As we enter the last month of what can be described as a tumultuous year, we are all no doubt gearing up to celebrate the holidays and beginning the annual practice of hoping the next year is better than the current one. I’ve always loved New Years. Sometimes I describe it as my favorite holiday. I love the feeling of hope, of possibility, of newness that comes with a New Year. It has the “anything is possible” feeling. As we... Read more
Here is an uncomfortable idea: we are most bothered by our own sins revealed in others. We are, by and large, very self-absorbed people. Which I do not mean to be as negative a statement as it sounds. What else should you be?! You were given one body, one mind, one soul and to a large degree you are trapped in the little self you’re dragging around with you. The irony is that we find ourselves by “losing it”, which... Read more
Life is an exercise in perseverance. If nothing else, 2020 has taught us that. Although we would much rather things be comfortable and smooth, the reality is that all we do undergoes the pit of despair and The Project Mood Curve. Nothing is immune to its shape. When we face trials and challenges, we have two choices: we can either quit or persevere. Quitting is a formidable option. But if we quit, we just reenter the process from the beginning and will inevitably... Read more
For most of my life, I had three major goals. You might call them dreams; I sure did. But really, they were goals I wanted to achieve. They were: living in New York City, publishing a book, and traveling the world. In October 2016, my wife and I moved into a tiny room in someone’s Staten Island basement. We had two suitcases and a part-time job between us. But we did it. We had moved to New York. This came... Read more
When we train leaders, we tell them that although meaningful organizations (and individuals) have to start with vision, the much more difficult part is the next step – assessing reality. Naming a vision you can truly commit to is hard enough, but naming the truth of where I am right here, right now is even more elusive. When we say this, it is always met with some skepticism. We get at least a couple sideways glances. We are used to thinking... Read more
I was reading a commentary on The Book of Proverbs a few days ago and was floored by the suggestion that the collection of Biblical sayings were not meant to spur the reader to in any way change the world, but to adopt wisdom and effective stewardship within the world presented. I’m not saying the world is not messed up and that it should not be changed. Geesh. Planet Earth is a hot mess. I was just about to write... Read more
When I was a teenager (and also as a college student), I was hit with the compliment, “you are wise beyond your years”. Like everyone else, I talked about spending time with older people to “learn from their wisdom”. I really love and value older people. I honor their experience and the things they have learned. But I no longer think older people are wiser inherently because they have seen more of life. When I was that teenager, getting that... Read more
When I was a teenager, I went to Mexico on a mission trip with our church. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to a week of hard labor and sleeping on the ground in a dirt field, but the trip changed my life. And not just in the obvious way. A couple years later, I was starting for our high school soccer team and my goal for the year was to get a first round bye in the playoffs, because that... Read more
There are two sides to the coin of human experience: pain and joy; consolation and desolation; exile and redemption. We try very hard to live a “happier ever after” story. One where life is boiled down to a single obstacle we can defeat – our singlehood, home ownership, the first million dollars, fame, or destroying The Death Star. We want there to be one moment that causes all the turmoil to fade and the bliss to be ushered in. This... Read more
Election day is one of the few days in American society where we truly feel the weight of our choices. Amongst the chaos, division, and ugliness of the political process, Election Day is a celebration of choice. The power and responsibility of discernment. In America, we believe expressing your choice on Election Day is a civic duty. A way to make your voice heard and to express your value-set. It is often upheld as an opportunity to enact change. The... Read more
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