Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spirituality, Uncategorized

Who Do You See?

Well over two decades ago I stopped asking what someone did for a living when I was introduced to them. With men, especially, “what do you do?” is a question as common as the air we breathe. But it’s a limiting question.

We have a tendency to place people in categories. Placing our emphasis on the resume someone brings to the table restricts our ability to see them for who they are. We are a planet of 8 billion unique individuals, not categories to be placed in a file.

Everyone is equal in the eyes of God. He created us, loves us the same, and doesn’t play favorites. Although as I live out the walking sitcom my life is, I sometimes believe I’m Gods favorite recreational sport! I give him a lot to laugh about and enjoy.

Try to see through to the heart of man. Forget about their position in life or what they might be able to do to for you. Get to know the real person and leave judgment at the door. It’s in these moments where you can make a connection.

Focus on the who, not the what when you meet others. Both of your lives will be better for it…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Problems? What Problems?

In the United States, we do not have problems like the rest of the world. We aren’t perfect, but we are the most fortunate people on planet earth.

The politicians yell their fiery rhetoric on the challenges that many Americans face: the cost of living, safety, jobs etc. And the politicians love to make you believe they have solutions for every problem you are facing. The government can’t fix a flat tire which means they can’t fix anything in your life. Only you can. And you live in the one country that provides the opportunity.

We have citizens who are incapable of caring for themselves. The government should provide for their care from birth to death. But if you can walk and talk, then you can think and do. It’s the thinking and doing that stops many in their tracks. Victimhood reigns in some circles.

When you change your mindset to focusing on solutions rather than problems, you begin to dwell in possibility. Our brains are the greatest gift God gave us. Let’s use them for good. We, as individuals working together, really can leave the world better than we found it. Let’s get started…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Walled In

On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan gave a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin. His famous words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” went viral before viral was a thing. A little over two years later the wall came tumbling down. You can see a large piece of the wall at the Reagan Presidential Library in California.

Two years ago I read multiple studies showing that over 80% of adults in the United States don’t like themselves. The number shocked me, but when I considered the amount of hatred I observed on the internet it made sense. When someone doesn’t like themself, they will tear others apart so they won’t accept themselves, either.

It’s no surprise that people build walls, too. They create facades that show the world the person they want to look like, but that might not be who they are. Some people believe that if others saw the real person, they might not like who they see.

The undeniable truth is, each of us was created uniquely and on purpose by God. He had a plan in mind for us all. Another undeniable truth is that God doesn’t make junk, nor does he second guess himself. Unlike human beings, he knows what he’s doing all the time. It’s my hope that if you struggle with self-worth because life has knocked you around, you will find yourself in these truths. See yourself for who you are, not the version the world might want you to be.

When you approach life in an open, unguarded way, others will drop their guard, too. That’s where connection happens…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Lead Me

Our world needs strong leaders. The kind of leadership I’m talking about are people who are moral, ethical, and they do what’s right. And those types of people are rare.

It has always fascinated me when I see the actions of cult leaders. Jim Jones enticed and forced over 900 people to drink liquid laced with cyanide. Three hundred of them were children. Everyone died from the poison except Jones, who died from a single bullet to his head.

The kind of leadership we desperately need is found in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” In other words, dedicate your life to serving God and follow His guidance in everything. It’s difficult, but possible.

Keep your focus on things above. You will not be led astray…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

The Lost

Somewhere along the road of life people lose their identity. Instead of focusing on who they are, they try to make their career their identity. That is only what we do.

When my children grew up and left home, I lost a bit of my purpose. For such a long time I had been dad, the guy they could rely on. The truth was, I was still dad, just in a different sense. I had to let them grow up and learn to fly solo.

Do you ever feel like you aren’t sure who you are? Perhaps you are struggling to find your way. It happens. It’s normal. When the moment arrives that you know why you are here, you have reconnected with yourself.

If this is where you are in life right now, I encourage you to pray about it. Ask God for guidance. Then you must believe that He will answer. It might not come immediately, but it will come.

