Author: Brandon Baumgarten

You could say it was a step back in time. An old Coke machine with a hand cranked dispenser, a 1975 World Series Cincinnati Reds Hat, an old school radio, a Reagan-Bush campaign sticker from the 80s, and TIME Magazines covering the past 3 decades. These were just some of the memorabilia I saw as I entered an old barber shop for an haircut. The shop had been there for years and the faithful barber had seen lots over his time.
As I sat in the chair and he began to cut my hair, he asked me several questions about my thoughts on the Presidential Election, State Question 777, and of course, March Madness. We spoke in depth on these topics, but one question he asked was, “Why does a young fella like you come to an old barber shop like this?” 
“To get a good haircut.”, I replied. He laughed and proceeded to tell me how few young people actually talk when they come in to get a haircut. Most people come in for a haircut, not a conversation like some used too. He said that many folks rather text, talk, or just play games on their iPad without saying much, while the barber would cut. He said he didn’t understand how people were so quick to be social on the web, but yet so socially silent in person. 
This conversation got me thinking. We can all agree that social media has transformed society as we know it. But through this transformation we have seen cell phones, iPads, and social media sites absorb more and more of our attention, time, and focus. It’s becoming the norm, but it doesn’t have to be. New technology is great, it can be fascinating and fun, but just like anything else, too much of it leads to negative results. You might be on Facebook now, reading this and thinking of its irony as it has been typed on a digital device. This post is one I’m writing to myself and so need to hear. I’ve realized in my life that the more time I spend on my phone the less time I have to spend with others. This post is more for me than anyone else, because understanding that life doesn’t have to revolve around my cell phone is a relieving truth. Much of the drama in our schools and dare I say in our workplaces stem from too much focus on our phones when we should be focusing on what’s in our hearts. When I speak, I hear from people that drama and social media are 2 of the biggest problems they face. Coincidentally, they can go hand in hand. Drama soars when you open the wrong door. Drama dies when you see there is more to life. 
The challenge for myself is to refocus and reduce the time spent on my phone. How many memories have been at stake due to a lack of physical presence? How many lives could we reach if we started an actual conversation instead of playing Angry Birds? My point is our generation is a blessed one with new innovations, new technologies, and new ways to connect. Let us not forget life isn’t about the cell phone, but about making others know that they are not alone. It’s great to have a social media presence, but let’s not forget to be physically present. As for my barber, I look forward to receiving another good haircut and to many more conversations to come not via text, but by good old fashioned talking. #TheBarberShopTalk #NewBlogPost 

Some thoughts: When I was a kid, my dad used to pick me up and put me on top of his shoulders. Maybe you went through the same experience when you were a kid. For those of you who know my dad, he is a very tall man standing 6’8. Needless to say when I was on his shoulders I saw everything differently. He would walk around and from up there I could see for miles. I felt as tall as some buildings and it was as if I was safe where nothing and no one could harm me. I felt taller than any fear, any bully, and any foe. Through it, my dad taught me that with the right perspective, heart, and focus we could Rise Above Anything. For many of us, those times were special times and when facing the troublesome worries and foes that we’ve all had in everyday life, it’s often easy to forget that we were meant to rise above them. Many of my friends have pointed out the recent article from animal activists against agriculture and specifically the FFA. My take is that these kind of articles are only meant to try to drag you down and steal the joys of what we know is good. Choose not to succumb to the garbage of gossip, but instead Simply put: Rise Above It. See the big picture. 
The opportunity to let your life speak louder awaits is huge because it allows us to help people understand where their food comes from and how they can play an active part. If you are having a bad day at work, and circumstances aren’t going your way, Rise Above It! 🙂 You are the Bigger Person who is called to be visionary, don’t let people drag you down. Build upon the opportunity to promote something positive and let the actions of your life speak louder than the complaints of a misinformed co-worker, a jealous associate, a misleading article, or a belittling bully. Rise above it, live your life, and see what life really means! 🙂 
You see, when the efficacy of an agenda is put in place to capitalize on the ignorance of the average consumer it reveals the agenda’s wrongful intent. Thus, this Moment becomes even more prevalent and even more critical to educate, inform, and raise awareness. Remember when you are on top there are always people who want to pull you down. I look forward to the day when leaders of both sides put away the differences and can finally stand united and on the metaphorical shoulders of a kind-hearted dad, who choose to see the perspective of this moment, choose to see the view, and choose to remember the Reasons We Were Meant Rise. Rise Above it and I promise you, You’ll See The Top! #RiseAboveIt 

