Defrag Your Life, Discover Your Genius

By Shaun Adams and Tia Adams

Are you an open-minded Christian searching for a deeper spiritual relationship with God but don't know where to start? Are you ready to impact the world with your gifts? Are you ready to manifest your MAGNIFICENT Life? If you answered, "YES," THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

No, we will not teach you how to be a Genius; Y

• Language: English
• Publisher: Defrag U
• Release date: Jan 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9780578826202

Shaun Adams

Shaun Adams lives and works on the Isle of Wight, a roughly diamond shaped pebble off the south coast of England. All his published work can be found at Amazon. He has been writing seriously since 2010. You can find most of the short stories he wrote between then and 2014 in 'Jack & Evil' in both paperback and eBook. He is currently working on the complete version of Cannibal House soon to be published in paperback and on Kindle.

Book preview

Introduction

Porch Talk 1

By Shaun

To Joyful Hearts,

I LOOOOVVVEEE talking to my wife! I cannot go a single day without spending time with her. It started when we met in college, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. We would sit and talk for hours in our dorms, in classes together, at the grill, at the SUB (Student Union Building), in the chapel, and everywhere in between. If we weren't out searching for our next meal, you could find us possibly talking by the bleachers on the track field while watching the sunset.

   Looking back over the past 20+ years, I can say that not much has changed since those days of a little ole' boy who had a single gaze in his eye for a diamond called Tia. As we got older and started adulting, spending full days together talking wasn't always feasible, as each of us had full-time jobs, two beautiful children, and a host of community activities that kept us highly engaged. We had to adjust to the currents of life, which helped us find a fresh approach to conversations. Now we spend a smaller, more concentrated amount of time talking to each other, which equates to roughly three to four hours (or more) a day. We usually speak in the evenings outside on the Porch of our lovely home so we can watch the sunset together.

   Did I tell you how much I just love talking to my wife? I do! What could there be to talk about, you might ask? Why everything! What isn't there to talk about? We talk about our days. We talk about love. We talk about religion, science, and philosophy. We talk about our visions for a better world. We talk about our magnificent children, the lessons we learned from our choices, and our shared gratitude for all the blessings that God gives. We talk about everything! No subject is off-limits; and, each conversation helps us explore the nature of God by discussing our shared experiences in this school we call Earth.

Thinking Caps

   When I attended Brooklyn Junior Academy in New York, my nursery teacher, Mrs. Luck, would tell us to put our "thinking caps on when it was time to read a book or do activities. As I grew older, I subconsciously got used to wearing my thinking cap" anytime I’d engage in something which required depth of thought. Throughout this book, anytime you see two stars (**) at the beginning of a section, it is a sign you may want to put your thinking cap on, as the content may require a little more focus. Truth be told, every part of this book will require a thinking cap, some parts more than others. In those cases, you may want to consider reading that section or chapter away from distractions so you can focus on understanding the content. Be willing to read beyond the words and allow the Holy Spirit in you to speak.

** The Power of Conversation **

   Do you have a close friend, family member, colleague, or significant other whom you enjoy having deep and meaningful conversations with often? Have you ever wondered why these conversations are so insightful? When any two people converse, there is always present, though invisible to the naked eye, an electrical Charge between them; that Charge is God. God in person #1 connects to God within person #2. When I say God, I mean the ONE and ONLY Source of all things throughout ALL time, space, and beyond. That same One God is the God that beats in the heart of EVERY man, woman, child, plant, animal, and mineral. When Tia and I talk, God within her connects to God within me. When you and your friend talk, the same thing happens to you. The energy between the two of you is like electrical currents in a battery. This is the secret to having amazing conversations.

   To understand how POWER flows between two people during insightful conversations, let’s look at how a battery works. After all, batteries are one kind of source we can derive power from; and since it is power we are discussing, explaining how energy flows in a battery could prove indispensable in understanding how God’s Power works in us.

   Electricity is the flow of electrons through a path (like a wire). The path is called a circuit. Consider the following diagram.