Take inventory of what you love to do. Ask yourself why you love certain aspects and why you have those gifts. You will find your purpose if you keep moving forward…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

There’s A Little Bit of Clark in All of Us

Have you seen the “Vacation” movies with Chevy Chase? Chase plays the role of Clark Griswold, a chemical engineer who desperately wants to create great memories for his family. As hard as Clark tries, stuff always goes haywire and the comedy follows. But Clark never gives up.

There’s a little bit of Clark in all of us. We want to create something special for our family, but our best plans rarely turn out as planned. I fault the Hallmark movies for this. Everything is perfect in those movies, and everyone lives happily ever after in the end. My own attempts at making holidays special looked more like a sitcom than a Hallmark movie! But no one can say I didn’t try.

The holidays have arrived. The season brings enough stress on its own. People add to the stress because they want everything to be perfect. And when things go awry, the stress levels rise.

My encouragement to you is to enjoy the season. Take it in stride when unexpected surprises happen. In fact, expect them to happen.

Don’t fall into the trap of trying to create a Hallmark movie. You will have beautiful moments. Hold onto those and don’t concern yourself with the rest.

All you can do is try your best. When you give it your all, take solace in that…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Art and The Heart

The greatest art is created from the emotional side of the brain. Whether it’s music, theater, a painting or sculpture, feeling inspires the artist.

God is the original Creator. We are his artwork. Each of us is an original masterpiece. None of us are like any other. Even identical twins have different fingerprints! Coincidence? I think not. According to Albert Einstein, “coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

Everyone has a creative side. You just have to tap into it. Spend some time focusing on how you feel about things. Do it daily and watch where it goes.

And I encourage you to spend time actively practicing gratitude. Gratitude changes the biochemistry of your brain. You will begin to pay more attention to the art and beauty all around you. It has always been present, but now you notice.

Every morning, physically write down three things you are grateful for. Try this exercise for twenty one days. You will feel different, I promise. Then continue the daily practice.

You can get into your creative side. It might have been dormant for a period of time, but it has never gone away…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Enemies

Who are your enemies? Do you really have any? Generally speaking, an enemy is someone who is actively hostile towards you or someone who betrays you. We stay as far away as possible from those people. Or do we?

In this life we are surrounded by people from all walks of life. For the most part we exist together peacefully. Some days we get cut off in traffic. While we might be upset temporarily, we don’t make an enemy out of the offender.

Holding grudges might make us think the offense made someone an enemy. Unresolved problems can lead to shortened, less fulfilling lives. When the time is right, let it go. Forgive when you are ready.

Jesus taught in a counter-cultural way. He told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Huh? Pray for them? I want to see them suffer for what they did to me!

Prayer changes us. If you are harboring people you consider to be enemies in your mind, give prayer a try. Do it even if you don’t mean it. Watch how you change…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Holiday Legacy

The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are fastly approaching. Are you ready? My office has a luncheon planned for tomorrow. I’m bringing salad which means I’m going to the store to buy three bags of salad. Oh joy!

The holidays bring on a sense of dread for me. By admitting this I know I sound like Ebenezer Scrooge or someone like him, and my personality is far from him. The holidays were always a disappointment for me when I was a child. So as much as I love the season, I’m glad when they are over. This is the holiday legacy my family left me with.

But…things can change. I have tried to flip the script for my children so they have a better experience. But I gotta admit those Hallmark movies are not the goal I’m trying to reach. I want to leave a legacy of warmth and love, not perfection. Togetherness over stress.

If you feel the same way about the holidays, know that you aren’t alone. Changing perspective is possible. It begins with our attitude…

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Uncategorized

Scammers

In 2024, people lost around $12.5 billion to scam artists in the United States. Worldwide the number is greater than $1 trillion. Scammers are everywhere.

We don’t know how many scammers get caught. There is no reliable way to verify the number. It gets complicated further because not everyone reports it when they get ripped off.

In the past the only scam artists were the palm readers, the psychics and the people selling magical elixir to cure what ails you. The magical elixir can be found at your local liquor store! It was simply rebranded.

My encouragement to you is to be alert and be aware. If something sounds too good to be true, it is. Discipline and hard work will get you where you want to be. Leave the scammers behind…

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