-12-11T09:57:44","date_gmt":"2015-12-11T14:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=7036"},"modified":"2015-12-11T09:58:11","modified_gmt":"2015-12-11T14:58:11","slug":"5-friday-faves-millennials-christmas-lights-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-a-good-man-is-hard-to-find-and-a-christmas-album","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=7036","title":{"rendered":"5 Friday Faves – Millennials, Christmas Lights, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, “a Good Man is Hard to Find”, and a Christmas Album"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Happy Friday! Hope you’ve had a sweet week in the crazy of December…snatching some quiet moments from all the loud. Here are my favorite finds\u00a0for this week:<\/p>\n

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  1. Millennials<\/strong> –\u00a0 Mat Luschek’s Millennials at Work<\/em><\/a> offers a quick and thoughtful read on our workplace, especially as it is changing or must change. “Millennials will outnumber the Boomers in the workplace this year.” <\/strong>So what are they looking for in a job? The paycheck is still important, for sure, but also import is the work culture. Luschek describes 4 areas that are especially engaging for millennials: 1) Flexibility, 2) Coaches not managers (as a Boomer I favor that as well), 3) Boredom at a minimal), and 4) Collaboration & Leadership. Fascinating read. Bottom line for all of us in the workplace is that what’s good for these millennials is good for us as well…maybe, we just didn’t consider pressing for it.\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: BPNews.net<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2. Christmas Lights<\/strong> – Previously I wrote about Richmond’s Tacky Light Tour<\/a>. Christmas lights in our own\u00a0neighborhood are lovely as well, especially when we know the folks inside. Our neighborhood is an old\u00a0one tucked into an ancient forest. In the yard light displays around us, there are few nativities. Christmas lights here are more whimsical than worshipful…still they warmly light the cold winter nights, and invite us in to the home of a friend.\"Blog<\/a>\"2015<\/a>\"2015<\/a>Sometimes, neighbors are “best-in-show” Tacky Light Tour participants. All you have to do is walk down the street and enjoy them. Not our neighbors, but friends of ours. So fun!\"2015<\/a><\/p>\n

    3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)<\/strong> – Mayo Clinic<\/a> defines PTSD as\u00a0“a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event \u2014 either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event…if the symptoms get worse or last for months or even years and interfere with your functioning, you may have PTSD. Getting effective treatment after PTSD symptoms develop can be critical to reduce symptoms and improve function.”<\/p>\n

    We often think of PTSD as a post-war calamity\u00a0of our military veterans. There are also others among us who suffer from the smoldering aftermath of a tragedy (either a single event or years of abuse). PTSD can be very damaging to the person suffering from it and those who love them.<\/p>\n

    Dr. Brad Hambrick is the counseling pastor\u00a0on staff at Summit Church, Durham, N. C. He has produced a video series<\/a> on PTSD which I found very helpful recently in dealing with the PTSD of a friend.\u00a0\u00a0 He also makes available his seminar notebook on the subject, free of charge. You can request a copy from\u00a0Summit\u2019s counseling office at\u00a0counseling@summitrdu.com.<\/span><\/u><\/a> Whether you are a Christ-follower or not, this video series and notes will help you understand PTSD better and give you steps to deal with it.\"Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

    Photo Credit: BradHambrick.com<\/a><\/p>\n

    4) “A Good Man Is Hard to Find”<\/strong> – Ashlin Horne’s They Say a Good Man Is Hard to Find<\/span><\/u><\/a> <\/em>may not be at all what you’re thinking.\u00a0No pity party for one here. She handles a sometimes hurtful subject so sensitively. As I read her blog, it felt like sitting with coffee across from a good friend. You women (AND men) will want to read this and pass it on to others. Following is just a bit of it: “Men are not God.<\/strong> If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019d like to tattoo on the arms of girls everywhere it\u2019s that truth.\u00a0They will not heal you. They are not your redemption. I think it\u2019s time to stop loading up the shoulders of the good men in our lives, or the ones we\u2019ve yet to meet, with expectations that only God can\u00a0fulfill.” <\/em>Read on, Loves.\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: Vine.co<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

    5) Latest Favorite Christmas Album<\/strong> – David Crowder Band’s Oh For Joy.<\/a> <\/em>This album is a rowdy mix of Christmas standards arranged as only Crowder does it. It was released in 2011 before the original David Crowder Band “disbanded”, and it’s a “must-own”.\u00a0 My favorite track on the album is the last song. Here’s Sarah Fine’s <\/a>description of it: As amazing as this album as this is, the true standout track is the final song on the record. Another live Passion recording, the band puts their stamp on what has quickly become one of this generations most beloved holiday songs, Trans Siberian Orchestra\u2019s<\/em> \u201cCarol Of The Bells \/ Christmas in Sarajevo.\u201d<\/em> <\/strong>The song starts off with a brief introduction from David, stating that Christmas doesn<\/em>\u2019t technically end till Epiphany on Jan. 6. Spoken in a way only he could master, the intro leads directly into one of the best versions of this song I\u2019ve heard since the Orchestra recorded it themselves. Dare I say, this version might even be better. If there ever was ever a way to end a Christmas album with a bang, this would be it.”<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>The YouTube video of this song follows.\"Blog<\/a>Photo Credit: Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n