Figure 3

   Batteries have three primary parts called an anode (-), cathode (+), and electrolyte. When a battery’s positive and negative sides are connected to a circuit, a chemical reaction causes a buildup of electrons in the anode (-) to flow towards the cathode (+). Anything in the way of the circuit / path (like the light bulb in figure #3) will receive its power; it has no choice (that’ll preach). We’ll come back to that.

   A battery has two polarities (or poles), positive (+) and negative (-). The word polarity means the state of having two opposite or contradictory tendencies, opinions, or aspects.¹ When Jesus said, "I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End,"² He was establishing the insignificance of polarity. Whether it is the start or finish, first or last, positive or negative, He is always both - no matter how contradictory the poles appear.

   When we talk about a battery’s polarity, notice there is no good side or bad side. The negative (-) doesn’t have a stigma of bad associated with it. It is just one side of a pole with its job to do: hold space until the circuit is created, and the normal flow towards the positive (+) can occur. Both poles, negative (-) and positive (+), make up the entire battery, and both the poles are required for its proper use.

Everything has its opposite; remove one pole and the other ceases to exist. - Dr. M. Doreal

   We call the whole battery good (+) because everything God creates is Good.³ We must also remember that God is all; apart from Him, there is nothing else. So then, the opposite of positive isn't negative or to be looked at as bad. The opposite of everything will always be God/Good because everything is always a reflection of Him. The whole battery is also considered good because this is the battery's natural flow towards the cathode (positive / Good).

Consider the following words of Jesus:

I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. - John 14:6 (NIV)

   The word way means path, or street for traveling along. As I already mentioned, the circuit of a battery is also called a path. Now, I’d like you to imagine that you are Person #1, the initiator of a thought-provoking conversation. Your friend is Person #2, the active listener in the conversation. It does not matter what subjects you discuss as long as both of you are there to learn from one another by sharing. This polarity of purposeful opposites (you talking while your friend listens) creates a great depth of energy exchange between the two of you, an electrical current which is always Christ because He is the way (the path). He is the circuit between the two of you charging your conversation with Insight, Wisdom, and Love, like so:

Figure #4

This is what Jesus refers to when he says:

"where two or three are gathered together in My name, I AM there in the midst of them." - Matthew 18:20 (NKJV)

   Do you remember how I told you anything in the way of the circuit would receive the battery's power? Jesus is in the midst (the way) of conversations because He Is the circuit (or path) that connects the Alpha (+) to the Omega (-), the positive to the negative, God in Person #1 to God in Person #2. It is He who is the Charge that enters between⁴ two people when they gather with the express purpose of learning from one another.⁵ When this connection occurs, infinite Wisdom and revelation can be tapped into, like an endless water stream⁶ from a fresh spring by every man, woman, and child. Christ is the Power of conversation. Solomon realized this Wisdom when he wrote, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."⁷

** The Art of Conversing & the Power of Reverse Flow **

   Have you ever been in a conversation that wasn’t really a conversation because the other person talked so much you could not speak a word? And then, just like that, they leave, and the conversation is over. These can often cause you to feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained, like a battery depleted of its energy.

   Alternatively, have you ever been conversing with a person where you feel as if you could get lost for hours, upon hours, talking about endless topics? Then, when you look up, you barely notice how much time has elapsed. Meanwhile, you feel rejuvenated and revived. You are ten times more physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually better than you were at the onset of the conversation. This is because you engaged in a continual motion of recharging one another through reverse flow. In other words, somewhere in the discussion, you’ve reversed the current where Person #1 now becomes the active listener, and Person #2 is the talker.

   A battery is recharged in much the same way, by reversing the flow. From this, I can deduce that seemingly boring conversations can turn into exponentially transformative ones by merely reversing the flow of the current and mutually engaging in conversation with one another. This is the beauty of polarity, positive and negative, working together.

Helpful Hint

It helps to not think of one polarity as the opposite of the other. Positive and negative are not in opposition to one another; rather, they complement one another.

