Where do you go when you get in trouble? I mean real trouble. Since this is Church Hurts And you may be trying to outthink me and are guessing I am about to launch into the availability of the God of the Universe in prayer, but not today. Today I am asking this in a really tactile visceral way. I mean the kind of trouble where you may be standing alongside the road with a policeman telling you to show your hands. Your heart is beating fast. Your mouth wants to protest your innocence but you aren’t allowed to talk. Turn around. Put your hands behind your back. I find it interesting how many hot topics today end up in the legal arena. Race? Are Blacks being treated right by police and in the courts? Legal. Religion? Do Governors have the right to limit church attendance yet not protests? Legal. Politics? Should the President nominate a Supreme Court Justice during the election season? Legal. Somehow the law and lawyers just seem to keep getting dragged into the discussion.Many people are not aware that historically theology and the law were sister disciplines. If that seems confusing to you, go back and try to read a theology textbook from the 17th Century. Each word is carefully selected and parsed, closely analyzed for accurate meaning. Any good explanation of the Gospel is always in the context of the Old Testament Torah, or Law. Paul’s epistle to the Romans explains that quite well.Do you understand why a sculpture of Moses holding two tablets is centered above the portico on the East Side of the Supreme Court? Legal details can be confusing, but one should have no doubt that the big laws, “Thou shalt not kill.” “Thou shalt not steal.” “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” weren’t made up by our founders. Learning to respect other people and get along in society has been a challenge of the human race as long as it has existed.So today we are turning not to a theologian, but to an attorney. He’s not uniquely spiritual or church qualified. In fact, he is one of those attorneys you hope you will never need, a “Criminal Defense Attorney”. He has argued in over 7 cases where the prosecution was seeking the death penalty. Murderers, rapists, and thieves, or at least those accused of such, have sought out this man in their moment of desperation. Let me bring him in: 1978 Student Body President of Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania: William Difenderfer, Attorney at Law from Pittsburgh, PA. Welcome to Church Hurts And.churchhurtsand.org

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Justice, Race and Relatives with Wm. Difenderfer, Esq.

If you're like so many people around the world, you’ve got a great idea for a product.  You’ve been dreaming about it, and of course, the world could use it.  And, you can’t wait to begin selling it.  But how do you get it from an idea to a viable, marketable product? Joining me at the Cafe is Eric Rose, Founder & President of Pinnacle Product Innovation to discuss how to make that happen.

Taking You're Product Idea and Bringing it to Market Reality

Show Notes  Today is a fun show because we have back our good friend, Terry Hershey. As many listeners know, Terry is the author of 17 books, acclaimed public speaker, teacher, and, what I like to call, minister of grace and human dignity. Today Terry and I will attempt to tackle a most sensitive question: That is, how can detachment provide emotional sanity in an otherwise insane world? At first glimpse it would seem that to detach from your emotions might lead to a sort of callous and calculated mind, devoid of any compassion or empathy. And in truth, if not managed well, detachment could indeed foster such problematic thinking. Still, I remain a strong advocate of healthy detachments. But those are the troubled waters Terry and I have chosen to swim today. Visit Terry at www.terryhershey.com . For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life  

#171 Terry Hershey: Detachment and Emotional Sanity

Life just isn’t fair. There is not a parent alive, probably in any culture, who doesn’t have burned into their memory the way their child expressed this sentiment. It’s not fair. It’s just not fair. Most likely that scream or whine or tearful plea comes at the behest of oneself relative to another who has been more favorably treated, rewarded, or blessed.My earliest memory of this came when my older sister seemed regularly slighted as I was the one who got attention or praise seemingly at her expense. As I grew older, I became aware that others seemed to have nicer parents, fancier toys, and hospitable homes. It didn’t seem fair.With maturity came a development of the same concept into right and wrong. What wasn’t fair now became downright wrong. That’s just wrong. This ethical conclusion takes away any doubt or relevance of corroborating details. It’s just wrong and brings with it a visceral gut-wrenching gnostic determination.Depending on the event, result, people involved (particularly if it is me) another stage occurs in which fairness and wrongness seem inadequate as standards. Now we get to evil. This is no longer the polite “bad things happen to good people” scenario. This is when the heavens and earth shake in our life and our foundations tremble.As with most feelings and issues of significant import it doesn’t take long until they get bumped up to the higher court, even the Supreme Court, but in this case, it is the heavenly court. The court above all courts over which resides the Judge over all Judges. Now he must answer us. We’ve cycled it in our brains ad nauseam. How could even God in heaven give an explanation as to such a thing happening if He makes any claim to goodness?If you have never had such a struggle, I am glad for you, but for many, such an occasion meant the end of Church in their life, and correspondingly also their belief in God. It may not need to end that way. Today we meet a young man well-qualified to speak about difficult subjects. He has youtube videos that will make you squirm, about issues you didn’t even know existed. He happened to come into my life in a time I couldn’t see through the haze. Let’s jump into his story. Welcome to Church Hurts And Zack Collie. churchhurtsand.org

