Tag Archives: #inspiration

Spirituality

The World I Knew

As longtime readers know, I grew up in a home filled with anger, violence and fear. I spent a lot of time alone in my room. The only things my family provided me were a roof over my head, food, and a great story to share with others. I learned this last part much later.

Punishment was my world. I blamed God because I figured he had to be behind it. You see, punishment was normal to me. My parents punished me for having accidents like spilling water, so I walked on eggshells when I was home. I hated God for putting me in this horrible home. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve it.

Man, was I ever wrong. Fast forward to today, I now realize that God felt every hurt and pain I felt. He was hurting right along with me. And the more remarkable thing I learned was that God can take a punch. I hit him hard, but he never hit back. This is one of many beautiful things about our Creator. Don’t miss it.

Today I am privileged to share my life story with the least among us. This includes kids and prison inmates. When you grow up like I did, you feel like you’re the only one. There are many.

Never waste your pain…

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Spirituality

Find The Beauty

The critics are everywhere. You know who I’m talking about. These are the people who find a problem in every situation. They might not recognize a solution if it hit them in the backside.

Beauty exists all around us. There is beauty in every person, every scene in nature, and there is beauty in every failure. If you don’t stop and look around, you might miss it.

Political divide has been building for over twenty years. The gap has grown wider and it doesn’t look like it will reverse. People are spending an inordinate amount of time criticizing the other side, yet they have nothing to show for their efforts. Why not take the energy used to criticize and use it for something meaningful? Just think about the impact we can make, the beauty we can bring forth.

God created everything and everyone. He made us all, and he didn’t make a mistake. He didn’t even have any second thoughts. He must love variety because no two people are alike. There’s beauty in the variety.

Change your perspective. Find the beauty in every moment. It’s there…

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Spirituality

If Only

Have you ever used the term “if only?” If only I was wealthy. If only I was taller. You get the point.

God made us not only in His image, but he created us exactly as he wanted us to be. Being dissatisfied with ourselves is an insult to the one who made us. And consider this: you were thought of before the earth was formed. That should blow your mind.

If only is a cop out. It’s an excuse, nothing more. It’s time to recognize there is nothing random about your life. You are here for a purpose greater than yourself. Live like it.

Get rid of if only. Replace it with “I get to.” Watch your world change…

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Spirituality

Friends of Value

The actress Dyan Cannon was quoted in a recent article as saying she had many “friends with benefits.” When Ms. Cannon found out what the term meant, she laughed and clarified what she meant. It’s not what you thought!

I’m grateful to have a small circle of good friends. They are really good people. When you have the right people in your life, you only need a few.

We all have a lot of acquaintances, people we know from work, the gym or other shared activities. These are people we are friendly with, but not necessarily friends with.

Trust is the foundation for any relationship. Without trust, the relationship is casual at best. But it takes time to build trust. It can be tested, and often is. But the people who matter most in your life come through. Every single time.

I encourage you to bring value to your friendships. Be the one who checks on them without needing anything in return.

Great friends are a treasure. They are worth more than gold…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Unspoken

Take a look at the faces of the people you encounter. Take a good look. People are more stressed today than ever. To further complicate things, loneliness has reached epidemic levels. Yet, we live in an era where we can call anyone in the world any time we want to.

Kids have it the worst. Children who are living in homes where abuse, addiction and neglect keep their problems to themselves. As of 2023, about 25% of children are living in these conditions. This has doubled since 2014. Kids are carrying stresses they aren’t equipped to handle. Worse, they feel alone and believe they are the only ones who live like this.

Human connection is vital for good health. We need to be in community with others. If you are feeling lonely, reach out to someone. There are many good people in this world. In today’s “it’s all about me” culture you have to look hard for them, but they are out there. You don’t have to go it alone.

If your kids speak about troubled kids at school, consider inviting them over. Their troubled behavior might be a cry for help. Compassion triumphs over isolation.

Today’s column is my reminder to be kind to everyone. We don’t know what lies beneath…

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Uncategorized

Kids

Children are a wonderful gift from God. The innocent wonder and awe of toddlers is something to behold. They only get to be that age for a short period of time. Let them enjoy it.