This post is dedicated to teachers and educators everywhere. Know that your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. 
The other day was my former Ag Teacher’s birthday and I begin to think of how much he and his mentorship had influenced my life. He motivated me to be my best and sought to bring out my fullest potential. Without a doubt, he made a Huge Difference in my life as do so many other teachers in so many classrooms. 
For many teachers and students, this week was their 1st week of school in 2016. In my travels and teacher inservices, I have the fortune of meeting and visiting with many teachers and administrators. I’ll often ask them what their favorite part of the job is, and some of the top responses I hear consist of a shared enthusiasm for the subject matter, getting the chance to engage with students in a positive way, but overwhelmingly, the top response I hear is to make the difference in the lives of their students. 
Teachers, Be Encouraged. 🙂 You encourage your students to be all that they can be everyday, but you deserve to be encouraged too. You Make the Difference in the Lives of Your Students. Your opportunity to mold minds, inspire thought, and engage interests is a priceless one. They say that behind every Successful student is a Great Teacher. You see, You play a significant part in student success whether by teaching students how to read, sing, write, weld, bake, livestock judge, learn, show, speak, care, craft skills, the list goes on and on. Some teachers feel like their efforts aren’t accomplishing anything, but be encouraged to know that when you feel down, there are still countless people who are looking up to you. Students who you may not even think would look up to you, actually do. In the words of the band, Needtobreathe, “You are a DifferenceMaker.” And your efforts aren’t in vain. You create an environment where students can learn, listen, and leave their schools on graduation day better than the day they enrolled in it. Truth be told, the most effective classroom I was ever in wasn’t actually a classroom, but actually an Ag Truck, where life skills were taught to me and a life was impacted because those skills. As a teacher, you get the chance to play a part in that impact, to make the difference. 
Although I’m just a speaker, I can relate to your purpose as a teacher, knowing that if one life is helped, one person is encouraged, and one future is made better because of our efforts, than we’ve achieved more than we can ever dream. For the sake of the student who stands in need of the smile, for the chance to see a student laugh for the first time in a long time, to see lives inspired to aspire to be the fire they were meant to be in this world, that my friends, are the moments we live for. Thank you teachers for all that you do! Here’s to the best semester yet and a very happy 2016 ahead! #DifferenceMakers
(Feel free to share and tag this post with a teacher whom you’ve looked up to)

  
Dear Friends,
When reflecting back on all of the groups, trainings, conferences, workshops, and keynotes in 2015, I can only say two words to sum it up: “Thank You.” It has been an honor to share my heart, passion, and energy with you and see responsive change happen within so many lives. This is my 2nd year as a professional speaker and leadership coach. Both years I’ve looked back, scratched my head and can’t help but thank God for all the people He’s allowed me to meet and the audiences He allows me to speak to and train with.
He gets the glory and this journey continues to amaze me. From the depths of my heart, THANK YOU for being part of my new book, blogs, trainings, and for being part of this Speaking Adventure. This career has been made because of the great people who continue to give wings to this dream. Here’s looking forward to another Great year of speaking ahead and wishing you and yours a Happy New Year! Thank you from the heart of a developing leader. 
Lead On! 

Brandon 

The New York Daily News today came out and said in response to those praying about the tragedy in California that “God Isn’t Fixing This.” Here’s my response to the headline:
Dear New York Daily News: 

As I saw your headline announced on social media that said “God isn’t Fixing This”, I was totally caught off guard. I had been watching the news on TV, when I heard about the tragedy in California just like many Americans. My first reaction was to turn to God and pray for His healing touch and comfort for those who were hurting. After I said my prayer, I later read your headline and it shook me up, because now more than ever we need prayer for our country and we long for God’s touch, but yet we doubt God is working. I couldn’t help but collect my thoughts and write to you not in hate, anguish, or anger, but in Love, for Love is the source that motivates this response to reach people. 

