Spirituality

Something On My Mind

Pardon my rant this morning, but I have something to say. The public forum of social media has a lot of merit, but the public can show their ugly side, too.

Recently Susan and Michael Dell were in the Oval Office with the President. Hateful trolls used photos from the occasion to make fun of Susan Dells appearance. The comments were rude, wrong, and meant to hurt her. Do these people believe she doesn’t have feelings?

The Dell Foundation focuses on education, economic opportunity, and improving outcomes for children and families. The foundation contributed over $6 billion to fund Trump accounts. This was a wonderful intersection of the public and private sectors working together.

Weak people ridicule others. It’s dangerous, too. Scripture tells us “Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.” If you want to read the entire verse it is James 4:11.

Let’s think before we speak. If our comments lift up our fellow man, then by all means speak up. If what you say is hurtful, consider how you would feel if the words were aimed at you. Something to consider…

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Spirituality

What Are You Selling?

Madison Avenue is still alive and thriving. Whether we realize it or not, we are being marketed to all the time. And they know what they’re doing.

Years ago, I took my three year old son to a football game. It must have been wishful thinking on my part to think he would care about the game at such a young age. Yet, during a commercial break he heard a gong. My son looked up and said, “That’s Taco Bell!” Yes, marketing is effective.

We might fall for the latest marketing gimmick. We believe something is “new and improved” and our expectations are raised. But what are you telling yourself?

What you believe about yourself is going to come true. In my experience I have met people who think they are a nobody, that they have nothing worthwhile to contribute. This is a lie they have chosen to believe.

Life is a constant growth process, not a destination. Consider where you were twenty years ago when you want to see how far you’ve come. You might surprise yourself.

Take inventory of your life. Focus on the good you have done. Telling yourself the truth is part of holding yourself accountable. Meditate on what you do well. Do more of those things.

You are marketing to yourself. Make sure there is truth in what you are advertising…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

They Called Him Stoneface

He was born in 1925 in the tiny town of Mission, Texas. His was a star athlete and went on to play football for The University of Texas. Included in his early adult experiences were 30 combat missions during World War II.

Tom Landry played defensive back for the New York Giants, eventually becoming a player/coach. It was this experience that shaped his relationship with his players when he became coach of the expansion team in Dallas in 1960.

Those first years were tough. The team finally had their first winning season in 1966. This started a remarkable 20 year run of winning seasons. Landry believed in his system. Players would tell you it was complicated, but it worked.

The players called Landry “Stoneface” behind his back. He had a serious demeanor, and didn’t allow himself to develop relationships with his players. In an interview Landry said it was because it would be too hard to let a player go if you had a friendship with him.

Someone once asked running back Walt Garrison if he ever saw Landry smile. Garrison thought for a moment and said, “no. But I’ve only been here 7 years!”

Tom Landry had character. He was the same man every day, on or off the field. His players respected him, even if he wasn’t one of the boys…

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Spirituality

A Desperately Needed Renaissance

Our education system is failing many of our students. In Texas alone, only about half of students are reading at grade level by fourth grade. Same for math.

When Horace Mann created the curriculum for public schools, he focused on teaching the head, the heart and the hands. In other words, teachers taught the intellect, emotion and the application. Now teachers are required to “teach to the test.” Teachers are frustrated and the students suffer.

We are three dimensional beings: mind, body and spirit. Mann recognized this. Teaching the whole child got results. People go into teaching because they want to make a difference in the lives of their students. They certainly aren’t seeking fame and fortune. They are called to teach.

We desperately need a renaissance in education. I’m not one to live in the past but in this case the past was significantly superior to today. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Students and parents might bitch a little, but that’s nothing new. Empower the educators to do what they’re called to do!

It’s not too late. We can right this ship if we are willing…

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Spirituality

Stigmatized

Being stigmatized often causes people to be unfairly judged, stereotyped, excluded, or treated differently. Why do we do it, you might ask. It is my belief that people stigmatize others to avoid looking at themselves.

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake? Most of us have said or done things we would like to erase from our memories. In 1981 I was arrested for driving while intoxicated and spent a night in jail. The drunk tank is no place I wanted to return to.

Even in 2026 seeking therapy is still stigmatized by some parts of society. Up until 2008 insurance companies paid partial benefits for therapy. It took federal law to rectify this.

When I’m speaking with inmates, I share my story of growing up in a dysfunctional family. Most of the men and women in prison can relate. The people who have been in prison often get stigmatized. Yet, I remind them that when they get out, they should walk out with their heads held high and their shoulders back. They have satisfied everything the State of Texas has required.

