Devotional

What Motivates You?

Think about the question of the title and honestly reflect on it. 

Motivation is what drives you into thought and action. It propels you in a way the engine in a car does. 

Being honest, I look back in my life and reflect on seasons when my motivation was career, wealth, family and sports. Things that aren’t bad in themselves, but things that became idols which propelled my thoughts, decisions and actions.

We are being told in this verse that we have a choice to make when it comes to our driving force. It’s flesh or Spirit, not both. It's ourselves or God. Each day and throughout the day we make choices and we learn that if we choose Him, the Holy Spirit will become our internal engine of life.

Impulses of the Holy Spirit

I love this translation with the term ‘impulses of the Holy Spirit’. God desires for us to live an active life with the Spirit. One that listens, senses and propels us into motion. The Holy Spirit becomes the starting pistol at the beginning of your daily race. You get ‘ready’ and ‘set’ but wait for the ‘go’ from the Holy Spirit.

Pursue Spiritual Reality

We are also told that living in the Spirit allows us to ‘pursue spiritual realities.’ This is living with a spiritual view of the world. If you have ever tried augmented reality glasses on, they give you a view of your surroundings and impose a virtual reality layer on top of it. You see the world differently. The same is true with Holy Spirit living. He gives us a glimpse through the lens of heaven. We then see everything around us from heaven's perspective. This is a spiritual reality that is real, not virtual.

Please ponder on this scripture and devotion over the next week. I trust it motivates you to get up to the starting line with your spiritual lens on and live adventurously with the Holy Spirit.

Financial Update

Incoming: The Largest Construction Boom The Nation’s Seen in Decades?

For a majority of the past two decades, conversations about the U.S. economy have centered on technology, financial markets, and consumer spending. Today, however, we’ll be covering one that has been (somewhat quietly) reshaping the American landscape.

Across the country, cranes have been filling city skylines, factories are rising from empty fields, ports are expanding, and miles of new transmission lines are being installed.

While these projects may not generate the same headlines as major stock market moves do, together they reinforce what many economists believe is one of the largest infrastructure and industrial buildouts in generations.

Companies are investing heavily in domestic manufacturing as supply chains shift closer to home. Utilities are expanding the nation's electrical grid to meet growing energy demand. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals are under construction to support global energy markets. Transportation networks, ports, and logistics hubs continue to receive significant investment as businesses prepare for long-term economic growth.

Semiconductor manufacturing is adding further momentum. New fabrication facilities are being built across several states as companies seek to strengthen domestic chip production and reduce reliance on overseas suppliers. At the same time, public and private investments are accelerating projects involving renewable energy, battery storage, water systems, and broadband expansion.

The economic effects could be far-reaching. Large construction projects create jobs across engineering, manufacturing, transportation, and skilled trades while generating demand for materials such as steel, cement, copper, and electrical equipment. These investments often produce ripple effects that extend well beyond the construction industry, supporting local businesses and strengthening regional economies.

For investors, this trend serves as a reminder that some of tomorrow's biggest opportunities may not come exclusively from high-growth technology companies. The businesses building America's factories, power grids, rail networks, industrial equipment, and infrastructure could become equally important beneficiaries of this long-term transformation.

While no one can predict exactly how long this investment cycle will last, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: the United States is investing not only in today's economy but also in the foundation for decades of future growth. Sometimes the most significant economic stories aren't found on a computer screen; they're being built with concrete, steel, and hard hats.

In the coming articles, we’ll dive deeper into the specific sectors and companies powering them from within. 

Tech Update

Lithium Ion Battery Fire Warning

Over lunch the other day, a friend mentioned that several homes in a small lake community had been damaged or destroyed due to fires started by Lithium Ion batteries (LiBs). I’ve heard of battery combustion danger on personal devices like phones and laptops, but was not aware of the risk to homes. I wanted to investigate and share with our community.

Lithium Ion Battery Sources

Think about the fact that each of our homes have dozens of devices that are powered by LiBs.  There are the small scale ones in smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, laptops, shavers, smart home devices and more. On the larger scale, consider the ones in vacuum cleaners, mowers and lawn care tools, power tools, e-bikes, scooters, and of course electric vehicles.

