By definition, an idol is something that is not true. Something to which we allow inaccurate importance, improper worship, and/or undue worth. We all have idols in our lives. Some of our idols have made plain their inadequacies and we are fighting every day to rid ourselves of their hold. Others have promises on loan that we are clinging tightly to. Idols are a poison in our lives because they are untrue. They cause us to drift from reality, from... Read more
Relationships are hard. We try all sorts of different things to make them better. Even in the best of relationships, struggle and perseverance are inevitable. We encounter challenges at every corner. We cannot escape them, but we try to work through them with activities and ideas that keep the passion going, remind us of the purpose of relationship, and rekindle the joy of togetherness. Perhaps the one thing that will transform a relationship more than anything else is a simple, easy,... Read more
A few days ago, my wife and I decided to take a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. The weather was perfect, which meant the first section of the bridge, the part poking into Manhattan, was pretty crowded. By the time we got to the middle, it was clear and beautiful. We even found an empty bench to sit on. As we looked out over the skyline, midtown in the near distance to our right and downtown directly in front of... Read more
We often think that wielding power and leading are synonymous. It might be most proper to say that wielding power is one type of influence. But it is far from the only. In fact, it is far from the best. One of the toughest of life’s dynamics is a boss to an employee. The boss may or may not lead well, but they certainly have power. They have the ability to make life really tough for the employee. Plus there is... Read more
It is an image familiar to all of us. The wayward traveler, slowly lumbering down the path, comes to an important marker in his journey. A crossroads. A place where the adventure splits. This way or that? One prong of the fork or the other? Whatever the wanderer chooses will have a great impact on his life. It is a metaphor we can all relate to. The moment of choice. It feels as if the secret to life is learning... Read more
There are a lot of things that threaten a relationship. Challenging circumstances. Outside temptations. But the most dangerous thing in your relationship might surprise you. It is a bigger threat than circumstance or temptation, anger or addiction. In fact, it is the undercurrent of all other dangers. We are made for community. Yet, we are each valuable individuals. The beauty of relationship is the merger of these two realities: being who we are in the context of community. The most... Read more
Reality can be a cold hard truth. Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly living with expectation. We are clothed in our biases and our preferences. And sometimes we want our ideas to be ultimate truth so badly that we go ahead and assume it is. And then, when something happens to definitively reveal how wrong we can be, how out of control we are, it can be devastating. This is why people are in counseling after the... Read more
Humans live in a constant state of fear. We are worried. Stressed. Scared. We have chosen a perspective that invites fear. It informs how we define victory and defeat, who we cast as enemies and heroes, and the charge of our emotions and decisions. Each life is a story. The way we view our circumstances is a huge part of the story. One of the reasons the world is in such a state of chaos today is because of the... Read more
It is difficult to communicate. There are all sorts of barriers to sharing ideas with one another. Our ability to understand is based largely on the way we navigate these barriers. A lot of people get frustrated when someone doesn’t understand what they are saying. This has happened with my wife a few times over the last couple of days. I will be on the phone and try to communicate something via gestures. My wife, Kylie, interprets those gestures differently... Read more
It has been rainy lately here in New York and it reminds me of the first time I came to the city. It was March then and the weather was just beginning to turn. When it is cloudy here, the Manhattan skyline disappears into the clouds. It feels a bit like we are living in a gloomy snow globe. It is surreal to be in a place where you cannot see the tops of buildings. In some ways, it feels... Read more
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