Monthly Archives: September 2025

Spirituality

Caution

Are you a risk taker? Before you answer, consider that every day you are alive is a risk. Driving to work has risks. So does going out to eat. Anyone who has ever had food poisoning will attest to that.

Calculated risks are part of life. If I don’t risk driving to work, then the consequence is I don’t get paid. Life is full of trade offs. We just don’t think about them.

Consider the hell you will live with when you don’t pursue your purpose. Yes, it can be scary and difficult. There are hurdles to leap over and setbacks to pick yourself up from. But the truth is, when you are pursuing what God wants you to do, you cannot fail. God isn’t in the business of failing. We do the work, with applied faith, and He does the behind the scenes work. Trust him.

Doing what you were put here to do is going to be full of challenges. Our unseen enemy wants to keep us from living a fulfilling life. Giving glory to God, even during the painful times really pisses Satan off.

So, throw caution to the wind and believe. Believe in yourself and believe in the one who created you. He’s our biggest cheerleader…

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Uncategorized

Walking Tours

For the last three days I have been in Chicago. I’m returning home today. But man I have seen a lot of downtown Chicago!

I set out earlier this morning looking for a specific restaurant recommended by my assistant. Once again, Google directions failed me. Horribly. Oh well, I got in a nice walk before I found the restaurant. Google sent me a mile the wrong direction.

Walking is wonderful exercise. It’s easier on your knees, and we can walk farther than we can run. Walking allows us to experience nature while we are doing something that benefits our bodies.

Get outside. Walk around. Your future self will thank you…

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Spirituality

Gunned Down

One day he was living his life, enjoying his wife and children and engaged in a challenging career. The next thing you know, he was assassinated right before our very eyes. From all appearances it seems that he died instantly.

In the aftermath, his wife and children had to learn to navigate life without their husband and father. The dreams they had for their life together went cold. Life for them, and us, was forever changed.

Daily life became like existing in the nebula, a giant cloud of gas and dust. Yet, inside the nebula many stars are born. Good can come from evil. Light will shine in the darkness. You just have to look for it.

Our nation has survived since the assassination of John Kennedy in 1963. The Secret Service learned from it. And we have never forgotten the impact that President Kennedy had on the world…

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Spirituality

Cheated

Have you ever had someone cheat you out of something? Maybe you were convinced of some great deal or some “can’t lose” opportunity. No matter the circumstances, it sucks to have someone cheat you.

Are you cheating yourself, though? You have been gifted with unique gifts that can be used to benefit others. If you are not using them, keeping them for yourself, then you are cheating yourself out of a lot of fulfillment. And you are cheating others by not sharing your talents.

Use what you have been given. Take inventory of what you are good at. Write down what you enjoy doing. Then put it into practice.

The world needs what you have to offer. Use your talents before it’s too late…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Feel It

The home I grew up in had a policy: you don’t talk, trust or feel. That’s right! You stuff your feelings down until you become numb. This wasn’t healthy.

If you had a similar experience growing up, there’s good news. You can heal from the dysfunction and pain. It takes work, but it is possible. It gets uncomfortable when feelings come to the surface, but over time it becomes comfortable. Then you will become whole again.

The great Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung famously said, “Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering.” What Jung meant was, if we don’t process our trauma it will show up in a more damaging form. Anxiety, depression and compulsions are prime examples of unresolved trauma.

People who experienced abuse and violence are way more common than you realize. No one talks about it because they believe they are the only ones who have this experience. They believe they are outliers. They aren’t outliers, and they aren’t alone.

I’m eternally grateful for my early life. It gave me a relatable story I can take into schools and prisons, encouraging others to face their demons. They aren’t the giants we can build them up to be.

A lot of people are faking their way through life. Get rid of the fakery. You face it until you make it…

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Spirituality

The “In Crowd”

When we were growing up, there were different groups of kids who hung around together. Popular kids, athletes, nerds, thugs and the rest existed within the same school. Sometimes the lines blurred between them.

In school, I got along with each group quite well. I marched to my own drumbeat and that rhythm didn’t necessarily fit into any one group. My friends are still spread across a diverse mosaic. Each person brings their unique song into the mix.

