Spirituality

Decision Time

Where we are in life is the result of a series of decisions we made. We have goals and dreams for our lives that we set in motion to achieve. Our goals are like the destination on a road map. We figure out which roads to take to get us there. Wrong road? Try a different route.

No one sets out to get divorced, go to prison, or become homeless. Sometimes bad things happen. The legacy we are born into plays a part, but we still have a choice no matter what our circumstances are. We can decide to be better.

Victimhood is on the rise. But here’s my observation about victims: if you can walk and talk, you can think and do. No one is a victim of their circumstances.

If you are feeling stuck or bogged down in life, you must decide to change. You will get to where you want to be through hard work and discipline. But those are decisions only you can make.

The choice is yours. It’s time to decide…

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Spirituality

Habitually Late

Punctuality is a symbol of self worth and respect for others. Being habitually late is a weight that is easy to lose, though. Let me explain.

Arriving early sets the tone for the day. You aren’t rushed or behind. My old coaches would say “if you’re early you are on time. If you’re on time you’re late. And if you’re late, you run.” I hated to run so the habit of getting an early start was formed from avoidance!

People who regularly arrive late drive me crazy. The occasional tardiness is fine. Stuff happens and I understand. It’s the ones who can’t get somewhere on schedule if their life depended on it I’m talking about, because they usually aren’t just a couple minutes late. They can delay you an hour sometimes.

It’s easy to change this bad habit. You plan for it. That’s it. Be intentional with your time and effort. Have respect for others by being the one they can count on.

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Feelings or Facts

Have you ever confused facts with feelings? I certainly have. How I feel about something or someone can make objectivity difficult.

We have a good handful of challenges in the United States. One that is in focus right now is immigration. Here’s a fact: it is against the law to sneak into the United States. Here’s a feeling: there’s a lot of good people here illegally who want a better life. They aren’t committing crimes, so why punish them? Do you see the dilemma? It’s a hard one.

Admittedly, I have known and employed people who are in the country illegally. They worked. I fed them and paid them. Everything was fine. These were men who would make solid citizens. There is a solution, but asking Congress to figure something out that works is a tall order. I suggest putting the challenge in the hands of the faith and private sectors. They will figure it out without the fanfare and bluster the politicians give us.

I have seen instances where people use Scripture to justify illegal immigration. This is a perversion of the meaning behind the Scripture they cite. Thus, replacing facts with how you feel. Jesus himself told us to obey the law. And that’s a fact.

We must stop taking sides on the difficult issues. That solves nothing. In fact, it creates a whole new challenge. And how do you feel about that?

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Push Rewind

We live in the digital age. Just like our subconscious minds, everything is recorded and stored forever. We are able to retrieve anything from the past and replay it as often as we like.

When I hear people talk about “back in the day,” it makes me think they believe their best days are behind them. Like this was their time in the sun. But it’s not true. Our best days are ahead of us. We don’t know what’s around the next corner, but I believe it’s something good.

Now I must caution you. I view life through the lens of optimism and unlimited possibilities. It’s how I’m wired. And I realize not everyone sees the world in the same way. That’s okay. This is a big planet and there’s room for everyone.

I encourage you to live each moment fully. The past is a great lesson, but don’t spend too much time reliving it. Your best days lie ahead…

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Spirituality

Seriously, Though…

I’m eternally optimistic, grateful for everything good in my life, and I don’t have bad days. Even though my attitude is different from most people, there are things in this world that concern me.

It’s expensive to live. Costs are rising at a much slower pace, but a lot of strain was placed on family budgets because of hyper inflation. Affordable housing is part of the mix, too.

There are a lot of good people in the United States who are living in the shadows. They go about their business quietly, doing what’s right, contributing to their community, yet they are afraid. I don’t want anyone to feel afraid. There is a viable path to citizenship for them.

Our food is getting fixed, thanks to HHS Secretary Bobby Kennedy and his team. Obesity is off the charts, especially in children. Kennedy’s efforts continue to face great opposition from the food industry lobbyists. When profits are threatened, the solution becomes more challenging.