Personally, I believe that instead of us trying to ask God to fix things, we should allow God to Fix Us. As a nation we have shifted our focus from Him. Although His name is stamped on our currency, buildings, history, and monuments, we fail to stamp his name on our hearts, actions, homes, families, and lifestyles. Sure, none of us are perfect, but the moment we kick God out of our lives is the moment when we reject everything God has for us.

Your Headline goes further to say that our prayers do nothing, and people with influence (You Hint at presidential candidates) need to be taking action rather than praying prayers. Question: When was prayer not considered a course of action? In fact, when many of our founders were in turmoil, their first instinct was to pray. Prayer works and you don’t have to look far to see that. When we choose not to pray or to not believe in its effectiveness, we are causing more harm than we can imagine, we are basically slapping the Lord in His face with that type of thinking towards prayer. The Bible tells us many times to pray without ceasing, because for one, the Lord cares about His people and two, He longs to have a relationship with each of us. And every relationship is rooted in the essence of trust. It’s true that we proclaim: “In God We Trust” in this country, but imagine what could happen if we all started to live this motto out as a country? When we turn away from doing wrong, cry out to the Lord and trust in Him, I believe His Healing Touch will come forth to America. Oh how we need His touch.

When we pray, we are speaking to the Creator of the Universe, the One who fixes hearts, mends souls, brings joy, restores peace, gives grace, walks with us daily, and pours out His love on us. But yet, we question His greatness, we discount His abilities. As an evangelical millennial, I refuse to believe that prayers do nothing, they mean more than we know. They activate our faith and speak volumes into our relationship with God. This notion that “God isn’t fixing it” can be the result of a hard heart which shakes it’s fist at the Heavens when tragedy occurs. The easiest thing we can be in life is critical. Often times, when we think of God, we find ourselves to be critical of Him, because we don’t understand His actions or His plans, but if we truly understood His love, our criticism would cease. Truth is our human minds are so flawed in our own thinking, that we can’t even grasp the wholeness of who He is or what He can do. But a long time ago, I learned that never once in the Bible did God promise an explanation, but He did promise to walk Beside us.  

The fact is, God is Fixing, although, many may not see it, God is fixing hearts everyday. He is intervening in circumstances all the time, healing people from illnesses, preventing tragedies, giving strength to those who are in need, bringing divorced families back together, and providing hope to us who were once hopeless. He has Blessed America, because many of those before us chose to Honor Him. Will our country once again choose to Honor Him rather than turn our backs on Him? 

The evidence of God’s repair is too great to acknowledge in just one simple Facebook post. It’s everywhere and even though you may have the Freedom of the Press, as a Christian I have the Freedom to Confess that this God is my God. I pray to Him and He answers. He saw my brokenness when I was a boy, I asked Him to come into my heart and repair me. And you know what? He fixed me up and now He lives in my heart. 

So New York Daily Times, you may think that gun control is the answer and God is not. You may think Prayer is a worthless action, but in reality, it’s the best action to take. But as for me, and countless of others all over this nation, the answer isn’t God Fixing IT, it’s allowing God to Fix US. 

Sincerely, 
An Evangelical Millennial American  
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” -2 Chronicles 7:14

  
#GodFixUs #NewYorkDailyTimes

  
November 16th is a very special day! On this day we celebrate the 108th Anniversary of Oklahoma statehood. We have produced, performed, and persevered in many ways in which we should all be proud of. 
We have Produced. Don’t look over this past weekend as our OSU Cowboys & OU Sooners produced wins that put them both in the college football playoff picture(Bedlam will be fun) And once again, ORU is still undefeated in College Football 😉 We have produced national merit scholars, astronauts, athletes, top agriculturalists, musicians, and more! We produce crops, grains, and livestock, becoming a leading state in the agricultural industry. Oklahomans Produce! 
We have Performed. Oklahoma has demonstrated that it can hold down a professional sports team as the OKC Thunder perform night after night representing the spirit of our great state. (let’s keep our fingers crossed that KD stays) Also, Oklahoma performs in the arts, science, and music, where our museums, colleges, and galleries are nationally recognized in excellence. We have top-notch teachers and educators who believe in their students and strive for excellence in the classroom. No doubt, Oklahomans Perform.
We have Persevered. Our state hasn’t always lived in harmony, as tragedy has struck our state time and time again. Tornadoes, bombings, are just some of the few. But if there is anything that Oklahoma should be proud of and anything our nation knows about us is the fact that when tragedy comes, we take each other by the hand. We persevere together and show resilience. No matter our differences or how deep the heartache can be, you’ll always find an Oklahoman preserving through the struggles on bended knee. 
So Happy Birthday Oklahoma! For 108 you are still looking mighty great! I’m proud to be an Oklahoman and proud of what are state stands for. In the words of the play “Oklahoma”, “We know we Belong to the Land, and the Land we belong to us Grand!” Never have these words meant so much. 
#FacebookFundamentals #OklahomaBirthday