We aren’t limited by the worst decisions we made unless we allow them to limit us. Keep the people who throw your past in your face far away from you. Those aren’t your people.

Surround yourself with people who inspire you to be your best. They are your people…

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Spirituality

Competing Voices

We have two voices inside our heads. Both are talking to us all the time, competing for our attention. Let’s dive into this.

We talk to ourselves more than we talk to anyone else. Our minds are always working, even while we are asleep. This is one of the reasons we must be discerning about what we read, watch on TV, and who we listen to. The subconscious mind remembers all.

One of the voices is encouraging us, prompting and pushing us towards our purpose. The other voice is reminding us of everything we have ever screwed up. “Why should this time be any different,” the voice says. If you listen to and believe that voice, you will be talked out of trying something before you begin.

One of the voices is from God. He is rooting for us every millisecond of our lives. The discouraging voice is from the devil. He wants us to stay mired in mediocrity and frustration.

I encourage you to listen to the voice of encouragement. You might be risk averse because of something that happened in your past. Break free from this. You weren’t created to fail. You are here to thrive and to make a difference.

Embrace the unknown and live fully…

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Spirituality

Speaking My Truth

There’s a popular trend present in today’s society where people say they are “speaking their truth.” This is fine. But what if the truth they are speaking is based on false information or just an outright lie?

A survey in Brazil found that 7% of the population believes the earth is flat. That represents almost 12 million adults. Although there is an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting the earth is round, these people don’t care.

When we dive deeper into why people believe lies, much of it is caused by mistrust in government. This certainly makes sense. In the United States our politicians have shown a remarkable ability to mishandle any societal issue they stick their noses into. And they have no consequences for their failures.

There is only one reliable truth available. It’s found in Scripture. Scripture is the voice of God and cannot mislead us. It is up to us to follow it or not. God gives us free will. We get to choose.

And unlike the world the politicians live in, whether we follow Scripture or not has consequences. Stay immersed in the truth…

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Spirituality

Facts and Figures

When I was in college I took statistics. The class was challenging. We started the semester with 36 students and by the end we were down to 14 left. Unlike algebra, statistics has come in handy all my life.

One thing I learned is that statistics can be misleading when someone wants to make a point. Using a short time frame to illustrate a case isn’t statistically significant. Having taken the course and learned, it allows me to question data logically.

Some of the most egregious examples are in politics. Some politicians will get their sound bites through misleading statistics. Guess what? Pharmaceutical companies do, too.

It’s a good idea to question everything. By everything I mean the areas that are important to you. Your health is job one. So are your social interactions. Remember the coronavirus? Isolation was unnecessary and damaging. Fortunately I refused to alter my lifestyle and came through just fine.

When something doesn’t sound right, look further into it. Prioritize making your life fulfilling. You aren’t required to be a statistician to accomplish this. Just slow down and think…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Run Away

Little children threaten to run away from home when they don’t get their way. It’s kinda funny when you think about it. The kid is five and he can’t drive. How far will those little legs get you?

When I was a child, my home life was one of stress, chaos and violence. My mind was in a constant state of “fight or flight.” I wanted to run away but was too scared to actually do it.

Confusion reigned in me. The television shows in those days were typically about family life. Seeing TV families and how they functioned together made me wonder why my family was so screwed up. I was naive, too, because I didn’t understand that the shows were scripted.

My choice as a young adult was to try to run away from myself. Drugs and alcohol numbed me from the pain I felt. But when I sobered up the life I was running from was still there. Einstein’s quote about insanity being doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results was my life.

Through psychotherapy I was able to jettison the doubts and insecurities I took into adulthood. It took work, but today I’m free of the need to run away from who I am and who God created me to be. There are still challenges in my life, but I face them rather than avoid them.

If you had a similar background, I encourage you to get professional help. Do the work. There is freedom on the other side of pain…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Experiential Knowledge

Education is important. No sane person would say differently. But being educated is vastly different from being proficient.

When Horace Mann created the first education curriculum in the United States, he focused on teaching the head, the heart and the hands. In other words, teach the students intellect, emotion and application. Today teachers are forced to teach to the test without true consideration of whether the students learned anything or not.

This isn’t the teachers fault. It’s not the administrators fault, either. To qualify for federal funding schools must show that their students are passing standardized tests.

Some schools have done things in a unique manner. They give students the opportunity to learn a trade. This is great because not every student will go to college. But they need to be able to make a living. Knowing a trade accomplishes this.

I have great respect for educators. People teach because they want to make a difference in the lives of their students. They aren’t in it for fame or fortune.

Experience is a wonderful teacher. And where would we be without plumbers and electricians? We would be left to our own devices. Not a good idea…

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