Lately my lungs shut down while I’m sleeping. They just decide to stop working, like they’ve had enough and they’re not going to put up any longer with the unreasonable demands I’ve placed on them. They’ll show me who’s really in charge. I dream these nightmares of drowning, being strangled, choking, and dying. The worst part is that it happens during the deepest stages of sleep, when my body is in a state of paralysis. So that when I begin... Read more
As some of you may know, I go to a Presbyterian church. It’s located in a bucolic, historically-preserved town that happens to be a stone’s throw from the pharmaceutical Mecca of the Northeast, and also within commuting distance of both New York City and Philadelphia. Needless to say, we are a church community filled with our fair share of corporate executive-types. Also there are many entrepreneurs, artists, doctors and lawyers, and a few farmers (throwbacks from the olden days from... Read more
I’ve been reading the book “Becoming a Resonant Leader” (Harvard Business Press). One of the book’s tenants is that Emotional Intelligence is at the core of effective leadership – and the authors take it a step further into the realm of personal growth and self-awareness. As a launching point, they have a number of exercises to help the reader identify his personal vision and “ideal self” which will thus help him become a more effective leader. One of their exercises is “27... Read more
I can pretty much guarantee that the disciples were annoying at times. I mean, come on, they were just ordinary guys like you and me, right? They had to get on each others’ nerves from time to time. The bible doesn’t really showcase Jesus’ irritation levels, but if we read between the lines of some of his exchanges with the disciples, we can see a little hint of annoyance. For instance, here’s a gem from Matthew 16, right after Jesus... Read more
Continued from previous post and the post before that. On the days when I’m feeling especially anxious, rather than praying about it, I’ll just ask God to give me a once-over while I go take a nap. My hope is that the Holy Spirit will have better luck with my subconscious self, who is really just a deeper, more in-touch version of me, and perhaps together those two will do some kind of magnificent handiwork on my tired soul. The next... Read more
Here is an excerpt teaser from my e-book, At Work as it is in Heaven. You can read it in its entirety over at The High Calling. Or better yet, why not just buy it now ? I once heard a story about Henry Kissinger falling asleep in the middle of a very important meeting. Everyone noticed, but no one dared say anything because he was such a highly respected diplomat. The moment he came to, upon picking up the few fragments of... Read more
When I was nineteen years old, I wanted more than anything else in the world to become a published songwriter. I was completely consumed with this idea, believing it was my one and only true calling from God for my life. Of course, now I know that there is another name for that kind of magical thinking: it’s a mental disorder called “Delusions of Grandeur.” Needless to say, the songwriting thing didn’t work out. But thirty years later, here I am sitting in a suburban Pennsylvania... Read more
Continued from previous post. So here’s what that cynical voice in my head is saying about the “Do not worry” passage in Luke 12:23-33: Sure, it’s easy for Jesus to tell these people not to worry. He didn’t have the financial responsibilities of a family to worry about! Neither did Peter, or Paul, for that matter. None of them schlocks had wives or kids to take care of! (Apparently bible scholars still debate if Peter or Paul were married, but the fact... Read more
These are worrisome times we are living in. There is an unprecedented global financial crisis, economic recession, threats of terrorism, never-ending war, more and more layoffs, an enormous government deficit, and crappy projections for spending. It’s just bad news all the way around. Add this pile of stink to the routine madness that you and I deal with daily, as a matter of course. Like trying to raise decent kids, and maintain a good marriage, and paying all the bills,... Read more
I once hired a gentleman – let’s call him Aaron – on a contract basis to work with a small office team implementing a new accounting software program. Aaron was a partner in charge at a small but respectable local accounting firm, and as the expert consultant, he was to work closely with Barbara, the office manager, in training our staff to utilize the new software. Barbara was a sharp-edged and wiry woman in her early sixties whose eye for... Read more
Shrinking the Camel
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