  
You might have heard of the new Starbuck’s Christmas Policy. Here’s my take on it: 
As Christians, We need to refocus; when the concern of a Company’s Declaration of Faith is emphasized greater than the Church’s representation of Christ, we need to refocus our attention. We live in a world where the Lord is constantly denounced and disrespected by so many. None of us can comprehend His majesty or magnificence. He is due respect, but what should speak greater volumes isn’t the insignia on a coffee cup, but rather a heart recklessly on fire for Him. 
I look at it this way, many Christians have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. They’ve been to church, they’ve said their prayers, etc. But more than that, I believe God wants His people to be more than just churchgoers, more than just prayer-sayers. He wants us to be On Fire For Him. He wants us to be motivated to be ambassadors of Christ, as we’ve been called to be. 
In the context of Starbucks, many Christians can be compared to that of a Cup of Coffee. Some Christians are a Cold Cup of Coffee, they have lost their heat or their fire due to gossip, drama, discontent, and many other factors, thus their heat needs to be Revived. 
Some Christians are what can be considered as a Lukewarm Cup of Coffee, where at once they were fired up about serving the Lord and discovering their purpose, but due to priority shifts, complacency, worry, compromise, boredom, etc, they have grown to be in a stale state. They are neither hot nor cold, and have forgotten their sense of purpose. Thus, they need their heat to be Revived as well. 
And then there are Christians whose lives dare to speak louder than any Starbucks Coffee Cup ever could. These Christians represent the Hot Cup of Coffee. Through prayer, prioritizing Christ first, reading the Word, living out their purpose, and striving to be like Christ, they are doing what they are meant to do and being the ambassadors of Christ they were destined to be. Their lives are so on fire for God, that their witness is stronger than anything else. They are functional for they are being Hot, living in the state that God called them to be in. They are so full with the love of God, that their cup runs over with an abundance of joy, care, forgiveness, and more! Their life says so much that it speaks to others without them ever even saying a word. But no heat can be continued without the fuel of faith that we all can use more of. As Christians we all need our faith to be refueled and our heat to be Revived.
Question: If you were to examine your life, what cup of coffee would represent you?
As a Christian, I struggle all the time at being On Fire for God. Heat requires effort, determination, and a non-stop pursuit of seeking the Lord. Tonight these thoughts are speaking to me, because I know that I have plenty of room to grow in my faith. I’m so thankful that my salvation isn’t defined by the label on a cup of Starbucks Coffee, but by the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Starbucks might give me energy from time to time, but it’s Jesus who has given me life, and life more abundantly. 

#BrewingThoughtsAboutaCoffeeShop 
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my Cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD as long as I live.” -Psalm 23:5-6 

