Gratitude 201
My family wasn’t always excited about it, but every Thanksgiving everyone who ate at our house had to write-up a gratitude list that they’d share around the dinner table. I insisted on the writing part, because it always felt like the spontaneous sharing led to the same recycled list we share every year – I’m […]
Welcome to the Struggle Bus
Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is […]
Pas·tor
…one who walks alongside in faith to provide spiritual perspective When I started the conversation with the team helping me establish and articulate my personal brand, they asked me to describe myself. I instinctively said, “Well, I am a pastor…” As soon as those words left my lips, I knew I had a communication challenge […]
Black·sheep
I have chosen a black sheep as my mascot. Typically, when that term is used to describe a person, it suggests they are a problem child, they don’t really fit in, and they are usually a bit of an oddball and a ne’er-do-well. I check all those boxes, both before and after my conversion. Some […]
Life lessons from a motorcycle wreck.
At the risk of sounding a bit dramatic, my life was forever altered on a Sunday afternoon in May of 2003. I was riding my customized Harley Davidson to a birthday party. It was the perfect day. I was excited about the party. Unexpectedly, a car pulled out in front of me. I couldn’t avoid […]
Relational Realities – Final Reflections
For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.Ecclesiastes 3:1 One of the more helpful ways for me to think about life is to think through the grid of seasons. We are single for a season. Most of us are married for a season. And if we are fortunate to live long […]
Relational Realities – Aging and Angry
Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon teamed up for a series of movies spanning three decades. They were a great comedy team – a bit profane, but very funny none-the-less. One of their most memorable films was entitled Grumpy Old Men. They were neighbors who incessantly picked on each other, played practical jokes on each other […]
Relational Realities – Married and Conflicted
Jim Collins, a highly regarded business consultant, is quick to point out that he’s not an expert on leadership or organizational success. Rather, he is a highly motivated student who loves learning about what makes businesses successful. He is a self-described “curious guy who loves learning.” In one study, Collins looked at companies that were […]
Relational Realities – Single and Alone
Single and invariably alone. Is that how it really is? I guess it partly depends on how we look at it. I am in my mid-60’s, I have been married for almost 40 years. A single person might wonder what business I have talking about singlehood. Fair question. Let me answer this way. I have […]
Relational Realities – Introduction
Introduction Love entered in my heart one dayA sad, unwelcome guest.But when it begged that it might stayI let it stay and rest It broke my nights with sorrowingIt filled my heart with fearsAnd, when my soul was prone to sing,It filled my eyes with tears. But…now that it has gone its way,I miss the […]