Never Broken, Never with Zack Collie

Join us as our resident car designer, Bryan Thompson (10 years with Nissan's SoCal design studio) imagines a world the flying cars from cartoons like the Jetsons really came to life. An alternative universe where flying cars became a reality.  And the series of paintings he's creating on that theme to raise money for his charity to help LGBTQ kids (like him) realize their dreams and pursue a career in car design. Only on OC TALK RADIO, Orange County's only online business channel.

Whatever happened to the promise of flying cars?

Join us as our resident car designer Bryan Thompson (10 years with the SoCal Design Studio) talks us thru his latest "self driving delivery car" as he ventures to OC to see the car come to life in a clay model version.  Bringing it one step closer from imagination to reality.  Only on OC TALK RADIO, Orange County's only business station.

Bringing new car designs to life

I have always said the “C” word changes everything. Are you struggling with things in your life today? Money problems? Family issues? Health difficulties? Problems at work? Have you given those things the “C” word test? You know, cancer. How do your problems stand up next to the call from the doctor, “You have cancer.”I got that call this week for the first time. Now I don’t need to stretch out the story. It’s Basal Cell Carcinoma which is the most common form of skin cancer and next week I will go in and they will perform a Mohs procedure on the little mole size spot until they get to tissues without any cancer in it and I will walk out cancer-free. But, it was the “C” word, and it caused me to pause and check my perspective.The day before a good friend of mine got the “D” word. That’s a bit more shocking than the C-word. Dead. I doubt he heard it, but he knew it was coming. My silly head goes back to games played as a child where you would run around yelling “You’re dead!” We don’t think much about it. It’s just a game until it isn’t. My friend is dead, for real. That too caused me to pause and check my perspective.I laugh when I hear people make the statement “I don’t like change”. It just isn’t true.  Of course we like change if it is in the right direction. Your investments have changed to the best position you’ve ever been in.  Good change. Your relationship is healthier, your blood pressure is better. Good change. Your reputation among your friends is at an all-time high. Great change. Change can be great.Psychologists will tell us that real deep change is almost always preceded by pain. Without pain to motivate our lazy tails, we are fine on the couch cruising through life. So life has a way of providing that stimulus, that pain to move us along. The stubborn among us will resist thinking we will win the battle against pain. Bad fight to pick.The ancient Greek philosophers were a lively bunch trying to figure out life and understand change while seeking to discover what was absolute. What didn’t change? A guy by the name of Heraclitus is the one who made me smile even though he was given to depression.  What is Absolute? His response was “Change”. Change itself is the one thing we can count on. You can never step into the same river twice.To bring us back down to earth and help us deal with change today we have a uniquely gifted traveler on this earth. He’s the Pastor of Bethany Community Church outside of Seattle and it won’t quit growing. I call him the reluctant Pastor. Author Breathing New Life into Faith, Colors of Hope (much needed just now as it is a call for Christ-followers to be about mercy justice, and love) and The Map is Not the Journey: Faith Renewed While Hiking the Alps.  Welcome, Richard Dahlstrom.

