I ran another marathon this past Sunday. It was my 9th and it went well. In fact, it’s probably the best race I’ve had. It wasn’t my fastest time and I didn’t even reach the goal I had set out to accomplish, but I think it was my best. Why? Because the race became difficult…
I’m tired. I woke up at 3:30 this morning and didn’t fall back asleep. This happens with some frequency so I’ve made it a habit to keep a book nearby so I can read for a bit. Occasionally, after reading a bit, I’ll fall back to sleep and get a few more hours of needed…
We’re in the middle of this every 4 year cycle of election season. Presidential candidates have gone a few rounds in debates, social media is ablaze with advocacy for particular candidates and more than enough disparaging of the opposition. For the next 12 months we’ll work hard to polarize our relationships, draw lines in the…
Originally posted on June 23. Now updated. I used to be a prolific recreational reader. Two rounds of grad school zapped a bit of the joy out of reading. So, over the last couple of years I spent more time entertaining myself than I did educating myself. I watched a lot of sports, a lot…
When everyone around you is traveling by horse and carriage why not harness up a hippo and hit the streets? It’s weird to travel by hippo and carriage, really weird. But, it’s also awesome!!! You’re telling me if you had the chance to travel by hippo and carriage you wouldn’t take it? That’s nuts, of…
My wife and I try to make road trips interesting by buying scratch off lottery tickets in every state through which we travel. We just stopped in Illinois and bought five $1 tickets. The odds of winning our $1 back are 1 in 10. The odds of winning the grand prize of $500 a week…
In We Are All Weird, Seth Godin describes being rich as having choices. When you have choices you have influence over your own world. When you can choose whether to eat Cheetos or celery, buy a new car or repair you old beater, fly to see family or drive cross country, save more for retirement…
…unless put into action. For far too long, I’ve been an idea guy. I have ideas on the way things should be, how to build a better a business, how to make more money, have more impact, have a better marriage, but without action my ideas are pointless. In many areas I’ve been a thinker…
One of our favorite musicians is Brendan James (check him out here). He’s a soulful piano man playing modest venues across the country. We’ve seen him in concert twice and both were phenomenal. We’re seeing him in concert again next month. We’re fairly excited as it’s been a few years. His 2012 album is titled…
We missed out on another house today. The market is tough for buyers on a budget. It’s discouraging…even more discouraging when we get our hopes up. Each house we look at and like leads us to picturing ourselves building a home and settling down. But, it’s a seller’s market and each time we find out…
It’s moving time! Over the next few weeks we’re in the process of packing up our belongings and heading west. We’re excited, nervous, stressed, hopeful and full of all the mix of emotions that come with a substantial life transition. I have moved a lot. To the point of having described my family as being…
Do you spend a great deal of time talking about how great your church is? Do you talk about how many people attend or your rank as one of the fastest growing churches in the country? Do you talk about the great youth group, the awesome youth building and activities? Do you talk about the…
