We want things to work out the way we want them to. That is human nature. There is nothing wrong with that. We try to make sense of the world, to understand the rules and systems, the consequences and outcomes, and how we might best manage our circumstances so they work to our benefit. The problem is that reality is much more complicated, much harder than we often give it credit for. And when it does not bend to our... Read more
When I was single, I got a lot of terrible advice about what to “look for in a relationship”. Most of this advice was condescending, superficial, or downright wrong. I would hear things about The List, making a quiz my future spouse would have to pass before I would give them a chance. Some advice was about false harmony – like finding someone who always agrees with you (which is absurd) or superficial (someone who makes you laugh). While all of this is... Read more
When the whole world was on lockdown in April of 2020, I saw a social media post that read something like this, “it’s like everyone in the world is finally getting a chance to be alone with their thoughts and we’ve decided, heck no, I’m gonna learn to make bread from scratch!” One of the clearest symptoms of a life mired in victim mentality is our constant pursuit of distractions. We want noises to fill the void. We need menial tasks to... Read more
A few days ago, our parent brand launched a podcast series called “Simple Tools to Get the Most Out of Scripture”. The idea for the series came from our personal experience of being intimidated by the practice of sitting down with Scripture every day. But it is not just Scripture that is intimidating. It is the very idea of discipline, or doing something consistently that you may or may not actually want to do. Reading the Bible, just like light... Read more
I grew up in a small West Texas town. Beginning in junior high, I was on a club soccer team that traveled throughout Texas to play games. I remember driving into the big cities, Dallas was the closest, and seeing those crazy highway intersections that loop and turn and rise like something out of space. My parents were always nervous when they had to navigate these complex crossroads. There were so many ways to get lost. I’ve often thought about this... Read more
My wife and I have been married for five years and we still can’t seem to answer the question, “how often do you guys fight?” It’s funny, when I was single I felt like couples either said, “we never fight” or “we fight all the time”. Maybe I’ve just been conditioned to think it has to be one or the other. Truth be told, I was led to believe “fighting” was an inevitable part of a marriage. You’ve probably heard... Read more
Life is a game of spinning plates. We are all like a circus octopus trying to keep the dishware of our lives spinning and twirling. Because we exist in communities, everything we do has a twofold effect. It builds (or lessens) our own character and it has an influence on the people in our sphere of impact. This latter idea is called Referent Influence and it is the most powerful and effective way humans affect one another. Think about your heroes, your... Read more
I recently read the book Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull. It is a great read and I highly recommend it. Ed is one of the founders of PIXAR and the book is about their creative process. After reading it, I decided I would watch all of the PIXAR films; turned out to be a great quarantine activity. There are a lot of good ones, but my favorite PIXAR movie might be Inside Out, the one where Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust work... Read more
I was watching a nature documentary the other day and saw a clip of a pod of whales searching for a lost member. The next clip was about a baby deer uniting with a parent. All of these are forms of communication. As creatures designed for community, the way we engage with one another is vital to vibrant living. Simply put, there is nothing more important for a relationship or an organization than communication. We communicate all the time through... Read more
It is easy to focus on what is “wrong” around us. Our situations and circumstances, the imperfect people in the world, and clear blunders of our institutions and organizations. There is a lot that could be better. Granted. I think one of the things that set successful people apart from unsuccessful is the perspective they take around their circumstances. When I say “successful”, I don’t mean rich and famous. I mean those living peace-filled and meaning-centered lives. Looking To... Read more
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