Tag Archives: #hope

Spirituality

Waging Wars

We can be our own worst enemies. We do things we know aren’t good for us, but we do them anyway. It’s like we are waging war on ourselves.

Good thoughts lead to good outcomes. There are consequences attached to every decision we make. Sometimes people think of consequences in a negative way. They can be but don’t have to be.

Have you ever known an alcoholic? They do completely irrational things that a sane person wouldn’t think of. Some of the brightest people I know are addicts who got into and stayed in a recovery program. They decided to stop the fight with themselves. Their sobriety became the victory they needed.

There are two voices competing for our attention all the time. One voice is encouraging us, prompting us in the right way. The other voice is talking down to us, reminding us of every bad thing we have ever done. Listen to the voice from the light. Filter the other voice out. Both voices are present every day. It’s up to you to decide which voice to listen to.

The battle within us will be going on for the rest of our lives. You can win it if you’re willing to fight.

Be a fighter. Ask God to help you when you feel like you can’t go on. He will show up, every single time…

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Spirituality

Look What I’ve Done

When we were little children, we were on a constant learning curve. Learned to walk and talk? Yay! Look at me!

As adults we get recognized for our accomplishments in our careers. We build our lives around family, friends, our work and, hopefully, our God. For some, those aren’t enough to fill the hole in their hearts. The damage from forgotten dreams can lead to bad decisions. Then it becomes, “look what I’ve done.”

Some people continue to devolve and make dumpster fires of their lives. Rock bottom comes and it’s in this moment they might find themselves. The good news is, redemption is always possible with God. He never turns his back on us, no matter what we have done.

There are countless stories of people who have turned their lives around. If you feel like you have made a mess in your life that you can’t correct, find inspiration from the stories of those who have come before you. Read Scripture.

There is always hope. When you are flat on your back, there’s only one way to look. Up…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

What A Privilege It Is

Privileges are special rights, advantages, opportunities, or benefits that a person or group enjoys, often because of their position, status, circumstances, or accomplishments. But what about the privileges we take for granted?

Freedom of speech is something we have in the United States. Our Constitution has broad protections for speech that exceeds every other country. People have the right to say things that are offensive. They can protest (hopefully peacefully). In October 1990 the ACLU went to court to defend the KKK’s right to march. They weren’t defending the Klan’s beliefs. They were defending their constitutional right.

We who were born in the United States have privileges some countries don’t. We have clean running water and plenty of food in our grocery stores. If you live in parts of Africa and South America you don’t have the same access to these items.

Privileges are not just about what we have, but what we are doing with them. It’s a great question to consider…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Backtracking

Most days I get outside and take a walk. Living in Texas I can usually depend upon agreeable weather. And I can walk much farther than I can run.

Yesterday I got temporarily lost in my neighborhood. My sense of curiosity took me down some streets I had never walked through before. The scenery was beautiful, but I realized my short attention span had taken over. Obviously I found my way home since I’m writing this!

I see people who are living their lives in the past. They long for the good old days” when life was much simpler. People use the phrase “back in the day” frequently. Life was just as challenging then as it is now. Our memories fade and distort the truth.

Keep the past where it belongs, in the past. Keep your focus on what lies ahead. We don’t know what is around the next corner, but I believe it’s gotta be something good…

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Spirituality

Control Freaks

Have you ever known or worked with a control freak? Perhaps you are one. Just kidding. The people who try to control everything are the most uptight people to be around.

All of the future is an unknown. We don’t know what will happen in the next few minutes, the rest of today, or the rest of this year. We make plans yet we have to adapt when things don’t go as expected.

In Proverbs 3:5-6 it says, “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.” This means we should trust God even when we don’t understand what is going on. We can’t see everything but God can. He is already in our future.

When we are going through difficult periods, it’s hard to see past the end of our nose. Our faith is tested. That’s okay. God knows and understands, and He doesn’t change His feelings towards us when we doubt. Jesus reminded us that the faith of a mustard seed is enough to move mountains.

Stay focused and stay true to the One who is in control. He will never steer us wrong. And that is a promise…

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Spirituality

Stigmatized

Being stigmatized often causes people to be unfairly judged, stereotyped, excluded, or treated differently. Why do we do it, you might ask. It is my belief that people stigmatize others to avoid looking at themselves.

Have you ever made an embarrassing mistake? Most of us have said or done things we would like to erase from our memories. In 1981 I was arrested for driving while intoxicated and spent a night in jail. The drunk tank is no place I wanted to return to.

