archive: Walking the Talk

When I first read a version of this truth in Ross Campbell’s book How to Really Love Your Adult Child, I wasn’t sure. I thought “Heck, I’m not defensive…I’m a learner. If criticism can help me grow, bring it!”  But when I shared this with my wife, she laughed. “You’re just as defensive as the next [...]

I’m driving down a street near my house. It’s a 35 mile per hour, double yellow line, “constantly frequented by cops with radar” kind of road. I look up in my rear view mirror and there’s a car so close I can see the spinach from lunch in the driver’s teeth. I’m doing 40. I [...]

So you’re blessed with the opportunity of working with one of these hyper-aggressive leaders I call a “gunner” …What to do?  (If you missed my previous post  on what I call “Gunners”, you can find that here.) First, recognize that it’s not their fault. Don’t blame them. They are a “work in progress” just like [...]

Gunners:  the hyper-aggressive leaders who make things happen. I am a gunner. I didn’t realize it until I heard my son describe one of the gunners in his class in medical school. “She is on a mission, man….I mean, she knows the answers to every question….she is always there; she’s always early, and she is [...]

Have you ever been completely surprised by the abrupt resignation of someone on your team? Have you ever gotten the call from your wife telling how your teenage son or daughter has done something totally uncharacteristic of them? It feels like a kick in the groin doesn’t it? Hurt. Betrayed. Unappreciated. Embarrassed. Ashamed. That’s how [...]

In a nuclear power plant, “heavy water” keeps the reactor cool as it burns the fuel, which creates the steam that turns the turbines that generate electricity. “Heavy water” is actually deuterium oxide, which is like water, but about 11% more dense. (There’s your physics lesson for today!) All the catastrophes (and near catastrophes) at [...]

Almost all of us guys get up every day and go to work. Work involves people, and we deal with all kinds of attitudes. Some, we’d just rather not have to deal with at all if we didn’t have to. But others are a joy to be around. And I’m not just talking “Christian” vs. [...]

Whether you are a sports fan or not, if you live in America, you’ve now heard the name ‘Tim Tebow.’ There are millions of opinions as to why this 24 year old football player is the center of conversation. Yes, he led a few ‘come from behind’ wins. Yes, he’s not the traditional quarterback the [...]

Here are 10 things I learned in 2011 and wanted to share with all of you: God loves us extravagantly in our humanity. He knows our weaknesses, our struggles, our temptations. And He loves us as we are. We can’t improve and cause Him to love us more. We need to develop a coherent narrative [...]

At a gathering the other night, I was asked a question that I’ve never been asked before….. What do you enjoy about Christmas that no one else knows about? My answer was weird, but I couldn’t lie. I enjoy reflecting. As the end of the year approaches and Christmas softens my heart, I find myself [...]