Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spirituality, Uncategorized

The Prosperity Gospel

Prosperity Gospel began in the 1950’s and continues to spread across the globe today. More people than ever are tapped into it because of the World Wide Web.

One of the theses is that it is God’s will for everyone to prosper and become wealthy. Some Pastors have perverted the true Gospel to fit their agenda. “Name it and claim it,” they say. This turns God into a genie who grants our every wish. The caveat is that for God to grant you health and wealth, you must first give.

God’s will is accomplished through us on this planet. He does want us to give in faith. In the Bible, God tells us to “test me on this” with regard to tithing (Malachi 3:10). God certainly doesn’t need anything from us, including our money. But this is an act of faith in His ability to provide for us. And our resources oftentimes go to help others who are in need.

Not everyone will become wealthy. Jesus himself told us “the poor will be with us always.” But God cares deeply for all of us, and we should help those who are less fortunate.

Give to worthy causes, including churches, when you feel moved to. But I encourage you to give freely, not expecting anything in return. God examines our hearts when we give.

You and I are prosperous now. Fresh air, sunshine and a beating heart are worth more than gold. Prosperity is not just about money…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Eyesight

Do you view a half glass of liquid as being half full or half empty? And just how big of a glass are you looking at? Today’s post is about what we see.

Admittedly, I’m a good finder. I see the good in every person and every situation. While I’m usually happy with this trait, sometimes I hang on to people too long. When I don’t use discernment and solid judgment, it can be a character flaw.

Others are pessimistic about the future. They can be the Eeyores of the world. Those types of people see a problem in every solution!

My hope for you, and me, is that we see the world around us through God’s eyes. He sees everything. Let’s focus on seeing the beauty in creation. This applies to people and animals as well as nature.

Peer into the heart of mankind. See and acknowledge the good works people do for others without expecting anything in return. There’s beauty there, too…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

I Have Heard That Voice

A little history today. Six years ago I started posting new content to this site every day. Prior to June 9, 2019 it had been an occasional blog. Then things changed.

In late May of the same year, I kept hearing a nudging voice. It was telling me to write every day. The voice wasn’t audible, but the message was clear. And here’s the truth! I didn’t want to write something daily. But the voice wouldn’t go away, and so I finally gave in. I’m glad I did.

Backing up to October 2015, the same voice came out of nowhere on a Tuesday morning and told me to write a blog. There I was, 7:20 in the morning, driving to work and thinking about my day ahead, and there it was. It was bizarre.

So, back to present day, I’m going to take some of what I consider to be my best writings and put them in a book. My hope for the new book as well as my daily messages is this: I want to provide some encouragement, strength and hope for others. Our world needs hope, now more than ever. We all have a part to play.

Thank you to everyone who reads, shares and comments. I appreciate you all…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

In Agreement

When we were little children we were told we should get along with others. The teachers didn’t show us how to resolve conflicts, though. We learned how to do that through after school fights on the playground!

In life, we like to see the adults play nice. We hope our world leaders can resolve differences without going to war. And we really like it when our politicians show civility to each other after brutal, nasty elections.

In case you haven’t noticed, people are at each other’s throats over political differences. Self-righteousness is on display daily on social media. Lifelong friendships have been left in tatters due to unresolvable conflicts. I believe we can do better, if we are willing.

I don’t have to agree with you to like you. If you are a good person, doing good in the world and caring for your fellow man, I’m okay with you. Over the course of my life I have observed that most people are good at heart. And it’s the heart that matters most.

My encouragement to you is to look for the good in the world. It’s there! Sometimes you gotta look hard to find it, but it’s there. And if you aren’t seeing it, change the lens you are seeing through…

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Uncategorized

Parents

When I became a father, I had no idea how to do the job. I had no skills because I had a terrible father. He was a cruel, angry, abusive man. All I knew was I didn’t want to be like him.

Fortunately, there are tons of good books available about parenting. So, I read many of them. And I sought out the advice of men I knew who had raised good children. I’m proud to say my two sons turned out well. They are good young men who have solid character. I will say their teenage years gave me a head of grey hair!