Even in 2026 seeking therapy is still stigmatized by some parts of society. Up until 2008 insurance companies paid partial benefits for therapy. It took federal law to rectify this.

When I’m speaking with inmates, I share my story of growing up in a dysfunctional family. Most of the men and women in prison can relate. The people who have been in prison often get stigmatized. Yet, I remind them that when they get out, they should walk out with their heads held high and their shoulders back. They have satisfied everything the State of Texas has required.

We aren’t limited by the worst decisions we made unless we allow them to limit us. Keep the people who throw your past in your face far away from you. Those aren’t your people.

Surround yourself with people who inspire you to be your best. They are your people…

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Spirituality

Competing Voices

We have two voices inside our heads. Both are talking to us all the time, competing for our attention. Let’s dive into this.

We talk to ourselves more than we talk to anyone else. Our minds are always working, even while we are asleep. This is one of the reasons we must be discerning about what we read, watch on TV, and who we listen to. The subconscious mind remembers all.

One of the voices is encouraging us, prompting and pushing us towards our purpose. The other voice is reminding us of everything we have ever screwed up. “Why should this time be any different,” the voice says. If you listen to and believe that voice, you will be talked out of trying something before you begin.

One of the voices is from God. He is rooting for us every millisecond of our lives. The discouraging voice is from the devil. He wants us to stay mired in mediocrity and frustration.

I encourage you to listen to the voice of encouragement. You might be risk averse because of something that happened in your past. Break free from this. You weren’t created to fail. You are here to thrive and to make a difference.

Embrace the unknown and live fully…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Run Away

Little children threaten to run away from home when they don’t get their way. It’s kinda funny when you think about it. The kid is five and he can’t drive. How far will those little legs get you?

When I was a child, my home life was one of stress, chaos and violence. My mind was in a constant state of “fight or flight.” I wanted to run away but was too scared to actually do it.

Confusion reigned in me. The television shows in those days were typically about family life. Seeing TV families and how they functioned together made me wonder why my family was so screwed up. I was naive, too, because I didn’t understand that the shows were scripted.

My choice as a young adult was to try to run away from myself. Drugs and alcohol numbed me from the pain I felt. But when I sobered up the life I was running from was still there. Einstein’s quote about insanity being doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results was my life.

Through psychotherapy I was able to jettison the doubts and insecurities I took into adulthood. It took work, but today I’m free of the need to run away from who I am and who God created me to be. There are still challenges in my life, but I face them rather than avoid them.

If you had a similar background, I encourage you to get professional help. Do the work. There is freedom on the other side of pain…

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Spirituality

Know Your Value

From my observations, there are quite a few insecure people out there. It’s displayed through arrogance, selfishness and narcissistic behavior. People aren’t born this way. So, what is the genesis of insecurity?

Perhaps it begins in childhood. Parents are a child’s first teacher. The parents might project their own insecurities on their children, making them afraid of experiencing life fully. This was my experience with my parents. And mine enforced their fears with violence. Not a good combination.

Self-worth comes from within. Inner confidence is shown when we see people quietly going about their work, not calling attention to themselves. Confident people make things happen. They don’t care who gets the credit.

We are working for an audience of one. God alone knows everything. We cannot hide from God. The remarkable thing is that God still loves and accepts us no matter how badly we screw up. Humans are not this way.

It took a lot of inner work for me to jettison my insecurities from childhood. When I did then I could see my value. You can, too. Face your inner demons and start to live meaningfully. It takes time, but it happens if you refuse to give up.

You have great value. Other people need to hear what you have to offer. Believe in yourself and get to work…

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Spirituality

False Alarm

How many times have you worried about something that turned out to be a waste of your time? Most chronic worriers can’t count that high. Worry is wasted energy, so let’s talk about it.

It is estimated that over 90% of the things people worry about never come to pass. Ninety percent! But this is more alarming: you have used up time worrying about something and you cannot get the time back.

We have a finite amount of time on this planet to accomplish our purpose. God alone knows our end date. He has given us exactly enough time to do His will through us. Here’s the remarkable part of this: God doesn’t force us to do anything. It’s up to us.

If worry is a challenge for you, I encourage you to work on eliminating it from your life. It begins with your attitude. Believe that you can control your thoughts and emotions, then flip the script when worry presents itself. You can do it if you believe you can.

Finally, remember this when worry creeps in: everything always seems to work out the way it’s supposed to…

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