My kind of cooking involves heavy tools. Give me a chainsaw, axe, and wood splitter and I’m ready to cook. My good friend Joel Smith suggested I try a trash can turkey. A quick search of the internet and I found all I needed to know… this method involved a metal trash can, sledge hammer, shovel, and wooden stake. Immediately hooked, I convinced my mother (convinced is way...
I’m blessed with a father who is a life-long influence to me. Every day the influence of my father is evident in my mannerisms, my life view, and my drive for excellence. Without him the very essence of who I am would not be and the success I’ve achieved only a hope. The influence I receive has been extended to my wife’s father since our marriage. I am blessed with two Christian...
There a few phrases I use almost like mantras with my daughters. One I find using more and more is “lower your expectations without lowering your standards.” It’s a phrase born in a desperate discussion with my oldest when one of her friends had been caught drinking. The choices were to break-up with her friend or lower her expectations and maintain an influence. The message is...
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. – Melody Beattie
The GREAT thing is we are only at zero in terms of possessions. We are blessed beyond description in so many other ways. We still have treasures in heaven by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Our family has never been closer and each are stronger. We live in the greatest community in the world. I work for an organization dedicated to service to others. Starting at zero gives us the unique...
I have to ask….Why? As a father of two teenage daughters I frequently hear their friends and them state somthing akin to “I just want to do something to be famous..” I cringe every time I hear it because they envision a life of glitz, glamour, and glory….I see a life of discontent, decadence, and diversions. Jesus was arguably the most famous person to live; almost 2000...
Arrogant [Eloquent] lips are unsuited to a fool how much worse lying lips to a ruler! Proverbs 17:5-7 (NIV) Truthfulness is an elusive habit for leaders. We are assaulted daily by situations that beg for lies, half-truths, misinformation, deception, and withholding. These situations arise at work from difficult communication, positions of disadvantage to us, and fear of retribution. Within our...
Communicate. Clearly let others know what you and they can expect Listen. Listen more than you talk Follow-through. Keep your promises and expectations Own-up. When you or a subordinate fall short take personal accountability Trust. You have to trust others for them to trust you Respect. Respect others regardless of their position WYSIWYG. Be a what you see is what you get person Loyalty...
It’s usually a truck or sometimes an older car. The inside of the vehicles are decorated with a mixture of ironic photographs and/or action figures. The drivers are the same mixture of common individuality, sporting spotty facial hair, trendy clothing (or sloppy), and a forced expression of interest. And I’m supposed to be good with placing one of my prized possessions into their...
Picture God in your mind… If you’re like most of the people I’ve asked, you probably thought of some combination of a man in a gray beard floating in the clouds or a scowling judge glaring down from his judgment bench. Both are wrong. God has a presence in the world today, and how we see Him determines how we see ourselves and others. When the Spirit of God descended into the Temple built by...