 
Many agree that the recent College Football Playoff Committee rankings came without the Big 12
Conference getting any love. But according to one ESPN CFB Analyst, “The Big 12 has the Potential for Love, at least in the month of November.” Looking ahead at this month he was referring to, we can see that Baylor, TCU, OSU, and OU (the BIG 12’s top 4 teams) will all be playing against each other and better yet, they are all ranked in the Top 15 by the playoff committee. Could there finally be Love for the BIG 12? Well, one things for sure, with the current schedule, the BIG 12 definitely has the POTENTIAL for it. 😉
As people we LOVE many things. We love movies. We love food. We love sports, clothes, comics, literature, family members, etc. We say we love a lot of things, but do we truly love? As a speaker, I tend to see a striking comparison between the Big 12 Playoff rankings and many of the students I speak to. 
Whenever finishing an assembly or workshop, I usually like to stick around and try to visit with the students one on one. In many cases, I hear their stories of their home lives and although I wish they were all positive ones, many of them share with me stories where they feel broken, mistreated, and unloved. It’s heartbreaking. These students all have the potential to be loved, but do they ever feel the love they were meant to feel? 
Point is when we craft a love in our hearts for people, we exceed their potential for love. Imagine what would happen if we showed every person we met with the genuine love we’ve been called to have for our fellow man. Think about this: you may be the only source of love that someone in your school, town, or work may ever have in their life. And if we want more love in this world, than the best way to go about it is to put more love in our hearts. My hope every day is to learn to be kinder to people and to help them feel their true worth that they so often are deprived of feeling from home. I’ll be honest with you, I’m still working on getting better at this, but I know if you show love to one person, you can break the ugly barriers of hatred that results in being unloved. The entire globe can be impacted once we all give it a shot.  

  
As for the Big 12 College Football Playoff, we all know that a little bit of love would go a long ways, especially from the playoff committee. However, the ultimate hope we have is that we wouldn’t just have love for our favorite college football conference, but that we all would show love to others by putting that love within the crevice of our hearts. 🙂 #LittleBitofLoveForTheBig12

DEDICATED to my friend who is a Royals fan and is going through a lot. This post is for you 🙂

Last night, like many of you, I was on my phone when the news notification came in that the Kansas City Royals had won the 2015 World Series after a 30 year drought. The sporting event had taken social media by storm highlighted by many fans expressing their excitement. Congrats to the Royals on a well-deserved championship! I’ll be honest, I love to watch sports of almost any kind, rodeo, basketball, college football, underwater basket weaving(just kidding) and especially baseball, after all its an American tradition.

Although I’m noticeably one of the most athletically UN-coordinated people you’ll ever meet, following sports is one of my favorite hobbies, which I believe I’ll be partaking in for a very long time. 🙂 My reasons aren’t uncommon for having an affinity for sports, I love the thrills, the Cinderella stories, tailgates, bowl games, trick plays, the stats, and jaw-dropping catches, hits, and of course, the ESPN SportsCenter TOP 10 reel which leaves spectators speechless. Even though the category of sports has been deemed as an entertainment value by many in our society, I do believe there is something very special that stems from the world of sports. Life lessons that we all can learn from. And, with the recent Kansas City Royals World Series win still fresh on our minds, there is an underlying lesson which we can definitely learn from.

Spirit, we see it all different shapes and sizes. Its the combination of our character and emotions. Our will wrapped up in a unique personality. Our strength embodied within a single being. Spirit is the invisible makeup of our lives. We feel spirit when we exchange emotions with one another. We sense it in a song a singer is singing. We notice it when a WWII Vet is telling us a story of his tour. We see it when someone overcomes obstacles, heartache, and achieves a determined goal. I’ve even seen it in a hospital, when the doctors say there’s nothing they can do, and through thick and thin, their circumstances are overcome, because the patient’s spirit is stronger than their symptoms.

Many say that if you were to look back in 2006 at the Symptoms surrounding the Kansas City Royals baseball franchise, you would have found a team that was at the time, one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball. The drought had been a long time, stemming from 1985 when the team won its last championship. But in 2006, when Kansas City got their new manager, they knew work would need to be done. Year after year, the team began to grow, and memorably the 2014 season is one where the growth was evident and left the team hungry for more. And finally, the dream of a World Series Championship was attained where the symptoms where defied and victory had been defined. This team is historic because they chose to not let their history of struggles to define the destiny, instead, it was a motivational factor that spurred them on to the win column. Through their courage and spirit they chose to defy there current drought and add a crown to go nicely with their Royals attire. They ramped up a franchise and energized a fan base, where newspapers are now saying “Kansas City is a Baseball City Again.” When you allow your spirit of strength to empower your future, people will take notice, and previous labels will be broken.