The other day I was out for a walk in my neighborhood. I saw a sign placed in the ground advertising a sports league for kids 3-13. Yes, they can begin at three years old.

You know from previous columns how I feel about sports. They are wonderful teaching tools for young people. But in my opinion, three is too young. At three, kids are in an “imprinting” period where creativity is developed. From 3-7 is when talents like art and music are developed. And their imaginative ideas are off the charts. Getting kids to learn the motor skills required in sports robs them of some of this time of development.

Let’s let kids be kids. The great athletes will present themselves later. Professionals have a rare talent that can’t be hidden. Kids will grow up soon enough…

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Spirituality

Reading Rooms

In the 1700’s, public or semi-public spaces were created called Reading Rooms. They were funded by churches, philanthropic societies, and subscriptions. The desire was to increase literacy and civic awareness.

The Library typically referred to private collections at colleges and universities, as well as individual collections for those with great means. Over time, the rooms evolved into places you could “check out” or borrow books. Society didn’t have cable news or the internet, so if people wanted to know what was going on or learn about something, they had to read.

Thomas Sowell’s life was sent in a new direction when, at six years old, his friend Jimmy took him to the Harlem Public Library. Sowell developed a yearn for reading and learning. Fast forward to today, Dr. Sowell has authored over 40 books and written countless papers.

Part of society has devolved into what I call a meme culture. The internet floods your feed with things you want to believe. No one who has a job and a life has the time to vet everything that comes our way. Taking the time to read scientific, non-opinionated pieces can give you a clearer picture of what is going on in the world.

My encouragement to you is to prioritize learning. Take time to read and learn every day. And turn the internet noise off. Or, at least turn it down…

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Spirituality, Uncategorized

Your Very Best

We like the best. When we travel we want the best hotel, restaurants and local attractions. We wear the best designer labels, showing off our taste for the best.

But what about how we live our lives? Are we giving our best effort every day? The people who get the most accomplished are separated from the rest by one trait: commitment.

Although they are often related, accomplishing much in life doesn’t necessarily bring wealth. Mother Theresa dedicated her life to the poorest of the poor in India. She had worldwide acclaim, yet very little money. She gave them her best.

Commit to one thing and do it well. It should be something you love doing, even when it’s not fun. Your focus must be on making a difference, not creating wealth. Wealth may come, but it should be secondary.

Start each day with a quick prayer of gratitude for another day. Then go give the world your very best…

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Spirituality

Considering The Impossible

A survey of 50 adults over the age of 95 revealed three interesting themes. As the oldest generation looked back at their lives, they wished they had risked more, reflected more, and they wished they had created something that would last, a legacy.

If you are reading this, it’s not too late for you to pursue your dreams. Even if they have been dormant for decades, they still exist in your mind and heart. Look forward thirty years and think about how you will feel when you have done what you were sent here to do.

We pursue our purpose for fulfillment, not fame or personal glory. We give the glory to God. After all, he’s the one who gave us our unique talents we use to make a difference in the world. If we keep it to ourselves, we have lived selfishly. There’s no fulfillment in selfishness.

The excuses will flood your mind. “I’m too old. It’s too late for me. I don’t have enough education.” Those are just a few of the excuses, and they are all lies you might tell yourself. Ask yourself, “how big is my God?” Then go do what he put you in this generation to do, even if it seems impossible to you.

Henry David Thoreau wrote, “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and die with their song still in them.” It’s time to let the world hear your music…

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Spirituality

Get Educated

We place a premium on education. The more degrees someone has, then the brighter they must be, right? Well, maybe.

Over the course of my life I have met a lot of people. The mix of people I know includes Republicans, Democrats, atheists, Jews, Christians, Muslims and a few Hindus. I know people with multiple degrees and I know people who dropped out of school. Every single one of them had something to teach me. I learned by listening, not by talking.

Learning to actively listen has been invaluable for me. When we open our minds to different perspectives we can learn. There are eight billion people on the planet with eight billion different lives. Each of them brings unique experiences to the table. All should be considered even though no one is right all the time.

It costs nothing to listen. But the lessons we can learn are worth more than a degree. Learn to listen…

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