Category Archives: Uncategorized

Spirituality, Uncategorized

May 2025

Since 1949, the month of May has been designated as “Mental Health Awareness Month.” It’s wonderful that we have a month dedicated to mental health, but it’s something we need to focus on daily.

The single, largest mental health diagnosis in the United States is General Anxiety Disorder. While we can look around us and see how stressed the world is, let’s not forget those who suffer in silence. People feel isolated and alone. Yet, we are living in the most electronically connected world that’s ever existed.

People need human connection. Even the CDC recognizes this. From their website:

KEY POINTS

  • Staying connected to others creates feelings of belonging and being loved, cared for, and valued.
  • Social connections are important to our mental and physical health.
  • Being connected to others helps protect against serious illness and disease.
  • People with stronger social bonds are more likely to live longer, healthier lives.

If someone crosses your mind, I encourage you to take a moment and reach out to them. Check on your friends and acquaintances you haven’t heard from in a while. They benefit, but so do you!

And if you are reading this and feeling an overwhelming sense of anxiety and dread, please call someone. You don’t have to go through life alone…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Not Promised

Every day is a gift. We take too much for granted when we should view the world in terms of miraculous. Take a moment to consider what would happen if gravity quit working. I believe gravity qualifies as a miracle.

Tomorrow is not promised. We must make each day count. Live like it’s your last day on this side of eternity because it might be. I hope today isn’t my last. There are a lot of things I want to do!

Keep your mind open to new opportunities. Make a list of the people you want to have dinner with. Get outside. Enjoy every moment you have. And make a difference…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Commencement

Recently, I was given the privilege of being the Commencement Speaker for 15 inmates who had earned their G. E. D. It was the experience of a lifetime, and I wish everyone could attend one of these ceremonies.

Commencement means a new start, a new beginning. Even though the graduating inmates weren’t getting released from prison that day, it signified a new chapter in their lives. The look of pride each man had on his face was unmistakable. This day was special. No one could take the moment away from them.

Every moment in life is special. You won’t get this day back, so do your best to live it fully. And don’t get too far ahead of yourself. You might miss something. Stay in the moment.

I guess I did okay with my speech. I received an invitation to give the commencement speech at a women’s prison in June. And as much as I can’t wait for the day to arrive, there are a lot of moments to live between now and then…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Forced

Many years ago there was a comedian named Flip Wilson. He had a character he portrayed in his comedy show named “Geraldine Jones.” In the setup, Flip, as Geraldine would get caught in some bad behavior and “she” would say, “the devil made me do it!” Although Wilson died in 1998, you can find his comedy on YouTube.

We are given the gift of free will. God doesn’t force us to do anything, and that includes loving Him. We can take care of our bodies, or we can live a sedentary lifestyle and have poor health. We can be a jerk and act like the world revolves around us, thereby alienating others. Or, we can be focused on the needs of others and end up with all the friends in the world. Remember George Bailey from the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

(There are children who are forced into forced labor and sex slavery. Always be on the lookout for them. Report suspicious activity to law enforcement).

You have a choice today, right now. Will you live today like it’s your last, or will you just let it pass you by? It really is up to you…

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Uncategorized

An Educated Guess

Our education system is in need of a makeover. Currently, 54% of people between the ages of 16 and 74 read at a 7th grade level. This is abysmal, but it’s not beyond repair.

When Horace Mann developed school curriculum he had teachers teaching the head, the hands and the heart. Kids learned how to absorb information, think and apply what they learned. And they were also taught about their emotions. As a result, in 1950 the illiteracy rate in the United States was around 2%. Today it hovers around 23%. Abysmal, yet fixable.

Children will learn at an incredible pace when you give them the opportunity to. Education has been dumbed down in the name of no child being left behind. We are failing our children.

If you have kids, take the time to read with them. Make it interesting by reading a wide variety of subjects ranging from history to science fiction. You will learn some things, too!

It’s not too late to right the ship. Let’s begin!

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Born Against

We are naturally rebellious. Parents don’t have to teach their little children bad behavior. And the teenage years are when the resistance really flourishes.

We live in an imperfect world. Imperfection is shown in more than just the breakdown of families. We have allowed our environment to become polluted. Human rights are non-existent in many countries. People are starving in the slums of third-world countries. It’s almost overwhelming to think about.

Since the day you were born, you have had an invisible enemy who wants to destroy you and everything good in your life. I’m talking about spiritual warfare, the unseen battles that are going on around us. Just because we can’t see them doesn’t make them less real.

Pray. Pray for your loved ones, the people you have hurt. Pray for the little children who don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Pray for the people who are about to give up and are considering ending it all. Just pray.

God is the only one who can change the heart of mankind. Pray for a miracle…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

100 Days

Beginning January 1st, I eliminated alcohol for 100 days. April 10th, yesterday, was day 100. What a relief!

The benefits of eliminating alcohol for 3 months are many. Too many to list here. But by staying sober it allowed me to consider my relationship with alcohol. It’s not always healthy.

I like the taste of Crown Royal. I really do. Yet I found myself drinking on days I didn’t need to. That was getting me nowhere. I figured out that I was drinking on days I felt lonely. But booze isn’t a good replacement for people. Human connection is solid whether you are at Happy Hour or just speaking on the phone.

I will celebrate tonight with a cocktail. But I have resolved to not drink when I’m feeling lonely. Feelings pass, and the truth is, I enjoy solitude. So I guess I have grown over the last 100 days.

You can do anything for 100 days. Anything. Never doubt yourself…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Enough

Have you had enough? Enough negativity. Enough self-delusion. Enough unfulfilled expectations. Enough of people who aren’t good for you.

Good! When you are fed up with all the bullshit, you are ready to make a change. Growth is very hard. It becomes easier when you have a reason to grow. Then you are working towards something, a better version of you.

On the opposite side, you can never have enough joy, enough peace, enough contentment and enough love for yourself.

Accept nothing less. And keep people away who refuse to live up to your expectations…

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Uncategorized

Scammers

It seems like I receive a scam attempt every day. They come from everywhere: text messages, email and phone calls. I sometimes wonder how many people fall for this stuff.

There are some very bright people behind the trickery. They put a lot of thought and energy into cheating others. What a waste. If these people would use their creativity for good rather than evil, there’s no telling how far they could go.

Be aware, and be careful. It only takes one slip up to get scammed…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Who Do You Love?

I have read multiple studies that say over 85% of adults in the United States don’t like themselves. They look in the mirror and want to turn away from their own image. This goes beyond just physical appearance.

Self-acceptance is something you must work on if this is a struggle for you. I’m not suggesting an inflated ego or false confidence. Merely accepting yourself and who you were created to be is a good first step.

The challenges life has thrown your way can become obstacles to a healthy self image. When you were a child, you couldn’t wait to make your mark on the world. Then life threw you some curves and perhaps you allowed them to shake your confidence.

No more. This is the dividing line of your life. There is nothing random about your life. You aren’t here as the result of a whimsical, careless Creator. There is a great purpose attached to your existence. Don’t quit until you find it. Then act on it.

You might have been knocked around in life. Most of us have been. But you are still in the game unless you decide you don’t want to be.

Keep going…

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