Boxes and boxes of decorations exit storage around Thanksgiving to transform the inside and outside of domiciles into Christmas wonderlands. Christmas music wafts earthward from speakers on store ceilings while twinkling lights dance outdoors in December winds. Streaming video services offer a full menu of holiday-themed shows, and churches crowd the schedule with must-do events […]
Vision Casting
Vision statements. They pop up everywhere as organizations jockey for position in an ever-changing world. The fourth quarter of the year is prime time for casting those visions, the process of rolling out the latest vision to the folks who must embrace it and make it happen. Think of a fly fisherman or a spin […]
Twenty Ways I Can Bless the Lord
Ever have to pick out a special gift for the person who seemingly has everything? That shopping experience is quite challenging, isn’t it? We give gifts out of a desire to bless the recipient, to show our love for him, and to demonstrate that we care for him. Often times, though, we resign the search […]
Rehoboam Chose Poorly
Giving and receiving advice represent two potential hidden reefs in navigating life. We must be selective in accepting counsel from others. How well do we know this person? What’s their track record in adulting? In addition, we must weigh the counsel we generate for another against our personal motivations. Is my advice designed for his […]
Soil Makes the Difference
Soil makes the difference in our gardening efforts, and heart soil makes the difference in our receptivity to God’s teaching. I relearned the soil lesson in a big way this gardening season. How many of our life-goofs do we explain away with, “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time?” Perhaps we researched, […]
Choosing the Perfect Gift
Sometimes I know just what gift to buy, but more often than not I whiffed on gifts for Shawn in our early years together. One Christmas, and this is a true story, I was certain I had the perfect gift identified. I had watched as she painstakingly used pruners to shape the azaleas in front […]