Change, Absolutes and Church with Richard Dahlstrom

Show Notes   Our guest today brings with her a huge potpourri of emotional tragedy, cosmic learning, and even a surprising taste of laughter. And I say “a surprising taste of laughter” because after Soheila Adelipour tells her story, I guarantee you will be unsure exactly how to respond. The one thing you most certainly will walk away with is a renewed vision of the miraculous power of Love. In 1979, Soheila Adelipour and her family arrived in the United States after escaping the horrors of revolution and persecution in Iran. She and her 5 siblings stuck closely together, worked hard, married, had children, and were blessed with impressive success in New York City. Her brother and “soul-mate” went on to become a highly regarded Neurosurgeon at the Lennox Hospital in Manhattan. But for Soheila all that changed in 2007: her 22-year-old son, Stephan, near graduation at Boston University, was killed in a dorm room fire. THE worst thing any parent could experience. And then only 7 years later in 2013 her sister died after suffered 5 brain surgeries. And only a few months after that Soheila’s beloved brother and “soul mate” died of leukemia. For many of us, these horrific tragedies would be utterly debilitating. But as she expresses in her 5 Star Amazon Book, Dancing to the Darkest Light, Soheila speaks a message on the power of love… even in the very darkest of times. For more on Soheila Adelipour check out the following links: Email Website Book: Dancing to the Darkest Light   For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

#167 Soheila Adelipour Love: An Antidote to Tragic Loss

Don't just wait until you need a lawyer. Contracts, business entities, litigation, disputes, employee issues are just some of the areas you need to make sure you are "legally" healthy. Mahyar Ghassemian, Founder & President of Ghassemian Law Group is in court with me today or rather at the Business Growth Café to discuss a wide variety of topics when it comes to business law.  And maybe a few of those topics just might resonate and keep your business out of hot water.

When is the last time you had a legal checkup?

165,148. That’s how many deaths from COVID-19 to date in the United States. Everything in life has changed as we live in fear and shock from this once in a lifetime pandemic.  67,367 that’s how many people died from drug overdoses in 2018. 70,237 was the number the year earlier. Wait. I’m talking annual numbers here. Not a one-time pandemic. It doesn’t take many years of these numbers to far exceed the deaths from COVID-19. It is simply breathtaking.“THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC is devastating America. Overdoses have passed car crashes and gun violence to become the leading cause of death for Americans under 55. The epidemic has killed more people than H.I.V. at the peak of that disease, and its death toll exceeds those of the wars in Vietnam and Iraq combined. Funerals for young people have become common. Every 11 minutes, another life is lost.So why do so many people start using these drugs? Why don’t they stop?”That was the beginning of an article in the New York Times in December 2018 entitled “A Visual Journey Through Addiction”. It quoted one young woman describing her drug use with the words “It like being hugged by Jesus.”The reality is that until one's life is personally touched by drug abuse, it really is just another sad statistic. It’s like hearing about a war on the other side of the world compared to feeling a bomb go off in your back yard. Why pay attention? Why care?So today we are going to bring it closer to home than I would prefer. We are going to talk to a young Orange County woman who has worked in almost every aspect of the recovery industry in the past ten years, and yes, it is an industry. Her credentials? Really? Her credentials are mainly found in the story behind the resume. Growing up she excelled on the soccer field, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her as she sped by the opposing team juggling the ball as if she was born with it. Her laughter and joy-filled the field. She was a preacher's kid too, going to church every Sunday for four hours and a few times during the week. I bet you feel it coming, don’t you? Kaitlyn Anne, Welcome to Church Hurts And.

Clean, Sober and Wonderful with Kaitlyn Anne

Show Notes I think today’s show will be fun. I plan to talk about “The Adventure Called Life” because that is how our special guest today lives his life… as an ongoing adventure. As a personal development coach, Nate Johnson genuinely “lives” life. Check it out. He is an American city guy turned white water rafting guide in New Zealand, a rancher the Australian outback, Manager at Inc. Magazine, and an SEO business executive. I think he was also in the carnival business… we’ll see. I am truly excited to have Nate Johnson on the show today. In spite of the more than 30-year difference in our age, Nate and I are indeed kindred spirits that believe “life is for living, not watching.” Nate is a Mindset & Personal Development Coach. He is the Co-Author of the book, The Successful Mind, a speaker, adventurer, and a self-proclaimed… I love this… the "Imperfect stoic". To which I want to ask, is there any other kind of stoic? His primary goal is to help clients, "live, not merely exist". Visit Nate Johnson at linkedin.com/in/nate-johnson or at his website: https://natejohnson.coach Or, you can email Nate at nate@natejohnson.coach   For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life  