When my kids were in school, I saw parents who believed their children could do no wrong. If they got in trouble at school, it was the teachers fault. Some parents even lobbied the school to give their children better grades than they had earned. Those kids were being set up for failure later in life as they learned how the world works.

Parents are the first teachers children have. The little ones are always watching, learning their behavior from dad and mom.

If you are fortunate enough to be a parent, teach them well. And if you, like me, didn’t have good parents, you can learn…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

There’s Always a Critic

Have you noticed how the court of public opinion passes judgment without knowing all the facts? People can look at the world through a lens of biases which cloud clear thinking.

The “Make America Healthy Again” movement has no shortage of uneducated critics. Since it’s associated with the Trump administration, it must be wrong! No, it’s not wrong. Obesity, especially in children, has risen to epidemic levels. Autism has gone from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 31 children. Science is constantly asking why. It’s a good and fair question.

The pharmaceutical lobby is the largest in the world. They certainly have their own share of biases. Keep America fat and unhealthy and they have a customer for life. There is solid research dating back to the 1940’s that demonstrates the efficacy of psychedelics. They remain schedule 1 drugs because the pharmaceutical lobby says they should.

Do your own research. Remove bias from your thinking. If you conclude that your opinion is supported by facts, then stick with it. But if you learn something new that’s different from your prior beliefs, be willing to accept it…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Confession

It feels good to talk about things, doesn’t it? There’s much freedom that comes from unburdening yourself of your troubles.

Trigger warning: this is a dark story I’m about to tell you.

Last week, I was doing a round of volunteer speaking in prisons. On Wednesday morning, a few women inmates were sharing stories about their lives. One of the women said, “I was raped by my father from the time I was 3 until I was 13 and I ran away from home.” She went on to say that she had never told anyone until that moment. It’s heartbreaking to think about what she had been carrying inside for years, never talking about it. I cannot imagine what causes someone to harm an innocent child. He was a very sick fuck.

Everyone has a story. They aren’t always pretty. The woman I described above took her first step toward healing by talking about what happened to her. I asked her how it felt to tell someone and she said it felt good.

We need good people in our lives, people we can confide in who won’t judge us. Confession is a good first step to becoming whole…

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Uncategorized

In An Instant

We live life in a hurry, don’t we? We have instant grits, fast food and convenience stores. All of these things are designed to save us time. The less time we spend doing menial things, the more time we have to do other stuff. But there are trade offs.

Fast food doesn’t mean healthy food. Convenience stores offer fewer choices than supermarkets, and they are more expensive to shop in. And, of course, instant grits don’t measure up to the twenty minutes grits!

By taking shortcuts, we might be robbing ourselves of the sense of accomplishment we gain. There’s no quick way to get in shape and build muscle. Talk to text is a good alternative when we need to remember something. However, writing hits the same spot in the brain that meditation does. Taking an extra moment to write has more benefits than just the thing we need to remind ourselves of.

Slow down, just a little. Your effectiveness rises when you do…

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Memorial Day

Tomorrow in the United States we will observe Memorial Day. The first official Memorial Day was in 1868 when it was called Decoration Day. It’s not a day of celebration, but a day of mourning and remembering those who died for the sake of freedom.

The day is also considered the beginning of summer. School is out, the flowers and grass are fully bloomed. It’s a bit ironic that life is in full bloom while we remember those who died. Yet, the cycle continues.

Please take a moment to reflect on what Memorial Day means. Say a silent prayer for the families of the deceased. Pray for peace in the world. And never forget…

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Uncategorized

Starbucks

Coffee is my favorite drink in the morning. I easily drink 48 ounces of coffee every day. In the times I have abstained from coffee it has rewarded me with a headache!

Starbucks was started in 1971 by three friends who wanted to bring dark roast coffee to Seattle. In the beginning they only sold beans. People loved the flavor so the business thrived. Today there are over 40,000 Starbucks stores all over the world.

I have read about people who boycott Starbucks for a variety of social reasons. That’s their choice. I love their coffee, and the workers tend to be friendly. That’s good for a store that is trying to sell you something!

If you haven’t, I encourage you to give Starbucks a try. If you don’t like coffee, they sell lots of other stuff. And you’ll be supporting the workers with your patronage.

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