Monthly Archives: August 2025

Spirituality

Battery Life

About one-third of the world has a smartphone. This modern marvel connects people worldwide. Service capacity is being added daily. In the United States hardly anyone owns a landline.

Our phones have a limited battery life. Keeping track of how much power we have left has added another responsibility to our already busy lives. Ugh. One more thing to do! Gotta keep a charger handy so I don’t lose connection.

Our bodies are similar to a phone battery. We can get run down if we don’t take care of ourselves. Every day we should spend some time just being quiet, eating healthy foods, getting some exercise and having meaningful conversations. I’m not a believer in this work/life balance thing, but when I do the things I mentioned I get as close as possible.

Take care of yourself. Keep your battery charged. Then you will be better for yourself and everyone around you…

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Spirituality

Learn to Listen

In The Book of James the author tells us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” In other words, we should keep quiet and keep our cool. But what about that listening part?

How many times have we been in conversations where we hear the other person, but we aren’t truly listening to them? I would venture to say it happens quite a lot. We can get so amped up to be heard ourselves that we end up having two monologues rather than a dialogue.

Listening requires way more effort than just hearing someone. But it is required for good communication. And after a day of listening to your counter parties, you become mentally exhausted. But it is worth it. When we listen, others feel like they have been seen, heard and understood.

Take the time to listen when engaged with others. Take the extra time to listen with your heart…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Investigation

Do you ever question or challenge your beliefs? If you haven’t engaged in this exercise before, perhaps it’s a good idea to do so. After all, your convictions will either be strengthened or altered. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

There are a handful of beliefs that don’t need to be questioned. If I jump off a 50 story building, gravity will work every single time. There’s no need to test that one! If (when) I break the speed limit (often), I’m going to receive a very expensive ticket.

But what about our spiritual beliefs? According to a 2025 research study conducted by Pew Research Center, 83% of Americans believe in God or a universal power. In fact, 54% of the respondents believe with “absolute certainty” that God is real. The skeptics need proof.

Look around if you want proof. There is a lot of evil in our world, but there’s a lot more good. Bad news gets headlines. “If it bleeds it leads” my friends in media say. The good news gets published, but not as often as the bad. And only God can bring good from the bad news. It’s his specialty!

Change the narrative from “I’ll believe it when I see it” to “I’ll see it when I believe it.” God gives fresh air and sunshine to believers and nonbelievers alike. Treat every moment in life like it’s a miracle because it is.

Challenge your convictions. This applies to everything. Question why you believe what you believe. Is there proof? What do the facts say?

It’s not a threat to question things. Stay curious…

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Spirituality

Tunnel Vision

If you experience tunnel vision, it means your field of vision is limited. Perhaps all you can see is the middle. Sometimes it clears up on its own, but it could be due to a medical condition.

There’s a good kind of tunnel vision. When you get so focused on a goal that all you can see is your end result, you are in the tunnel. You are progressing towards the one thing you want. It might be a college degree, a book you are writing, or an important work project. Whatever it is, it has all your attention.

In life, we need to decide what we want. What fulfills us? It shouldn’t be something hollow like money or fame. Those things go away. It must be something that lasts, something worthwhile.

You are here for a reason, a great purpose. Don’t waste it by chasing the wrong things. Find your purpose and pursue it with everything in you. Have tunnel vision where this is concerned. Then you will feel more alive than you ever have…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Count Me In

We count calories, likes, and we count our daily steps. When I was a (little) kid, I was scared of Count Dracula! But do we count where it really matters?

There is a universal homogeneity in all of us. We want our lives to count. We want to matter. In the heart of mankind, we know we are here for something greater than ourselves. Yet, we can get distracted by life and all the twists and turns it brings.

We were created in God’s image. He’s the only one who gives generously but doesn’t need anything from us. Or, does he? We can use our abilities and our resources for the betterment of mankind. We may not be able to help everyone, but we can make a difference in the lives of some. And when you do something for someone who can never repay you, you receive a wonderful feeling too intangible to describe.

Find the areas in need that appeal to your heart. Don’t hide or waste your talents. You were gifted to make a difference, to make your life count…

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Spirituality

Activists

We have a lot of activists in our world, don’t we? You know who I’m talking about. These are the people who protest against something, anything to make them feel needed. Although many times they are misguided, it gives them purpose.

Jesus was the ultimate activist. He was a rebel during his time, a real badass. He called out the religious leaders who were living as hypocrites, drunk on their own power. Jesus said they were clean on the outside, but filthy on the inside. Could he have been describing us, too?

