I once knew a man (it could have as easily been a woman) who believed he deserved everything he wanted. He lost his job but nothing changed. In fact, he believed he deserved...
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and his love...
I come from a line of strong women, chief among them a great aunt who lived in a large farmhouse. As a child there, I was never bored. My aunt was always canning...
An old Native American tale recounts a conversation between a grandfather and his grandson. The grandfather confides to the boy that two wolves struggle inside him, each trying to dominate his...
Work is tough, full of disappointments—and that is true even of work that many people envy, such as my own. I have never understood why people consider writing to be a glamorous career...
Baseball player Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the major leagues. In his autobiography, I Never Had It Made, he tells a story of how it felt to break...
In the building where I used to work, there was an elevator operator called Frank. He stood in the main entrance and ensured there was an even balance of elevators going up and...
At the end of my first day in high school, I lingered in class until the dark-haired teacher asked me if I...
On September 29 a feature-length film called Facing the Giants will open in 86 markets and 400 theaters across the United States...
Last year, I retired from a college where I taught many years and moved to Kansas City. I joined a large Methodist church where there are many chances to serve. Even my book...
“. . . you are the light of the world . . .” Matthew 5:14-16 ...
Let’s begin with a true story from the western highlands of Guatemala. It is January 1996 in a country that has been torn apart by 36 years of civil war. Violence has become infectious, an...
The opposite of integrity is hypocrisy. Hypocrites will betray their own words and commitments for personal gain. Hypocrites will say what they must to gain a desired position, then do what it...
Golfing legend Gary Player famously said, "The more I practice, the luckier I get." Excellence has everything to do with the blessing of God, or what others might call "luck." Excellence also has...
Around my home I have a fabulous collection of hand-thrown mugs and other clay pottery—bowls, pitchers, platters—in subtle earth and jewel tones and glazes. You could call this collection a passion...
My wife Pat and I moved to England nine years ago, so I could pursue my Ph.D...
Leaders have convinced themselves that leadership comes from the top. Just as often it comes from the bottom. A case in point. ...
Every person has influence: fathers and moms influence their kids; managers influence their employees; church leaders influence their members. The danger is...
My daughter, Amy, a high school senior, was approaching the runway for her final pole vault attempt, and I was having a flashback. Four years earlier, when she was a freshman, Amy was...
At fourteen, I took on a twice-a-day paper route that was demanding and dangerous. Though it included my own quiet residential street, it also included a stretch of a busy U.S. highway spiked...
