Do remember when you were young, so often being full of anticipation, yet having to wait.  You were waiting for Christmas, waiting for your birthday, waiting to be old enough to stay up past 9pm, waiting for school to get out, waiting for you drivers permit, waiting for graduation, waiting, waiting, waiting.  Do you remember your parents saying, "Wait till you get older, then you will..?"…

Do you think of yourself as a spiritual person?  Most people do not.  They honestly feel spiritually disqualified by their lack of prayer.  Some people try to suppress these feelings of spiritual lack by rationalizing.  They say, "I don't need to spend specific time praying, I pray along the way - throughout my day."  This may be true, and Scripture does teach us to "pray continually." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)  However, sometimes those who say they…

When children are young, we ask them what they want to be when they grow up.  When leaders cast vision for their organization, they describe what they want they want to become.  Life is very much about "becoming," and making the needed adjustments along the way.

How did Tom Brady become Tom Brady, one of the winningest quarterbacks of all…

When was the last time you were seriously caught off guard?  Possibly a large bill came that you weren't expecting, or maybe it was an illness, or you had an accident.  You could have been called on to make a presentation, or train someone, or give an account - for which you were not prepared.  Maybe it was a positive surprise, possibly someone sent you a gift or expressed love that you had not expected.…

What comes out of you when you are not trying to control yourself? What most naturally comes out of your heart and mouth when your guard is down, or when you are too worn to put up a fight? What is your immediate reaction to life's circumstances? In other words, what is most entrenched in your soul?

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Do you ever feel "out of sorts?"  ... When things just don't seem right; your attitude is out of whack, you don't feel good about yourself, weird and awkward things come out of your mouth, your timing is off, possibly your mind seems slow or foggy - you just don't feel together.  We all have times like this, and they can be attributed to a number of different factors at different times.  These symptoms describe an inner…

Have you ever seen anyone who speaks at others, but rarely with them?  Such people may say many words, but they often miss the mark - no lasting or impactful message is received.  It is as if they are shooting a gun, or at times a machine gun, but never taking the time to take aim.  Let's take a…

Have you ever walked closely with a dreamer - somebody who always lives in the future, but rarely acts in the present?  Such people can be fun to be around for short periods of time.  They can spin tales of possibilities, and they can give you hopes for a bright new day.  But, after a while, they can grow wearisome because they don't often…

Have you ever noticed how some people just are not with the program?  They seem to be more like dead weight than helpful weight bearers.  These people might be in your work place, on your sports team, in your class at school, in your family or at your church.…

Sometimes your life is on a roll - everything you do seems to produce positive results, sometimes even better than you "deserve."  At other times, however, you work and you pray and you do what you can, but it seems all in vain - there are little or no positive results for your hard labor.  These different seasons both have challenges, but their primary challenge is common to both. Good times and bad times can…

It's easy to get trapped by the idea that living the Christian life is a matter of being good, or living a principle-centered life.  However, that is not even close to the core of Christianity.  The apostle Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, it is…

Are you looking forward to anything in particular - a vacation, a promotion, a date, an event?  I hope so, because hope helps you get out of bed in the morning; it gives you reason to press on.  

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How can you tell what you should do with your life?  What are the right next steps to take?

We all want to know where we are going in life.…

What do you think people most want from each other?  If you watch much TV or see many movies, you might think the answer is "sex."  However, there is a much deeper and more realistic answer to the question.  Your deepest needs and desires transcend all stages of life, and even health…

When you consider the hardships of your life, the obstacles before you, the pain you are experiencing or the resources that are needed, what is most difficult?  Is the hardest part in your past, what has already happened or led up to this point?  Or, is the scariest part related to what is happening right now?  Chances are, the greatest…

I have gone to one spot on a number of spiritual retreats for more than ten years.  While there I have spent significant amounts of time looking at a wonderful old tree.  I have watched it change through the seasons, each season highlighting different colors and aspects of this great and familiar tree.…

Have you ever noticed that God often uses you when you least expect it?  You might be dreading an upcoming situation, conversation, meeting or presentation - only to find that God uses that particular circumstance powerfully in your life and for His Kingdom.  The life and power of the Kingdom of God are not reliant on you.  However, God…