One of the best relationship verses in the Bible is found in Philippians 2:3. The Apostle Paul writes, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,” If we only applied the first part of the passage (not doing anything with a selfish motive), we’d be miles ahead on…
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Did you grow up with comic books? I certainly did along with many of my friends. I wish I had kept some of those old comics. Today they can be worth a fortune. I read that a 1938 Superman comic was found in the wall of an old house in Minnesota. It’s valued at $137,000.…
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Christine Caine shared this story at Catalyst West Coast. In the 2000 Olympics in Australia & 2004 Olympics in Athens & 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the 4×400 meter Women’s Relays, the American team should have won each time. They had the best individual runners and had the best record of any other team. They lost…
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I ran across an article on “Famous Last Words.” It wasn’t what I expected. They were all anonymous and pretty funny. Here’s a sample: Cut the red one! Dad, why the apple on my head? He’s probably just hibernating. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty… Hey, it looks sturdy enough to me. Now you know how I…
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You never know who you’re going to sit next to at a baseball game. It goes something like this. You get a ticket, you sit down, and then someone invades your personal space and sits next to you. As you begin to enjoy the game, this guy next to you, usually with a painted face and…
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When I was a kid, I did what you did. You pretended to be somebody you’re not. For me, it was Superman. I would get a towel from the closet and some safety pins and I’d pin it to my shirt and run through the house, sometimes down the street with my cape flying. OK.…
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The Godfather was brought to life by Francis Ford Coppola. It was a fascinating case study on how power corrupts. Michael Corleone’s rise and fall is a case in point. His character starts off as an average soldier, and slowly he gets pushed by family business into a merciless murderer with no moral compass. Although…
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It’s on the lips of just about everyone this summer. Inflation. The name-calling and blame-shifting are at a fever pitch. But, here’s the reality most Americans are feeling. Money just doesn’t go as far as it used to. Some of you reading this update today has had several family meetings trying to figure out how to stretch your…
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You’ve probably heard the quotation before, “Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way. Pretty bold statement. The quote is widely attributed to Thomas Paine but most scholars disagree because the quote doesn’t appear in any of his writings. However, it is attributed to General George S. Patton and the former Chrysler executive Lee Iacocca.…
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Most of us think that in order to make a big impact in our world, we must graduate at the top of our class. Or we must have extraordinary talents. Or we must have a large bank account. Those are great things and they can certainly be used to make a difference for good in…
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I’m upset. Things aren’t turning out the way I had hoped for. It’s thrown off my equilibrium. I was put on indefinite hold. As I’m writing this blog, I’m on the phone trying to reason with a computer. Can you relate? Of course, you can. This is the standard operating procedure in our world of…
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“That’s not fair!” If you’ve heard that once, you’ve heard it a thousand times, right? On the surface “fairness” sounds noble and right. But if you probe a little deeper, you might change your perspective just a bit. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to making sure values are applied fairly. But when misused,…
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Love should be experienced. Let me explain. We can say we love a job. What does that mean? I believe it has to do with the joy you receive from the work you do as well as the passion you have for engaging in it. Without love, life is rather mundane. Jennifer Williamson once said,…
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There is a myth floating around some leadership circles. The myth sounds something like this: “Once you’re elevated to a position of leadership, you no longer have anything to do with ‘small’ tasks.” Menial tasks are seen as “below” your new paygrade. It’s just not true. Young leaders can fall into the trap of “disrespect for others.”…
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As I write this blog today, I’m watching two guys dig a swimming pool. That’s right. I said, “two people digging a swimming pool.” In fact, these two people dug the entire pool in an afternoon. This is a big pool and not a little pond. Without sounding too obvious…”How did two men dig a huge…
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Life is hard and most of us realize that. Our culture is driven to make things more convenient. Smartphones, smart speakers, smart everything :-). I’m just thinking, all these conveniences that are smart just might make you dumber. Why is that? Convenient shortcuts (and we all love them) short circuit the process used to grow…
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In today’s world you will hear the phrase “follow the money” especially as it relates to politics or corporate decision-making. That expression is a catchphrase came from the 1976 film All the President’s Men, which suggested that political corruption can be exposed by investigating money transfers between parties. Money itself is neutral but it wields enormous power. Ayn Rand once…
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Ephesians 4:2 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Ephesus exhorts Christ-followers to “be completely humble and gentle.” That’s a curious phrase. To be completely “anything” requires a total commitment. You see in reality, I’m sometimes humble and sometimes gentle, except…
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I heard an amazing testimony of faith the other day. This extraordinary leader came to believe in Jesus when he was at his absolute lowest point in life. Addicted and broken, he entered into a real relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Things changed…some quickly…some not so much. He grew in his faith…
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Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Today is a simple and short blog. It’s just reiterating what you already know in your heart. Let me quote several to “get it.” Charlie Munger, a Self-made billionaire, and Warren Buffett’s longtime business partner said, “In my…
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My college experience was filled with people who were there for a variety of reasons. They needed the education for a career. They wanted to meet someone…that special someone. They were fulfilling what their parents wanted for them. They wanted a place to excel in their sport…And a thousand more reasons. But it is a…
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It’s hard to believe what we’re seeing right now. The country of Ukraine is being invaded and the citizens are in peril. Our mission agency, Missions Door, has several missionaries in the country, but you may not know that all of our missionaries are indigenous. In other words, Ukraine is their home and therefore they’re…
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God has a plan. If I’ve heard that once, I’ve heard it a hundred times. In fact, I’ve said it myself many times. I believe it. God does have a plan…for everything. The Bible is clear, God is personal and He is in control. Proverbs 19:21 says Many are the plans in the mind of…
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Pain. We avoid it at all costs. Julius Caesar said, “It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.” The harsh reality is unsettling. All of us will experience pain at some point in our lives. It comes in many forms…physical…
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“Time-sensitive.” Have you ever received a bill, a notice, or an appeal of some sort with those words attached to it? It’s used to describe a product that has to be delivered by a particular time or information that is only useful for a particular period. Now many clever salespeople will use “time-sensitive” to get you…
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Years ago the most popular TV sitcom was “Seinfeld.” One of the characters, “George” wants a cool nickname. He wants his friends to call him “T-Bone.” It never catches on with his friends. Instead, they nickname him, “Koko the monkey.” He hates it…obviously! There is a man in the Bible named Joseph, but you probably…
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Graceful is not a word that is a common as it used to be. Today we don’t often say, “he or she is graceful” or “give him a little grace.” It’s a little old school. Not only do we not use the word, but we are also a bit reluctant to do the word. To…
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The Last Samurai is a 2003 American film where Tom Cruise portrays a Captain of a U.S. Army cavalry regiment. He comes into contact with samurai warriors in 19th century Japan. He eventually befriends the leader and earns the respect of the samurai. As he learns the art of wielding a sword, he takes the counsel of a…
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Leadership and loneliness. You’ve heard it said that those two words go together. It’s “lonely at the top” is a saying you’re familiar with. The reason you know the phrase is because it’s assumed that leaders often have few friends. That is often true, but it doesn’t have to be. Leadership has unique challenges that…
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