Why Do We Expect World Peace From Miss America, But Not Jesus?
World Peace is one of just two easy answers in life. It’s the correct response when a pageant contestant is asked what she would most want to see happen during her lifetime. This response is the mocked canned answer made famous in the movie Miss Congeniality. The...
The Freedom Gained Through Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a tricky word. That’s partly because most of us are always tempted to spell it with an unnecessary “e” between “for” and “giveness.” But it’s mostly because of the deep-rooted emotion attached to the concept of forgiveness. In fact, I suspect the...
Why I Dislike Coaches, and Why I’ve Become One
Group and individual role labels – like leader, manager, coach, mentor, go-getter, team, type-A, etc. are frequent observations and studies for me. In my 20+ year career, and in college before that, this stood out to me as both peculiar and aspirational. Then, I...
With a Rebel Yell… She Cried
In 2017, shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, I wrote a post called “The Great American Stalemate will Show Who we Really Are.” Parts of it were sort of “off” but much of it turned out to be (sadly) prophetic. Most notably,...
Your Divine Calling and Getting Out of God’s Way
A divine calling is not just a purpose or call. A lot of folks exhaust a lot of time searching for what it is God “wants them to do with their life”. And many writers distill the path to that down to a few “easy steps”. Presumably, getting to...
A Review of Decisions by Robert L. Dilenschneider
When it comes to making decisions, I am pretty terrible. It’s a discipline I just never quite developed well. Some might say it’s “being the Libra that I am”. You see, I too easily sway sides at the slightest hint of credible support. Not that I am a believer in...
Aligning with God’s Ways – Manton’s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119 – Part 3
God’s ways are called many things; mysterious, unpredictable, wise, just to name a few. One phrase often said in relation is “God’s ways are not always our ways.” So much of this is true. God’s ways are mysterious. And they are unpredictable (to use at least)....
Transparency – Manton’s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119 – Part 1
In this first of a three part series, we consider transparency with God. It comes after studying Dr. Thomas Manton’s 27th sermon on Psalm 119. Manton is relatively unknown today. However, the preacher and theologian of the 1600s was prominently known and...
Ask Why When You Find You’re Conflicted
I’ve always encouraged my kids to ask why. Most parents get frustrated at that oft-repeated question, myself included. However, being able to question and interrogate a situation or circumstance is a skill of vital importance. That’s because, in seeking...
Be Relentless and Never Give Up on Yourself
Despite firmly believing we should never give up on the things that matter, I too often give up on myself. I give in to negative self-talk. Or I foolishly compare myself to others, which – let’s be honest – is actually comparing our biggest...