This week finds me in Anderson, Indiana, with my good friends Carl (Mac) and Lorna McMurray, where I am preaching in a meeting at the church where Mac ministers.
Our theme this week is “Spiritual Leadership: Every Believer’s Commitment to Growth.” In the business world we think of a leader as the CEO or president of the company. On a sports team the coach or manager is the leader. And in the church we consider our Elders or Shepherds as the spiritual leaders. Continue reading
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Alan Smith tells a funny story about President Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said.
One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who came down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.” Continue reading
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On our recent trip home from Florida and Louisiana, Norma Jean commented to me on the frequency of hearing the word “awesome” to describe anything and anyone.
Today everything is awesome. Ice cream. A nice shirt. A fun day at the park. Dunking a basketball. A blog. A sermon. I once had a server in a restaurant tell me “the meatloaf is awesome.” Continue reading
Filed under Word of the Week, Words
“Pope Francis Canonizes Controversial Saint Serra” read a CNN headline.
Last Wednesday more than 20,000 people converged on a Washington basilica to witness the canonization of Junipero Serra by Pope Francis on his first trip to America. This was hailed as historical since Serra is the first to be canonized on US soil.
However, some Native Americans are objecting because they contend that Serra’s achievements are nothing to celebrate. They say he created a military-backed mission system that thrived on brutality and resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
I object, too, but for other reasons. Continue reading
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“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation,” wrote the Greek philosopher Aristotle. ” We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Whether you agree with Aristotle or not, this quote reminds us that the ancient Greeks used the word virtue differently than we do today in the English language. Continue reading
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Several years ago I read a neat book entitled The Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, authors of Chicken Soup for the Soul. The entire premise revolves around this little word ask.
They assert, “anything is possible…if you dare to ask!” The book promises “personal happiness. Creative fulfillment. Professional success. Freedom from fear–and a new promise of joy that’s your for the asking.”
The book details the barriers that prevent us asking. Knowing what to ask. Understanding how to ask. And then makes application to your family, work and other relationships. One chapter is entitled, “Ask a Higher Power.” Continue reading
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Howard Hendricks tells a great story when he was on an American Airline flight after a very long delay. A man who had too much to drink was being rude to the other passengers. Demanding with the flight attendants. And in a word just plain obnoxious!
Hendricks watched this flight attendant treat this unpleasant man with class, dignity and professionalism. She was unruffled. When he was rude, she was polite. When he was uncaring, she was kind. Continue reading
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“The patients who came to my office never seem rested” wrote Dr. Richard Swenson in his book Margin. “Many people I meet look haggard and worn-out.”
“Often-used expressions of our society include active, busy, driven, fatigued, tired, exhausted, weary, burned out, anxious, over loaded, or stressed. But seldom do you hear our society described as “well rested,” observed Swenson. Continue reading
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School is resuming in Kansas City this week, as well as in many parts of the country. I’m reminded of this cute story shared by Scott Mareten about his Pre-school son who was learning the alphabet
Scott says it was a crisp Minnesota fall afternoon, when his four-year-old son was helping him rake leaves in the front yard of their farmhouse. He glanced up just in time to see a flock of geese flying over and pointed out how they flew in a perfect formation shaped like a “V”. Continue reading
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Rage, anger and a lack of civility seems to dominate a segment of our society. Or at least it makes the news!
A Texas mother slapped the mother of a girl on the winning basketball team who beat her daughter’s team.
A Florida baseball coach broke an umpire’s jaw after a disputed call.
A transatlantic flight from Rome to Chicago was recently diverted when a 42-year-old man threw a fit when he couldn’t get any more snacks because the crew ran out of crackers. Continue reading
Filed under Self-Control, Word of the Week
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