   The art of conversing is the ability of both parties to share in the conversation by alternating poles. One speaks while the other listens. The key is to remain aware of what position you’re holding and if you’ve been in that position for a long time. If you ever find yourself drained while talking or listening to someone, reverse the flow, and it will recharge the energy in the conversation.

** As Often as Ye Do This **

   Speaking of recharging, have you ever purchased a pack of batteries that came with a charger? I remember touching one of my depleted batteries while it was still charging. It was hot! The heat is created from the current that is flowing into the battery during its charge and discharge. The longer it charges, the hotter it gets. More current equals more heat; this is what produces power. Power is the rate at which work is done, a concept that is demonstrated in the formula:⁸

Power = Work / Time

(or)

P = W / T

   As conversations (w) increase over time (t) between two people, it creates a very powerful (p) current that continually builds until its spiritual heat is almost explosive. In other words, power comes from repetition over a period of time. 

   Paul uses the phrase, As often as ye do this is his letter to the Church at Corinth. He understood that doing a certain thing produces an impetus of power when performed rhythmically. For example, when we read about reoccurring (t) acts of tithing (w), communion (w), or celebratory festivals (w) in the Bible, it is the build-up of energy that creates power (p) which flows from those events. The more you do a thing, the greater results you will yield. The more you and your friend talk, the greater your Wisdom expands. The more Tia and I share in conversations, the wiser we become spiritually.

   Again, the more (t) one does a thing (w), no matter what it is, the more powerful (p) one becomes at that thing because of the build-up of energy. This is what brings true power (p). It is from this space that Paul wrote much of the New Testament as he traveled thousands of miles throughout distant lands and empires, having conversations with like-minded believers while searching for Truth. It is from this space that the disciples Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John shared their witness of Jesus’s ministry in the Bible. And, it is from this sacred space, conversations on our Porch, that Tia and I share the love letters in this book with you.

Meet Your Genius

   Did you know that the word Genius is both a noun (a person) and an adjective (a description)?

Genius (noun)⁹

Exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability.

An exceptionally intelligent person or one with exceptional skill in a particular area of activity.

The prevailing character or spirit of something.

Genius (adjective)¹⁰

Brilliant.

   To be a Genius is to be naturally creative, exceptional, and brilliant. Brilliant means very bright and distinctly original¹¹ Throughout this book, anytime Tia and I use the word Genius, know that it encompasses ALL definitions of Itself. Your Genius is both a description (the adjective) and a Person (the noun). In its true essence, a Genius is a state of Being (see definition C above); therefore, it is also a verb. You don’t become a Genius; you ARE it. Thus, bringing us to the purpose of this book. YOU are a Genius! Do you know how amazingly brilliant (distinctive and original), creative and exceptional you are? There is only one YOU in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE! Even if someone shares your name, they don’t have your personality, your character, your experiences, nor your fingerprints. That means you are even more brilliant than your name! To understand the significance of that statement requires you to see yourself as God sees you - in the wholeness of who you already are. This is where Tia and I want to help you. Say this out loud, "I am discovering more and more of my Genius each day."

   God is Love;¹² therefore, everywhere His Love is expressed, His Kingdom exists. You were uniquely created to do something AMAZING in this world, to use your gifts (your Genius) to spread God’s Love (His Kingdom) throughout this beautiful planet we call Earth. This is WHY you are here - to discover WHAT your Genius is. But first, you have to rediscover WHO He Is IN you.¹³ As you’ve already learned, your Genius is Christ! He is the Way, He is the Path (the Journey), and He is the Circuit who speaks to you and through you in conversations, experiences, and thoughts. He, your Genius, is the One who will illuminate the words within these pages. As you read this book, allow yourself to be the active listener (Person #2) while the Holy Spirit IN you speaks to you (Person #1).¹⁴

   Come, sit with us as we partner together to recharge your spiritual battery and celebrate the Genius of you. Welcome to the Porch.