We get dressed up for church, use our spiritual words like blessed and brother, but this doesn’t always last past Sunday. We must strive to be the same person outside the church as we are when we are in church.

The world and its many temptations gets in our way. There are a lot of distractions out there. This is the place where we must let the spirit guide us, not our selfish desires. It’s difficult, but it’s possible.

Get in touch with who you are. It doesn’t matter what the world thinks about us. We are here for an audience of one. And He’s always watching, cheering us on. Let’s do our best. And if we fail, get back up and get going…

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Spirituality

Me, Myself and I

We live in a selfish world. The culture of The United States is greed. I have seen a bumper sticker that says, “the one with the most toys wins.” No, they die.

There’s nothing wrong with accumulating wealth. Our resources allow us to live in a nice home, send our children to good schools, and we don’t go hungry. But the challenge with wealth is the desire to hold onto it too tightly. That’s the intersection of greed and charity. Which way will we turn?

Our government has tremendous, almost unlimited resources. They are the worst I have ever seen at getting those resources into the hands of the people who need it. Want to move heaven and earth? Put those resources in the hands of the faith and philanthropic communities. They are on the ground in their communities and waste very little.

God cares greatly for widows and orphans, the marginalized. He talks about it a lot. It’s our duty to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Otherwise, what good does our wealth do? Holding onto too tightly can turn you into a bitter, resentful person.

Over the course of my life, I have known some people of great means. They are, to a person, the most charitable people in their communities. They give money, but they will go deliver food and other items in the sketchiest areas of town. They are inspiring role models.

I encourage you to get involved. Find causes that touch your heart. We can’t help everyone. The poor will be with us always. But everyone can help someone…

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Spirituality

Inner Courage

Sometimes I see people jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. Occasionally they say this is making them fearless. But they are wrong. Courage comes from within, not from the external. Let’s examine this a little more.

Fear is a learned behavior. You weren’t born with it. Children learn to walk even though they fail many times while trying to master the skill. They refuse to give up, yet they know they might fall down on their next attempt. Their desire to succeed is greater than their fear of failure.

The world is hard. There’s no doubt about that. It’s expensive to live, people are yelling at each other, and there’s no end in sight to stop our division. And it takes courage to face our own fears while navigating our way through the mess. Yet, it’s possible to live fearlessly. How, you ask?

Remember that God is in control of everything. Evil cannot harm you unless God allows it. But He sees the good that only He can bring from it. Keep in the forefront of your mind that God is watching you all the time, and will see you through your troubles if you trust Him.

Write down whatever you are worried about. Talk it through with someone you trust. Then let God do his thing…

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Spirituality

Annual Physical

This morning I had my annual physical. It’s important to build a long-term relationship with your physician. He or she can keep an eye on trends in your overall health and your body. And a good doctor will ask about your social life as well, because that has a lot to do with your overall wellness.

Many people wait until something is wrong before going to the doctor. This puts the physician in a difficult position. You might be going to a doctor you’ve never seen before which means they are starting from scratch.

Don’t be afraid to see where you stand, health wise. Your doctor might suggest some changes to your lifestyle or diet, but that’s a good thing. You may be able to stave off some health issues later.

And for the record, I received a perfect bill of health! So, God willing, I’ll be writing for a long time…

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Spirituality

Eliminate This Word

When my children were growing up, they weren’t allowed to say the word “can’t.” I told them to substitute won’t because that’s what they were really saying. It was an invitation for them to try, whether they experienced success or a setback.

Can’t is an excuse, nothing more. Victimhood has become popular in the culture of today, although it’s been around for a long while. Social media gives “victims” a bigger platform.

There are scores of people who need help, no doubt. If someone was born into poverty it is our responsibility to make sure they are fed, housed and clothed. But we can encourage the needy to change their mindset about poverty. It’s only permanent if you accept that it is. Sadly, not everyone will grow out of poverty.

Ben Carson should have been a statistic. He grew up in horrible conditions, raised by an uneducated single mother who dropped out of school in the third grade. One day young Ben’s mother told him and his brother Curtis to turn off the television. They were to read two books per week and write book reports for her. The two boys were not happy, but they respected their mother’s wishes. She would “read” their reports, marking them up with a red pen. The truth was, their mother couldn’t read. To shorten the story, Curtis became an aerospace engineer while Ben became a pediatric neurosurgeon. Their mindset about themselves and their abilities were changed.

Eliminate can’t from your vocabulary and your thoughts. See how far you can go…

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