(I was honored to have the following article recently published by my friend Brad at Marketplace Christianity. The blog has a great ministry focus and Brad’s outlook is unique. Check his blog out here and visit often!) My dresser is probably not unlike yours. It has drawers on two sides, every one of them packed full of clothing. I have a drawer for my socks, another for my shorts and another for my pants. Shirts and underwear have their own places. Everything... Read more
If the Earth’s population shrank to exactly 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, what would we be left with? 57 of those people would be from Asia.21 would be from Europe.8 would be from Africa.14 would be from the Western Hemisphere.50 percent of the wealthy would belong to only six people70 people would be unable to read1 person would have a college education Which of these statistics surprised you? Comment here. Please, share with a friend... Read more
Today, Brad Harmon from Marketplace Christianity and I are trading posts with other. Brad is the founder and editor for Marketplace Christianity. A former certified public accountant, he now spends his time blogging, speaking, and consulting on ways to bring our faith into the marketplace. We are both writing on how to apply Matt 13:44 in the workplace. I’m honored to have my post on his website, found here. Bradley’s excellent post follows below. One of my favorite television shows is... Read more
“Self-knowledge is so critically important to us in our pursuit of God and His righteousness that we lie under heavy obligation to do immediately whatever is necessary to remove the disguise and permit our real selves to be known.” — A.W. Tozer Last week’s post, The Tattletale, generated some discussion among friends, especially the line, “Everytime I open my wallet, write a check, or swipe my credit card, it’s a revelation of who I really am.” We asked the questions:Does... Read more
It’s always an interesting procession at the end of the movie to watch people rise from their seats almost immediately after “The End” splashes on the screen. They miss the credits – the people who made the movie happen. Maybe it’s just me, but I watch the credits. It’s intriguing to watch who the ‘grips’ there were and who did provided the catering. Just who was the “Man at the gas station”? Who provided the wedding cake? Sometimes there are “stingers”... Read more
We all think we’re so clever. We have a public self. That’s the person that comes out at work, at school, or at church. That’s the person we show our kids and neighbors, our spouses and our friends. We work very hard to create that person. And then we have a private self. That’s the real me. The inner-man who’s heart is so full of confusion, selfishness and hidden desires. I keep that self hidden from others, often even from my... Read more
It’s county fair time. Image by vpickering via Flickr From toss-the-ring-on-the- bottle, to the teacup ride, to the barn where the kids show off their prize pig, it’s as old-time as you can get in this modern age. From the pie contest, to the demolition derby, to the house of haunted mirrors, there’s no better display of Americana than the local county fair. And then there’s the food. Jam it on a stick, and it sells. Corn dogs, pickles, jam... Read more
I admit. I’m a planner. I’m a plotter. I can even be a schemer. From the time I was a little boy I was the “man with the plan,” so to speak. I was the one organizing the baseball game for everyone. I laid my clothes out for school – for the week. From places to travel to people to meet, I had big ideas all the time. Image by Brandon Doran via Flickr And as an adult not much... Read more
Last week’s post on Public Apologies generated some great conversations. But the most interesting conversation. I’ve had to apologize to some close people for wrongs I’ve committed. The response is varied. Some have ignored the apologies altogether, the subject too uncomfortable to deal with the implications. Others have brushed the apologies off and still held on the hurt. Other have embraced my heart and worked toward a new relationship. My friend Philip, wrote a post called “My Bad.” He said this: “I get... Read more
This seems to have been a long summer of very public apologies.It started in the business world. Toyota CEO Akia Toyoda famously cried on television, expressing remorse for the auto manufacture’s safety problems. British Petroleum CEO Tony Hayward sauntered up the microphone to try and make amends for the Gulf Coast oil spill. The sports world was rocked when Tiger Woods morphed from superstar to a man of contrition, confessing his sins on television and pleading for forgiveness. In the entertainment... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In