I am, in truth, your brother on this journey together,

Shaun

Porch Talk 2

By Tia

"I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." - John 15:15 (NIV)

Hello Friend,

Welcome! I’m so glad you’ve decided to visit the Porch, figuratively speaking, of course. Before I explain what that means, let me first tell you about the physical place we affectionately call The Porch. It is one of my most favorite places in the world. Its autumn colored decor is complete with hanging plants, potted plants, bushes, and an area rug. It is the perfect place to watch nature, relax, or read. It has a fire pit that we use in the winter and rock speakers that set the mood during any season for Shaun and me to unwind and reflect on the day’s events. Our two wicker rocking chairs and cedar-colored porch swing (with cup holders, I might add) are adorned with assorted pillows. This space makes us completely comfortable. It is an ideal location to lose track of time and is a favorite of all our friends and family. On the weekends, after good conversations and delightful meals, our Porch is the place for the after-party and is a delicious setting for a nightcap. Moreover, following a long day at work, coming to the Porch with my wonderful husband Shaun while watching God paint the sunset with French blue, orange sherbet, fuchsia, violet, and indigo colors is one of the highlights of my day.

   Our Porch is a beautiful, sacred space where Shaun and I discover secrets to life, love, faith, money, success, and more. In fact, it is from those talks, and our experiences, that we write this book. Those conversations, mostly from our Porch, helped us discover our Genius and Power lying within ourselves. And, now, we get to share those lessons and secrets from our Father with you. It is from that place of self-discovery and spiritual growth that I say, Welcome to the Porch.

See the Genius Within

   For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by people deemed quirky and different. When I was in grade school, I found myself comfortably befriending all types of people with different abilities. As a special education teacher for over 20 years (in two different states), I often sit in meetings where I am told what a student can or cannot do. Usually, the student turns around and amazes not only the naysayers, but even him or herself. After many years, I realized that the students’ success was not the result of a comprehensive, researched-based curriculum alone. Words of encouragement, changes in mindset, and faith in their abilities contributed to their success, for true change first starts in the mind.

   In my profession, I come across many students with Individualized Education Programs (IEP’s) whose deficits are the result of learning gaps, lack of support, family trauma, disadvantageous relationships or environments, and other factors - not a disability. A nurturing environment is an essential part of a student’s learning and offsets feelings of incompetence and inadequacy. Labels and stereotypes put students in a box. While some professionals and parents desire to change students to make them more normal, I aim to create a new normal, determined by each individual, where everyone uses the attributes given to them by God to explore and learn about life.

   As a teacher, I want to understand my students. I want to figure out possible reasons God placed a specific characteristic inside them and how it will benefit their future, if cultivated. I have discovered when a child is stubborn or defiant, he or she is that way for a reason. When provided with positivity, purpose, and/or the right environment, that characteristic can be used for their good. Some of the best athletes were once active little boys and girls who struggled to contain all of that built up energy inside and, therefore, school may have been challenging. The child who was stubborn and sent to the principal’s office can become a powerhouse lawyer or motivational speaker. What if that defiant student in your class, neighborhood, or home, is destined to follow in the steps of Gandhi, a herald for civil disobedience?

   Shaun and I often laugh, especially when he says that he is one of my students. Now, Shaun has never been diagnosed with a disability. However, after many years of being married to him, I noticed behaviors that I sometimes witnessed in my classroom. I observed how he interacted during conversations, needing to doodle or look away to listen. I saw how he used post-its for everything and became unbelievably annoyed anytime someone left cabinets or drawers open. I watched as he performed multiple tasks equally and flawlessly, even though my textbooks said this skill was impossible. Through observation, I learned that Shaun has managed to use these tendencies (which most consider deficits) to his advantage. In fact, he is exceptional in the field of computers and databases because of those characteristics. His complex mind and eccentricity have helped him excel in his job and contribute to my love for him.