#166 Nate Johnson – The Adventure Called Life

Joining me at the Business Growth Cafe is Tony Penn, CEO of Penn Consulting.  Tony is a business owner, executive consultant & coach and is here today to talk leadership, and what and how leaders need to focus during these crazy times. Tony also has a specialty working with leaders in the restaurant industry. To find out more visit: https://pennultimateconsulting.com/

Overcoming Challenges During These Difficult Times, Especially If You're In The Restaurant Business

Show Notes  Today we are honored to once again have a recent guest who was on the show only a couple weeks ago. In our previous show Linda Olsen and I focused on the “value of creating a personal story.” But according to listeners, we neglected to explain the tactics or procedures of actually creating Your Own Story. Today Linda and I will dedicate the majority of our time together with an emphasis on discovering precisely what the listener can do to create a compelling story. Our guest and friend today, Linda Olsen, is a highly accomplished expert at helping others master their own story and then teaching them how to tell that story to other people. The primary focus of her business is all about storytelling. Just a bit about our guest today. Linda Olsen is a bestselling author, TEDx speaker and Founder of Wealth Through Stories. As former college dean, and marriage and family therapist Linda brings us deep knowledge of personal transformation through telling your own story. In her book, Your Story Matters Linda offers a step-by-step process how can and why you should create your own true story—one than reveals a very personal and informing light for the world. SPECIAL OFFER Linda has graciously offered a FREE PDF of her book Your Story Matters. Just click the link to receive your copy of the masterful book. For more on Linda Olsen check out the following links: Website Tedx For more with Charlie Hedges please visit www.thenextchapter.life

#165 Linda Olsen: Powerful Secrets for Telling Your Own Story

Never in my lifetime has politics felt so contentious. I know as a preacher I am given to hyperbole, but not this time. This is an ugly, visceral, palpable, and vomit-producing level. It can even make family gatherings stressful, divide generations, and kill any notion of a wonderful community. If I know anything about history, it can certainly kill a country, and not a few are suspecting that is at stake.If that isn’t a difficult enough beginning let us add church into it. I wonder how many people would put politics on the list of things that attributed to them moving away from the church, not going to church, or being stressed by the church. This certainly was true for my father.One of my mentors, Steve Brown, used to often say before a sermon: “I have a lot of political views and they are a lot better than yours are, but you aren’t going to hear them from the pulpit because this is a place for God’s word and we have come here to see Jesus and Him only.” I loved that for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the humor inserted into something that could otherwise be quite divisive. I followed his lead and was always careful not to get political from the pulpit. I wonder how successful I’d be now if I preached every week. Everything seems to have been thrown into the political basket.On the other side, I had a preacher friend of mine come out publicly about his political views right down to for whom he was going to vote. Now he’s retired and I’m glad, but I was embarrassed for him. He waxed eloquently about the why’s, but I knew he was alienating people right and left, mostly only to get stroked by those who agreed with him. I prayed for his serenity.Who can help us here? Our guest today is uniquely qualified to speak on this subject. He’s one of those Reverend Doctors, which means he has a doctoral degree and is ordained and I will let his job title suffice to let us know he is bringing more than personal opinion to this discussion. The Vice President of Theological Initiatives for the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, Dr. Art Lindsley. 

Politics, Politics and Church with Dr. Art Lindsley

We are experiencing a significant worldwide health crisis, the coronavirus which has killed over 200,000 people in the US at the time of this recording.  We now wear masks to protect ourselves from this virus, work at home, not socializing, and living more in isolation than ever before. This takes a toll, even on the healthiest individuals.  But, it’s not just the current state we are in that is impacting mental health.  It existed long before the pandemic and will exit after. Today a please to have Sally Spencer-Thomas here with us to discuss mental health in the workplace and home.  This is a timely topic as September is also Suicide Prevention Month. Sally is a Psychologist and International Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Impact Entrepreneur and Keynote Speaker.   To learn more, visit https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/

The human and business implications of mental health issues in the workplace

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