Posted on Friday, January 25, 2019

4 Things I Learned About Israel

Last week I was blessed to take a trip of a lifetime to Israel with my wife. I had wanted to go for some time, but with scheduling (and budgeting) I couldn’t make it work.

Then last year I couldn’t shake the impression that God wanted me to go. I felt so strongly about it that we renewed my wife’s passport in preparation. I prayed about different trips with people I knew but none of them worked out. Then a friend reached out to me about joining a pastor’s trip to Israel. It was the perfect fit I had been praying for!

Posted on Friday, January 18, 2019

What I Learned from Reading 52 Books in a Year

Should You Read a Book a Week?

For the last 18 years I’ve had a goal that has eluded me. It just seemed too impossible, until last year. What was the goal? Reading a book a week.

Typically, I would read 2 books a month and on some better years 3 books a month, but the mythical book a week was always out of reach.

Posted on Friday, January 4, 2019

My Top Book Reads of 2018…Part 2

If you are a regular here you might remember my reading goal for the year was one book a week for 2018. In case you were wondering…I did it and with 3 days to spare!

Back in July I gave you my Top Reads so far and now it’s time to finish the list including my top 10 for 2018.

Posted on Friday, December 21, 2018

Make This the Best Christmas Ever

What if there was one thing you could do today that would change your entire Christmas for the better? What if this one thing could change every day next year for the better too? And not just next year but every year would be better.

I know it sounds like hype. But the moment you hear what it is you will know I’m right.

Posted on Thursday, December 6, 2018

Christmas Expectancy

What are you looking forward to this Christmas? Christmas is a time of expectancy.

Children get this sense of expectancy better than anyone else. Every morning my kids ask me how many more days till Christmas. They can’t wait to find out what will be under the tree!

Posted on Friday, November 30, 2018

Selfish Improvement

What was the last thing you did to grow? What was the last thing you did to help yourself get to the next level?

Was it a seminar you attended? Was it a special class your gym offered? Was it a book you read?

Posted on Friday, November 16, 2018

Your Best Failure

What is the thing you are most afraid of someone finding out? Maybe it’s a poor decision you made years ago. Maybe it’s a decision your child made. Maybe it’s an addiction you beat.

What if the thing you most want to forget about is the very thing that would most help others?

Posted on Friday, November 2, 2018

The God of No’s

Dealing with Unanswered Prayer

Have you ever felt like God just wasn’t answering your prayers? You were persistently praying, but nothing was happening. Or worse, it’s become painfully obvious the answer was “no.” The opportunity passed, the door closed, the job was filled, they married someone else.

What makes it hurt a little more is when your friend prays for the exact same thing and gets it immediately while you’ve been praying for years. You’re praying for a baby to love and your college roommate (Fertile Myrtle) just announced she is having her third (#blessed).

Posted on Friday, October 26, 2018

When You’re Between a Rock and a How

Have you ever found yourself asking, “How will God ever be able to fix this?” Your back is against the wall and there doesn’t seem to be a solution. You just can’t see a way forward.

“Impossible” is the word that comes to mind.

Posted on Friday, October 12, 2018

Soul Care

One Habit that Restores the Real You

Last week I was speaking with a pediatrician and she was telling me about the #1 reason children go to the ER. Can you guess the reason?

The #1 reason is constipation. Who would have thought? The pain of constipation is so intense many parents think their child’s appendix has ruptured. She said kids are just not getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diets. Admittedly it’s not an easy task, and she acknowledged her own kids take daily fiber gummies.