Blog

Risk Taking to Avoid Playing It Safe

I was emotionally gripped to hear a man named John Moorhead speak from beyond the grave. He had been recorded days before succumbing to cancer and his message was played during a men's retreat. When confronted with a cancer diagnosis, he quickly saw areas in his life...

Peering Through a Gap in Eternity’s Door

My heart was profoundly moved when I met Jim at a men's retreat not long ago. He had a ready smile and seemed about my age. He was never without his baseball cap for a reason I found out later. During the course of the retreat I had several conversations with Jim. He...

Feeling Inspired or Expired?

Feeling inspired or expired? Which word best describes how you feel about your midlife and beyond years? We're used to everything having an expiration date these days. Even a sealed bottle of pure water has a date when it expires! A close friend told me recently his...

Living to 90!

Have you thought about what it would be like to live until you're 90 years old? That time may be so far into the future it's hard to imagine. You may feel somewhat daunted by having another 30-40 years to go. Or you may welcome the idea of the new adventures and...

Moving Mountains in Midlife

If you’re in the midlife and beyond years, let me congratulate you for making it this far on the journey. The wealth of experience and wisdom you’ve learned along the way is of great value. Don’t underestimate it! But have you noticed how many difficulties are also...

Does Your Life Feel Like a Long Tennis Match?

Did you know that the longest tennis match in history lasted more than eleven hours and scored a combined total of nine hundred and eighty points? It took place over three days in 2010 at Wimbledon, England between John Isner of the United States and Nicolas Mahut...

5 Things to Hold Onto When Worry Grips You

As a kid, I grew up in Southern California. One of the things I looked forward to was taking a trip to my grandparent’s cabin located in the San Bernardino Mountains about three hours outside of Los Angeles. One trip in particular is seared in my memory. I was sitting...

Statue of David Carved From Flawed Marble

There is a fascinating story behind the sculpting of the Statue of David by Michelangelo. Did you know that the Statue of David was made out of a flawed piece of marble? An earlier artist had begun work on it 25 years before, but soon quit stating the the marble was...

The Symphony of Your Life

Did you know that you are the conductor of a major symphony? However, the notes of the score won't be played by strings, wind or brass instruments. Rather, the orchestration will be played with relationships, circumstances and influence that create beautiful melodies...

A Blue Whale By Comparison

Comparisons can be helpful. I heard an interesting one recently. The pastor was talking about the difficult trials we experience on our life's journey. The Bible refers to them as "momentary light afflictions" (2 Cor. 4:17). He said that while the trials seem huge to...
A Blue Whale By Comparison

A Blue Whale By Comparison

Comparisons can be helpful. I heard an interesting one recently. The pastor was talking about the difficult trials we experience on our life's...

What Do You See In Your Future?

What Do You See In Your Future?

What do you see in your future? This question implies that you are looking forward into your future, not in the past through the rear view mirror....

Stuck on the Dock of Life

Stuck on the Dock of Life

My sister and her husband are boat captains. They are in charge of a 100' racing yacht that has taken them and the boat's wealthy owners all over...

The Narrow Path

The Narrow Path

What kind of a path does Jesus describe when He said "the way is narrow that leads to life?" (Matt. 7:14) It's narrow, but is it sometimes...

Similar Journeys

Similar Journeys

How often have you thought that your life or family situation is unusually hard...unique...unlike anyone else's? That somehow your problems are...

Hours to Live

Hours to Live

The call came unexpectedly in the morning announcing that my dad had hours to live. I was shocked. I had spoken to him on the phone the night before...

Embracing the “Pause”

Embracing the “Pause”

In a conversation recently, a friend made an insightful comment about life from a musical perspective. He said that a "pause" in music is just as...