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I recently had a conversation with someone who was really pumped about something. A day later, the excitement had dissipated. He had shared his enthusiasm with another person, who with a few comments and questions took the wind out of his sail.When you open your mouth, why do you speak?The Apostle Paul told us that everything should glorify God and bless others. Every word we speak, even criticisms, should be gifts that uplift and encourage (Ephesians 4:29). Jesus’ half broth

I cut my foot a couple of months ago, and it would not heal. After weeks, it was still red, a little swollen, and painful. It was one of those injuries that wouldn’t go away.

Linda and I went to Zia’s in Chicago for our thirty-first anniversary last Tuesday. Our tradition is to talk through the past when we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, and enjoy the memories. This year we focused on the things we would do differently if we could do it over again…not just in our marriage, but in our early life together. It was a fun conversation. For everything that we said we’d change, we then thought that maybe it would be best that it not be changed. I

When my kids were little, we had specific rules that were for our family. Our kids were not allowed to go to R rated movies. When my kids would ask if they could go to a movie we did not approve of, we would tell them, “No.” But we did not tell their friends that they could not go, and we did not pass judgement on those parents who let their kids go. Our rules were for our family. We could tell our kids what to do, but we did not tell the neighbor’s kids what to do.Whatever y

Linda and I took this week to head north and vacation in Wisconsin. We love the outdoors and have already slid down waterfalls, hiked the bluff over Devil’s Lake, and worn ourselves out with some vigorous biking.We prefer “glamping” to camping (I guess it means “glamor camping”). In other words, we have a camping trailer with a bathroom, shower, kitchen, and bed.But it’s important to level the camper when parked at a campsite. I normally use a small but reliable level that I

“The difficult we will do immediately; the impossible may take us a while longer!”That’s the slogan of the Seabees, that group of over 300,000 courageous, hard-working men first called up during World War II who followed combat units into newly conquered territory. From the island hopping of World War II, to the cold of Korea, to the jungles of Vietnam, to the mountains of Bosnia, and now to the desert of Afghanistan, the Seabees have built entire bases. They have bulldozed a

I know we are in a different day, but everyone in my generation has heard that. It was what our parents would tell us often in the summer months. Mom didn’t want us underfoot or wasting our time in front of the TV. Our parents back then believed it was good for our creative minds to entertain ourselves in the good old outdoors. And they also didn’t want us in the way. :-)Some of you probably need to be told that as an adult. "You need to go outside and play!"I’m a big believe

My youngest graduates from high school this weekend. I’m writing this while on my way to a friend’s funeral.Life happens fast.We prayed for Brock for years. By the time he came, we had given up on having a third. When he was born, he came about six weeks early and less than five pounds, but was full of energy and perfectly healthy. Now he is getting ready for college. On graduation weekend, you are flooded with memories.And then there is this funeral.Jeff was only sixty-one.

“I don’t like all that theology. I just want to hear practical preaching." I still remember a woman saying that to me in mixed company. At the time, she appeared to be a Christian. She said she was. She went to church every weekend along with her husband and kids and was involved in a lot of church events. And she hung out with other church women. But in the years since, she cheated on her husband a few times, divorced him. Her grown kids have rejected the hypocritical faith

The first time I flew commercially I was twelve years old. It was exciting to me, but when we hit turbulence and the plane started bopping up and down, my excitement quickly morphed into fear. We had flown to my Grandpa’s funeral and when it was time to board again to go home, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. My dad reassured me by explaining how the turbulence was simply varying low and high pressure air pockets and that it was perfectly normal. He said that the plane was built to

If you are not familiar with Helen Keller’s story, I would encourage you to read her biography. You’ll find that the real hero in her life was Anne Sullivan, a forerunner of special education and a remarkable woman who gave life to Helen and inspiration to millions in her generation. Anne was the one teacher who was able to get through to Helen’s intellect and introduce to this deaf and blind woman the powerful concepts of words and language. Helen became a household name whe

I did a lot of fishing as a kid. My dad started me off at a very young age. I still remember how after my sister had caught a blue gill, I exclaimed, “Hey Dad, throw one in for me now!” I was only four and thought that dad must have had something to do with the fish getting on that hook.From my dad’s love of the outdoors and the water in particular, I began to pick up the hobby as my own. A friend and I used to get up before dark and ride our bikes to the river in early summe