There are other areas of concern, but for the sake of brevity I will save those for future columns. My motivation is to leave this world better than I found it.

More government is not the solution. Our politicians created much of the mess. It’s time that we the people run the show and demand the politicians either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way. Seriously…

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Spirituality

Graduation Day

This Friday, January 30th, I have the privilege of giving the Commencement Address for 130 graduates. This is a special group of students. You see, they earned certifications while serving their sentences in prison.

Life is hard. It’s harder when you are in prison. But the Texas Criminal Justice Department offers a path forward for the inmates while they serve time. The students have jobs while in prison, then go to school afterward. It makes for a very long day. The inmates aren’t forced to attend school. It’s their choice.

I wish everyone could attend one of these graduation ceremonies. This will be my fifth commencement, and they are all special moments in the inmates lives and in mine. A day they will never forget.

There is redemption and restoration of people’s lives happening in the Texas prisons. Their hard work and commitment to growth is to be commended and respected…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Heads Down

Sometimes a person will yell “look out” or “heads up” when they are trying to get your attention. Oftentimes this is to warn the other person of potential danger. It has certainly helped me in the past.

We have a world filled with people whose heads are down. Their phone screens have dominated their attention. Countless times I have had to stop my car quickly because someone is walking in front of my vehicle in a parking lot, unaware of how close they got to ending up in a hospital.

There is nothing so important that it can’t wait a few moments until you are out of potential danger. The same goes for texting while driving. It can wait.

We only get one chance to make a mistake. Many are unavoidable, but some that are due to our minds being lost to our screens can be avoided.

Keep your head up…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Checking The Box

For years, I attended the 7:30 am church service at a local Catholic Church. Going to the early service guaranteed I could be out of there by 8:05. I was, as the title says, checking the box.

Fortunately I woke up and realized I was wasting time. Through the recommendation of a friend, I found a church home. Instead of checking the box, I found myself energized to learn more about God and experience more of him. The relationship went from transactional to relational. I’m glad I woke up and came to life.

Many people are going to jobs they don’t like. They are just getting through the week, waiting for the weekend to arrive. How can you be effective at your career when you aren’t engaged? You can’t.

It’s a worthwhile investment in yourself to take inventory of your life. Are you living, or just existing? If you find yourself checking the box in any area of your life, it might be time for a new direction.

Make the change…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Silence is Golden

In The Book of James, we are instructed to “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry.” In today’s world where everyone believes their voice must be louder than the rest, this is a welcome admonishment.

The tongue can be a dangerous weapon. We should always be ourselves, but it’s a solid idea to choose our words wisely. A misspoken word has the potential to do great harm. Being willing to listen more than we talk is a good starting point.

Have you noticed that some people just walk around angry? Those people seem miserable. Angry people rationalize their anger by saying “someone else caused them to be this way.” No one has that power over another person unless the person has no discipline or self control.

We should be angry about children who are trafficked. People going hungry or being marginalized by others should incite us to do something. This is righteous anger, the same anger Jesus displayed. Getting angry because you got cut off in traffic is ridiculous.

Be disciplined in every moment. Listen more. Talk less. Take action when the Spirit moves you…

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Spirituality

Life

“Life is hard. It’s harder when you’re stupid.”-John Wayne

I’m not certain why Wayne said that, or if he was talking to someone in particular. From what I understand, Wayne could be a little testy at times. Yet, he spoke the truth.

Life has ups and downs. Sometimes the ups are exhilarating. You feel like life could never get any better. And then it does!

The down periods are the ones we dread. We don’t welcome difficulties and we want to get through them as quickly as possible. But let’s look at this in a different way.

Resilience is built in the darkness. Those times, while difficult, are when we find our inner strength. We may not realize how strong we are until we need to find out.

Every experience, the good and the bad, prepares us for something else. We don’t have the luxury of knowing what that something else is. That’s for God alone to know.

Remember this when you’re going through dark times: God didn’t cause your pain. He allowed it. And He will use it to grow and develop you into the person you are meant to be.

These words might not ease your pain, but perhaps they give you a different, better perspective. Keep going…

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