Understanding Love

That dash on our tombstone - you know, the one that represents the life we lived between our start date and our end date? What we do during that time has eternal implications. Mark Twain put it so aptly. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” The “why” has everything to do with the legacy we leave and the influence of our dash. When I think back on my earlier days it feels like so much time…

I read a recent article by Jonathon Tjarks (a staff writer at The Ringer, where he covers professional basketball) talking about his journey to Christ after a shakeup with the supernatural. He considered God intellectually but had not given much thought to the supernatural. He was at an EDM concert, rolling in "ecstasy" when he stopped and saw the act of worship that was happening all around him. “As I watched the audience dance under the watchful eye…

“To truly obtain freedom from our mistakes, we must own them. These mistakes must be dragged, kicking and screaming, to the forefront of our consciousness and expelled into the clear air. Mistakes can take many forms, ranging from the smallest error to the most unconscionable failure. In two of the most important segments of our lives -- work and relationships --, a single mistake is sometimes all it takes to wind up on the scrap heap of failure.” Dr. Henry…

Now—to find God, I have to look where God is. This might help folks who report that God “seems distant,” or as a friend recently commented (with a touch of cynicism), “He doesn’t seem to come around much.” If I want to find a hawk I look up in the sky, near the mountains where the thermals create an updraft. If I want to find our dog I simply have to find Stasi—he is usually curled up at her feet. Those who would find God must look…

I attended the Global Leadership Summit a few weeks ago and Simon Sinek spoke on the topic of his new, yet to be released book, The Infinite Game. Sinek’s assertion is that - you can win every battle but still lose the war. The goal is not to beat your competition; the goal is to outlast them. He used the Vietnam War as an example. In January 1968, the North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive, one of the largest…

Several weeks ago, Steve and I went to a local pizza shop to work on our book. While I was lost in my own writing “head space” I became aware of a family navigating the process of selecting pizza, drinks, and seating with an infant and several older children (I’ll call them the Jones). Since I love children, especially the tiny snuggly ones, and am particularly struck with the love of dads toward their children, this family caught my attention. There was a…