When did it happen? I’m not sure, but one time I noticed my tongue rubbed up against that rough spot more than I would have liked. I scheduled an appointment for a teeth cleaning and was sure to find out what Dr. Beeler would do about the rough spot on my front tooth. It couldn’t be taken care of that day so two days later, I was back in his office. After he smoothed the area a bit, he applied a sealant, and I went on my merry way. It got me thinking. What rough spots exist in my life that I’d just like to apply sealant to? What work do I need to do before applying the sealant to make sure it will adhere well? What would the sealant be? Back to the cleaning. It always feels great, doesn’t it? I brush well, so imagine not … [Read more...]
Words We Say and Don’t Say Change Lives
The words we say and the words we don’t say change lives. Take a moment and read that again. The words we say and the words we don’t say change lives. Do you agree? Who has spoken to you in this life-changing way? What did they say? Perhaps you stood across from the love of your life and heard, “I do.” Or, maybe you’ve heard, “We’re moving again,” “It’s a boy!,” or “You’ll never amount to anything!” Words have power. God can use them to change the direction of a life. What about words that were not spoken? Perhaps you haven’t heard something positive that you’d still like to hear. An apology? An “I love you,” “I’m here for you,” or, “You’re special to me.” Or, maybe like me, you … [Read more...]
When Dreams Change – Walking With Our Wounded Warriors
I’m writing this column from the side porch of the lodge at Eagles Summit Ranch in Westcliffe, CO. Established by my friend and evangelist, Dave Roever, its purpose is to bring veterans (and their spouses) dealing with severe cases of stress due to experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan to a quiet place so they can rediscover themselves.These Wounded Warriorsaren’t going to be living out the future they had planned for themselves. Some wanted the military to be their career. Others wanted to eventually move into security or police work. But, instead, they’re being medically discharged and their futures are uncertain because of physical challenges.Talking with these soldiers is such a reminder that dreams and goals are totally … [Read more...]
The Joy of Developing a New Competence
When reflecting on developing our competence, a friend who’s an accomplished opera singer came to mind. When we first met, he wasn’t singing opera and I couldn’t have pictured his career moving in that direction. So, I recently asked him, “When did you know opera was your specialty?” His answer fascinates me: “It was one of the first things I did musically that challenged me on so many different levels. Not only could it be a great theatrical experience, but it has to also be an incredible musical experience. Opera forced me to work hard at singing in a way I had never had to work before. It really is the triathlon of singing. It has taken me years to learn how to project over a sometimes 90-100 piece orchestra using my … [Read more...]
Belonging Is A Need We All Have – Putting Facebook In Perspective
Belonging is a need we all have. In our Student Improvement Plan, we define it as “having healthy connections with trustworthy people, including those with similar strengths and interests and those who are different.” Helping students develop healthy belonging was one of our main goals during our abstinence-until-marriage and alcohol-reduction grants. It was exhilarating to see them make progress toward this goal. Addressing the issue of "belonging" remains important to me for many reasons. For the purposes of this post, it is partly because of my own use of Facebook as well as the incredible rise of online social networks. Did you know that it has been recently reported that Facebook now has 750 million users? That is world … [Read more...]
Growing Up Isn’t Just for Kids
If we listed our key responsibilities, would paying attention to children’s progress make the list? It should. What if we listed the responsibilities we should have toward ourselves? Would paying attention to our growth make the list? It should. Yet, in our busyness, with many important tasks at hand, much to be aware of, and no eyes in the back of our head to help us, do we consciously examine whether our children are maturing? Do we consider whether their responses to today’s difficulties are different from how they reacted six months ago? What about how they’re affected by good news? Any differences between then and now?Knowing whether we’re maturing might be even more important. How are we coping with less-than-great news? … [Read more...]
Intentional Choices – Who We Spend Time With, Who We Give a Voice To
I bet you young people sometimes have problems to solve and decisions to make. When you want good advice, who do you call, email, or go see? Who has God given you to help you? Don’t answer out loud . . . just think your answers. Do you have any habits you need to break? Maybe there is a sin you’ve gotten good at. This is not good! What about things you don’t do that you know you should? Do you have thoughts you shouldn’t have? Desires that are not pleasing to God? What does God want you to change? Who can help you? Keep thinking.Let me give you an example. When I was in the bush country of Senegal, West Africa, I met a woman who was a new Christian. Ndeba’s home was like a small shed. To me, her life appeared difficult. … [Read more...]
Happy Independence Day! – Great Erma Bombeck Quote
"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." Erma Bombeck I certainly hope that you have a memorable July 4th Holiday! … [Read more...]
Here’s Looking At You, Kid!
I’m at the age when my vision changes often and bifocals have become a necessity. Therefore, I’ve had several appointments with my eye doctor over the last two months as he tries to perfect my prescription. Although I usually like my bifocal contact lenses, my near vision isn’t as crisp as I’d like it to be. It’s not my doctor’s fault. I respect how complex our vision is. Lately, I’ve found myself questioning children’s vision. Is it 20-20 for weaknesses, but not for strengths? Or, is it even worse? Do their eyes magnify their weaknesses while being blind to their strengths? I believe there are far too many children with a negative orientation toward themselves. They believe and verbalize statements such as, “I’m … [Read more...]
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