Thermal Runaway

The primary danger from LiBs is them entering what is referred to as the ‘thermal runaway’ state. If this happens, LiBs create a self-sustaining chemical reaction that generates its own heat and in some cases its own oxygen, making them extremely difficult to extinguish. Unlike common fires that may smoke or smolder, a failing LiB can progress from an initial sign of distress—such as hissing, swelling, or smoke—to an intense blowtorch-like flame in a matter of seconds. These fires release toxic gases and dense smoke, which can fill a room quickly with little time to evacuate.

How Big of an Issue

Research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) estimates that there have been approximately 198,000 lithium-ion battery-related fires in structures in the U.S. since 2011. While these fires accounted for a small percentage (0.03%) of total structure fires in 2022, they represented 15% of all fires with significant property damage (defined as over $100,000). Recent analyses indicate that consumer LiB fires in the U.S. are growing at a rate of roughly 10% per year.

Preventative Measures

To effectively prevent lithium-ion battery fires, focus on these  three core pillars: 

Use Certified Equipment and Chargers - Only buy products that have been tested and certified by recognized national testing laboratories (e.g. UL, CSA, ETL). There are tons of cheaper options you can find online from China and other developing countries that do not have the rigor of testing as we do in the US and Canada, so buyer beware.

Practice Safe Charging - Always charge on a hard flat surface in an area with good airflow at room temperature away from other heat sources. Never charge devices on surfaces that trap heat and prevent the device from cooling properly. Most critically, don't overcharge and unplug devices or remove batteries once they reach a full charge. Don’t leave batteries charging overnight or while you are away from home. I believe this to be one of the main reasons vacation properties are damaged by LiB fires.

Maintenance - Inspect LiBs regularly for signs of damage, such as swelling, bulging, cracking, hissing, odd odors, or excessive heat. If you notice these, stop using the item immediately, move it to a non-combustible surface away from flammable materials. Also, never throw LiBs in the regular trash or household recycling. Instead take them to a battery recycling center or a hardware store that offers a drop off.

I hope this is helpful. Please put into practice and share with others.

Health Nuggets

Brain Fog

Brain fog does not start with age, it starts with cortisol flooding your brain, a hijacked prefrontal cortex, and a nervous system stuck in overdrive.

Dr. Michael Snyder describes 7 science-backed ways to think clearly again:

1. No food 3 hours before bed.

Eat late and your blood sugar stays high while you sleep. High glucose wrecks the deep sleep your brain uses to clear the fog. No late-night snacks, a short walk after dinner. Break the hardest habit, and get the biggest payoff. Clear mornings start the night before, not with coffee.

2. Empty your open loops.

Every unfinished task is a browser tab your brain leaves open - a quiet cortisol drip that fogs your thinking all day. Write them all down on paper, your mind stops guarding them. Your mind can’t rest with loops open - close them on paper.

3. Focus forward, not on the problem.

Whatever you stare at, our nervous system moves towards. Replay the problem and our brain rehearses the threat - more cortisol, more fog. Name where you want to go, aim there daily. Focus on where you’re going.

4. Name your primal loop.

Under the fog runs an old belief: "I'm not enough.” “If I stop, I fall behind.”  Your nervous system runs survival to satisfy it - cortisol never lets up. Name the loop and you can interrupt it.

5. Pause and choose.

Between a trigger and hour reaction is a 3-second gap. React on autopilot and your fire a cortisol micro-spike - dozens a day, each one clouding your head. Pause. Choose. Stop training your brain for stress.  Between trigger and response is a gap. LIVE THERE.

6. Measure backwards.

Measuring against the ideal traps you in “am I there yet?” - a background stress that never shuts off.  List how far you’ve come instead. Proof of progress calms the system that clouds your mind. You’re not behind, look back to more forward.

7. Calibrate your alarm.

Your nervous system can’t tell a missed email from a tiger. It fires a 50x over-response to nothing - and the flood fogs your brain. Match the response to the real threat. Most days, it’s an ‘ant problem’, right response, right threat. So stop overreacting, small stuff stays small and your cortisol calms down. Not suppression, calibration.

Notice the thread through all 7. Every one lowers cortisol or calms your nervous system. Brain fog isn’t a memory problem, it’s a nervous system stuck on high alert, treating your calm life like a break-in when it’s an ant.

That’s the root!

Note: Health Nuggets are opinions and not medical advice.

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