How Survival Instinct & Comfort Zones Screwed Us Up

How Survival Instinct & Comfort Zones Screwed Us Up

Human beings are wired with a survival instinct.  Some call it our reptilian brains and many are quick to reference Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as evidence. There has been a lot of more recent neuroscience to further affirm this human need for survival at all costs....
Timeout! What The Heck Are You Doing?

Timeout! What The Heck Are You Doing?

It’s common to see players or teams call for timeout during the course of sporting events. In baseball, the catcher or manager may call timeout and go to the pitcher’s mound for a discussion on the best strategy for how to pitch to certain players. In football, we’ll...
How These 7 Dreamers Put a Dent in the Universe

How These 7 Dreamers Put a Dent in the Universe

While recruiting John Sculley to become Apple CEO in 1983, Steve Jobs famously asked the Pepsi Cola exec: “Do you really want to sell sugar water, or do you want to come with me and change the world?” It’s also often said that Jobs also often professed a desire to put...
Being a Dreamer Really is a Foolish Quest

Being a Dreamer Really is a Foolish Quest

I’ve been called a dreamer both as an insult and as a compliment. Regardless of the intent, I take being called a dreamer as confirmation that my life and actions are on a path that will lead to amazing outcomes. Oh, that’s good. I’d love for you to tweet that!...
Why Waiting Should Not Be So Challenging

Why Waiting Should Not Be So Challenging

I so dislike waiting on anything. Whether waiting in line or waiting for an appointment, the simple fact that I am waiting drives me absolutely bonkers! It’s a shortcoming of which I am well aware. In an attempt to overcome this personal flaw, many years ago, I...
Why A Constant Preparation Mode Is So Important

Why A Constant Preparation Mode Is So Important

Being in a constant mode of preparation is this month’s Year of Listening Up (#YLU) topic and it’s one that is near and dear to my heart. Throughout the narrative of Listen Up, Kids, I offer a lot of examples of how I can look back on my life and show others how God...
Grow Up. And Then, Grow Up Some More.

Grow Up. And Then, Grow Up Some More.

It took a long while to find myself. To understand my God-given gifts and to understand how to use them. Along the way, I doubted myself, believed myself unworthy and generally felt like the deck of life was stacked against me. Why that is the case, I may never truly...
No More Self-Defeat – You Belong on the Field

No More Self-Defeat – You Belong on the Field

One of the recurring themes throughout my life is the concept of self-defeat. I share exactly how this manifested throughout my whole life in Listen Up, Kids, so I won’t belabor the point here. I bring it up mostly to introduce the next topic in our Year of...

New Year Goals In View Step Two: Look Ahead to Next Year

Last week, I introduced the first of a three-step process I use throughout December to help me reflect, ponder and plan for the coming New Year. That first step can really seem more like a “pause” than a step because it involves taking time to look back....
How My Daughter’s Baptism Revealed My Greatest Hope

How My Daughter’s Baptism Revealed My Greatest Hope

My second daughter was baptized in March of 2008. The pastor asked my wife and I to pick a scripture we wanted to read for the day. He said it didn’t have to relate to baptism and it could be more about Stella and our hopes for her life. It proved to be a bigger...
The Legacy of a Mom Who Raised Men – Honoring my Mother

The Legacy of a Mom Who Raised Men – Honoring my Mother

Imagine a life where you were in constant fear of something. Imagine that being a big part of your legacy! Whether it’s a matter of where you are going to find the money to pay for a tank of gas or whether it is believing the gunman you think is holding your child...
8 Revelations that Came from Devotional Study

8 Revelations that Came from Devotional Study

Some may balk when I suggest God gives us visions during meditation, but I have had one that was more real than anything I can ever explain. That’s why I firmly believe he does indeed do so. It was shortly after I had accepted Jesus in 1995 when God placed a vision...