Tag Archives: #hope

Spirituality

Heading Home

Since Christmas Day I have been in New Orleans, Louisiana. If you have never been here, I encourage you to plan a visit. The city is full of character and charm. Truly, one of a kind.

But all good things don’t come to an end. That saying is wrong because life is a progression. Every moment of each new day is filled with awe and wonder. I’m grateful for every experience life throws my way, even the bad ones. We learn from each and every experience. Nothing is wasted.

We have a few more days until the holidays are finished for 2025 and life becomes routine again. Enjoy your time off and make it count.

Austin is where I will land tonight, but it’s not my eventual home. That home is in the eternal realm. But the work I accomplish here is preparing me for the next life. It’s the same for you.

The world should be viewed through the eyes of a child. They notice each and every little thing, and they are in awe of it, whatever it is! Keep practicing gratitude daily, and the lens you see the world through will expand. I promise…

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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

A Message of Peace

Today is Christmas Day. For Christians, this is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. There is no one like him.

Jesus’s ministry on earth only lasted for about three years. Yet during that short period of time he transformed the lives of countless people. The disciples recorded some of Jesus’s miracles, but according to John, if they wrote all of them down they would “fill all the volumes in the world.”

During Jesus’s era, the Israelites were living under Roman rule, but the citizens were being oppressed by their own religious leaders. Jesus changed everything, yet he never sinned. He shook things up, and they killed him for it.

Jesus rose on the third day. He left a legacy that has lasted over 2,000 years. If he was a fraud, as some say, he was the best fraud ever.

Jesus was a peacemaker. Let’s follow his lead and bring peace, too…

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Spirituality

The Least

A few years ago I was interviewing a Pastor for my podcast. I was gently challenging him on religious rules, which he answered in the most eloquent way I had ever witnessed. Then he started talking about where the faith communities fail. His words stuck.

“We get ourselves cleaned up for church, sit in our favorite pews, praise the Lord and move on,” he said. “But we walk by the drug addict on the street corner, never inviting him in. We don’t want to get our hands dirty.” His words stuck.

It’s important to remember that in God’s eyes, the addict is as important as we are. He created us equally. When you connect your head to your heart on this, you begin to see your fellow man through a different, bigger lens.

God cares about everyone. We won’t give an accounting of our net worth or our zip code when we arrive in eternity. No. God will ask us what we did with what He gave us. Did we use our gifts or squander them? It’s something we all must consider.

There are a lot of hurting people in this world. Help them when you can. Perhaps a prayer is called for. Everyone can help someone…

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Spirituality

A Gentle Reminder

I have spent the first three days of this week speaking in prisons. This is some of the volunteer work I do, and it’s very fulfilling.

This week has been all about the inmates. Most are living with pain they keep inside, in the dark places. Sometimes they will start talking about their struggles. Opening up about painful memories is the first step toward healing. I’m always encouraged when this happens.

Today’s message is a gentle reminder to be kind to everyone. We don’t know what lies beneath the surface. And while you’re being kind to others, be kind to yourself as well…

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Spirituality

The Thinking Game

We live in a meme culture. People see a headline they love and share it as dictum without investigating it. There’s so much stuff thrown our way that no working person has time to check it all out.

God gave us the greatest gift when He gave us our brains. Filled with 86 billion neurons, each with the ability to fire hundreds of times per second, our brains are more powerful than a nuclear reactor. Yet we only use a small part of it.

Thinking has almost become a lost art form. From what I’ve read, many colleges and universities have been teaching students what to think rather than how to think. The results are a mindless society.

Parents are our children’s first teachers. Solid families with strong values are more likely to engage in constructive dialogue. Communication is part of thought.

When you see a meme that piques your interest, stop and ask yourself if it really makes sense. Then ask yourself a better question: does it matter?

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Spirituality

Convenience

When United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was six years old, he and his mom and sibling moved into his grandparents home. Little Clarence would sit in the bathroom for hours flushing the toilet. He was amazed by it. You see, up until this time he had never experienced indoor plumbing. He didn’t even have an outhouse. Only a creek behind the shanty where they lived.

Entire industries have been created by the desire for convenience, to make life easier. Think about it. There’s an “easy chair,” fast food and 7-11 convenience stores. Henry Ford didn’t invent the assembly line. He perfected it. I immediately embraced the technology of a Keurig, and I don’t know what I would do without it!

The convenient or easy way isn’t always the route to take. Forgiveness isn’t automatic. It takes time. Healing from past trauma takes a lot of work. There’s no easy path to being made whole again. But God has given us a way through.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it did get built. Your life is built on a foundation of either substance or quicksand. Choose wisely…

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Spirituality

The Spirit of Christmas

I have a friend, Bert Simon, who goes all out for Christmas. He puts up a ton of lights and has two Christmas trees. There’s nothing unusual about this except that Bert is Jewish. In his words, “Christmas is a positive holiday, and I’ll celebrate anything positive.”

Bert gets it. During the holidays, people are nicer. They come together in a spirit of unity and togetherness. It’s a beautiful thing to witness. I’m curious why it isn’t this way all year long. It can be.

Many of us are extremely fortunate. It’s important to remember those who have not experienced the blessings we have received. The homeless, inmates in prison, and those who have experienced loss aren’t feeling the same sense of joy as the rest of us. Everyone is equally important in the eyes of the Creator. God cares about the poor, the marginalized and those in prison.

I’m grateful for a lot of things, and I’m thankful to have Bert as a friend. I have never seen him without a big smile on his face. By his actions, he is bringing light into the world every day. We can, too…

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Spirituality

Are You Talking to Me?

Great communication is one of the foundations of relationships. You build trust when the words of people align with their actions.

How are you talking to yourself? We spend a lot of time inside our heads. Too much, sometimes. We must be honest with ourselves while, at the same time, forgive ourselves for the things we wish we hadn’t said or done. All of us make mistakes. That’s how we learn. These are useful lessons but we don’t need to drag ourselves through the mud and mire repeatedly.

Focus on the good you have done. Keep those moments in the forefront of your mind. Mistakes from the past are always stored in the subconscious. Acknowledge them but don’t dwell on them.

Remember that the road less traveled is not the easy road. There are potholes and curves along the way. Find it in yourself to keep going when everything inside of you wants to turn back. Just keep going no matter what happens…

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Spirituality

Works

Do you enjoy your life’s work? I believe it’s important that we have a fulfilling career, the kind you would do for free if you could.

God has given us work to do on this side of eternity. In many cases this is different from our career. This is where service and action meet. It’s an intersection you can avoid if you want to. Or you can dig in, get your hands dirty and serve others. The choice is always yours.

People are important. All people. In Austin where I live, there are panhandlers on every street corner. It’s impossible to know who has a legitimate need and who is conning people. I’ve had experience with both. I don’t give out money, but I will buy people a sandwich. You can, too, if you feel compelled. Only give if you feel moved to from the heart. Never give out of guilt.

We are in the season of giving. There are endless opportunities to help. In The Book of James we are reminded that “faith without works is dead.” God uses people to accomplish his will on earth.

Always stay in gratitude. If you have a few dollars in your pocket you are better off than 90% of the world. Focus on what you have, not what you lack…

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