   To create a separate lens to view my students, I focus on what they can do. I highlight their talents and strengths and use them to my (and their) advantage, rather than focus on their deficits. At the beginning of the school year, I ask my students about their gifts, passions, and what makes them happy. Throughout the remainder of the school year, I revisit the questions to allow my students to change or expound upon their answers because they have the right to change their minds. My personal goal for every student is to identify those qualities that make them unique. I recognize their passions, something they enjoy doing or learning about, more than anything else. Then I use those attributes to address the areas where they struggle. It’s all about identifying that one thing (or if you’re like Shaun, many things) that makes you light up anytime you talk about it. That is what I define as Genius, which is both a Person and an adjective. Genius is that thing that you would do for free, if necessary. It’s that part of you that makes you uniquely you. It is God’s gift that you came out of the womb doing, as our elders would say.   

   On occasions, I’ve witnessed someone working in their craft and have complimented them on their Genius. In many instances, the person has responded with an awkward look or laugh. It’s amazing how many people are willing to believe the best in a relative or a stranger but refuse to see it in themselves. For me, my desire was, and is to this day, to help people discover their Genius and believe in themselves. Shaun helped me see that my Genius is seeing the Genius and potential in everyone and everything.

   Did you know that you are a Genius? Our Genius is what gives each one of us purpose in this world. It helps us connect to the God of the Universe and God within. We are connected to all that is by our Genius. You, my friend, are a Genius, and you have a Genius, whether you choose to believe it or not. Our purpose for writing this book is to help you discover It.

   At times, our words may feel like a conversation, as if we are on the Porch enjoying the cool breeze. This is the purpose of calling some sections of our book Porch Talks. Other times, we take a page out of our life experiences to share with you the extensive lessons we’ve learned; those are called Discourses. For this reason, consider this entire book series as a course. We’ve learned that life is a school in itself. Therefore, we open our home (our hearts)¹ and our consciousness (our minds)² as a classroom to assist you in your Genius Journey.

Why Write This Book?

   People ask me all the time, What’s the secret to staying married? While my usual answer is to choose your battles, I now realize the secret to my marriage of 20+ years to the same man, three wonderful children, a job that I love, Joy, and Peace, is all discussed throughout this course. There is no one practical thing that helped two 19, and 20-year-old newlyweds stay together; however, much of that Wisdom can be found within the pages of this book. The experiences, stories, tools, and strategies outlined in these letters helped Shaun and I get through some of our most challenging moments, as a couple and individually.

   This book was written for several reasons, but the most significant reason is Love. Anytime Shaun and I sat on the Porch and discovered a new truth, we ended up sharing it with someone within the next day or so. It came to a point that every time we invited friends over, or someone stopped by, we dispensed information like gumballs to whoever would listen. This happened so often that we began noticing our family and friends using terms and lingo we devised during our discussions. (We’ll share some of those terms with you later in this book). We also began to notice that our conversations generated positive effects in the lives of everyone we talked to. I must admit, it was inspiring to witness the revelatory seeds take root and grow within our loved ones. As these conversations continued, so did the content, even though we didn’t know it was content at the time.

   One day, while sitting on the Porch, Shaun and I began to question possible ways to share these talks with more people. We knew what we were hearing from God was worthy of communicating to the world. We believed the knowledge and Wisdom learned from our lessons would benefit all who were open and willing to listen. What started as an idea for a book series grew to a vision for live chats on social media, Master Classes, Spiritual Life Coaching, and more.

   This book is a compiled manual of every lesson that moved us from one spiritual level to the next. Some of these messages came in what seemed like a loud, almost audible, voice from the Holy Spirit, while others came as whispers from our day to day experiences. Other insight came from texts of various kinds, for ALL Wisdom and Knowledge is from God.³ The rest of our understanding was through Porch Talks (revelatory conversations on the front patio, backyard deck, and discussions at the island in our kitchen). Shaun and I have laughed until our stomachs ached and cried at the pure awe of God. We’ve had insightful arguments that were resolved shortly after. We also had what we call unicorn moments, which are those topics we can’t necessarily support, but believe from pure feeling. All of that is how this book came into manifestation - through the lessons that taught us how to demonstrate the Love of Christ. Each page will expose hidden layers of your Genius within as you shed old habits and mindsets.⁴ These lessons taught me how to wholly love me