When my son was getting into trouble years ago, people would say “he’s just hanging around with the wrong crowd.” To me, that was just an excuse. You see, he chose the crowd. My son had solid character, and he eventually straightened his life out. But we get to choose who we associate with.

We are a product of our environment. Sometimes people are just transitory in your life. They aren’t meant to stay. Hang on to the ones who challenge you, who bring out the best in you. And you should do the same for them.

Those people are a treasure…

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Spirituality

Super Sized

The 2004 documentary, Super Size Me brought the ill effects of fast food to the forefront of American society. For one month, the documentary filmmaker had to eat three meals per day at McDonalds. He was required to say “yes” every time the server asked if he wanted to super size his meal. The fast food diet seriously compromised his health.

Morgan Spurlock, the filmmaker and star, gained 24 pounds. His cholesterol shot up to 230 from 178, and his liver developed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Spurlock became depressed, and he found himself craving McDonalds food. This only took one month to come about. Yet, it took him a year to lose the weight and regain his health.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. is catching hell for leading the efforts to clean up our food. Children have been affected the most. A majority of kids already have a chronic disease, and childhood obesity is skyrocketing. Parents want answers and they want healthier choices. Politicians want to quiet Kennedy because the money from lobbyists is enormous.

A new voice has arrived in Washington DC. In our local communities, we must demand that recess returns to the school day. Kids need to get active and work up a sweat for an hour each day. Adults do, too…

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Spirituality

Hate Me

Many people have a strong desire to be liked by everyone. They seek attention and get validation through “likes and comments.” I’m cut from a different cloth. It’s nice to be liked, even admired, but that’s not my motivation.

Telling the truth is vital for building trust, and trust is built over time. Sometimes the truth is a painful message. When you find yourself in the position of having to deliver a difficult message, do it with some gentleness and self-control.

Politicians are the worst at pandering. They will say whatever pisses off the fewest people in order to secure votes. Getting elected to Congress is a pretty good gig. I believe if we removed the fourth branch of government, special interests and lobbyists, we would attract better candidates. When the money leaves, so do the grifters, the pandering masses.

There are a small handful of people who criticize me for spreading encouragement and hope. Their hateful comments don’t bother me. I figure they need encouragement more than most if they find fault with what I write. They might need a little examination of their heart as well.

God alone is in the business of changing the heart of mankind. My job is to continue writing what he inspires me to write. The hate will continue, but so will I…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

The Battle Rages On

What do you spend your time reading or watching? The New York Times used to be the gold standard for accurate reporting. Not anymore. CNN made its mark by starting out as a solid, independent news source. That died a long time ago.

Recently, a college student was told to leave a children’s literature class because the student told the professor they objected to course material about gender identity. Isn’t college the place we are taught to challenge our beliefs and our thinking? And I’m not sure what gender has to do with children’s literature.

We are in a spiritual war. The war has intensified recently. There is good news and there is some bad news. The bad news is, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. The good news? God wins. We are on the right side.

Keep praying. Pray for our country. Pray that our leaders make good, wise decisions. Pray for the protection of our children.

The battle will end one day. Until then, stay strong…

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Spirituality

Unwanted Anniversaries

Today marks the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. For months after the attack news pundits refused to call it what it was, an attack. Their favorite description was “the events of September 11th.” Well, 2,977 people died in this so-called event. Our lives were altered forever.

Everyone knows where they were when they first learned of the attack on The United States. We watched as the jets flew into the twin towers. We saw the people jump to their deaths rather than be burned alive. Anger built inside of us. We wanted to get the people responsible for this.

Americans came together. We were a united front in our desire to have justice. Not everyone was included in our newfound togetherness. If you were an Arab living in the United States, you were looked at sideways. It was guilt by association, even though they may have been your friends and neighbors for years.

The United States is strong. We have an inner strength and rebellion in us that began over 250 years ago. We have overcome innumerable challenges and we will face new ones in the future.

September 11th is an anniversary I wish we didn’t have to commemorate. Yet, we must never forget.

God bless this great country…

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