The life lesson of this sports story is that no matter your circumstances, no matter your drought, no matter what you are going through, these things don’t have to define your destiny. For these things shall pass and your life, regardless of how many wins or losses you’ve stacked up or how long you’ve been craving for a win, has a very special calling on it that goes well beyond the perspective of the championship field of a World Series Game. Your calling, your purpose is waiting for your unwavering spirit to come alive and defy the negative odds in your own life. The symptoms of sickness, depravity, grief, anger, loss, depression, anxiety, stress, or whatever you are facing, may have a strong effect on you right now, but your circumstance, past or present, DOESN’T HAVE to DEFINE YOUR DESTINY. Live with this life lesson: What’s inside of you is greater than the negative things that surround you.

This Tuesday, in Kansas City, radio stations have been announcing that one of the biggest parades and celebrations the city has ever seen will be held. People will be basking in the reality that the Kansas City Royals chose to Never Give Up, they chose to Never Back Down, and most importantly, they found that their unwavering spirit was stronger than the symptoms of their circumstance.

Tonight, you might feel like you are at the bottom, when in truth, you are just a mindset away from being at the top. Challenge yourself to look past your past, to look beyond your current anguish, and to begin to see yourself as a champion who is meant to succeed, overcome, and be victorious. Let the strength that others see in your eyes begin to come forth. Be strong. Be steadfast. Most of all, let your spirit take flight to where you won’t just be making a base hit in a ball game, but a Grand Slam in this crazy game we call life. 🙂

“But you are a chosen people, a Royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
-1 Peter 2:9

In nearly ever college football season, a team goes through turmoil, adversity, and injuries. It’s all just part of the game. Symbolically in the game of football and sometimes basketball, whenever a team’s player is injured or hurt on the field or court, the entire team will take a knee as to kneel out of respect and concern for that teammate. In some occasions, the opposing team will also take a knee to honor the opposing hurt player as well. The term “Taking a Knee” can also be referred to as a closing play where the quarterback knees the down to run out time on the clock or to prevent injury. 
However, at Oklahoma State, the events of this weekend have redefined the whole meaning of “take a knee” to an entirely different level. After arriving on campus yesterday to watch the OSU game with my friends at their tailgate, I lost my emotions. Hearing stories of those wounded, and trying to rationalize a reason for motive was beyond my comprehension. No doubt, the atmosphere of a traditional college football Saturday felt very different. This day shook us to a core. With the tragedy that had occurred just hours before kickoff, the mood of the crowds were reflective and solemn. However, despite the divide in team loyalty you would normally find at every college game, you couldn’t find much of that in Stillwater. As I saw Kansas fans hugging Oklahoma State Fans. Entire stadiums in both Norman and in Stillwater standing in moments of silence in honor of those lost to the tragedy. OU would also remove their Crimson flag and instead raised our OSU banner in front of all their fans saying: “Today, we are all Oklahomans.” One old man told me in response to the flag change: “We may act like we hate each other at bedlam, but at the end of the day, there’s more care in our hearts for one another than any rivalry will ever have.”

  
But what caught my attention more than anything was when my fellow friends, peers, and classmates chose to take a collective knee in reverence of all those who had been injured. No, it wasn’t a knee like you’d find on the football field, but a knee to pray and humble themselves before the Lord. Our student body chose to honor the victims rather than hate the violator. Our student body chose to pray for peace rather than harp for hate. And our student body chose to kneel united with fans of both sides, teams, and cities saying, “We are Stillwater Strong. And we are State Strong.” Never in my life has my heart been filled with so much heartbreak for OSU, but also never in my life has my heart been filled with so much pride for my University, student body, and State.
Our Homecoming Celebration highlighted a statement this year from our Alma Mater song: “…Ever you’ll find us Loyal and True.” On many house decks and wall paintings, you’d find the words “Still Loyal & Still True” in reference to our song. How fitting that we honor that statement for never once have those words been more prevalent than now. We must never forget the moment we all chose unity in something greater than ourselves. And we must never forget the day, our state chose and continues to take a knee, that no matter the circumstances, the heartbreak, or tragedies we endure, I know for certain this statement will always be right: “…Ever you’ll find us (OKLAHOMANS) Loyal and True!” A Salute: “To Our Alma Mater: O-S-U!”

 #PrayForStillwater #TakingAknee #StillwaterStrong