The Word for 2019 is Restoration

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…” Joel 2:25a (NIV) Happy new year, everybody! It’s nice to be back. I hope you all are enjoying Christmastime (if you follow your old Christmas carols, you know there are twelve days of Christmas, so it’s still Christmas even if you have already scuffed […]

Classic Post Encore: The Unsung Hero of Christmas

Merry Christmas! While we celebrate the incarnation of Christ Jesus, I want to ask you to consider the example of a man who was indispensable to the Christmas story — Joseph the carpenter. Meet Joseph When we first meet Joseph in the Bible, he is defined in terms of his relationships — as the son […]

Classic Post: A Veterans Day Salute

“Duty then is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.”                                                   […]

Classic Post: Wynton’s Ways to Practice

A jazz great breaks it down for us

“Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” – Proverbs 22:29 (ESV) I’ve been a musician since my early teens — ever since I spent an entire summer harvesting tobacco –by hand! — to buy my first bass guitar and my first […]

Classic Post: The Wisdom of King Solomon

Learn from the wisest king in history

Men:  We have to talk about sex. If there’s one area where this generation is stuck, this is it. The Water Was Dirty Before You Got In Now, before you conclude that I’m pointing my finger at you, please realize that the Boomer cohort gave us the sexual revolution and rampant divorce, and the Gen X cohort […]

Re-post: Stand for Something

Follow the example of the Friendship Nine

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” -Romans 12:18 (ESV) In Rock Hill, South Carolina, a judge recently vacated the sentences of nine civil rights activists who were arrested and convicted in the 1960’s. Their crime was sitting at the same lunch counter as whites in a local five and dime […]

Classic Post: The Fence That Me And Shorty Built

Cowboy wisdom that city-slickers can put to work

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” – Colossians 3:23 – 24 (NIV) Here’s a trip back to the poetry […]

Re-post: Stimulation Is Good But Beware the Fakes

Get to know genuine accomplishment and real satisfaction

“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.” – Psalm 119:37 We have spent the last several weeks considering the importance of the psychological and emotional needs Identity, Stimulation, and Security. In this post, I’d like to discuss the consequences of the misplaced or unmoderated need for stimulation. […]

Re-post: Why You Need Your Question Answered

The crazy among us seek stimulation by creating drama

 “Crazy is like glitter. It sticks to everything, gets everywhere, and you never get rid of it.”  – Anonymous (or perhaps I said it first) Over the past several posts we have been dealing with the primary emotional needs of Identity, Stimulation, and Security. Playwright-turned-anthropologist Robert Ardrey deserves the credit for identifying these three — […]

Re-post: The How and Why of Saying No to Your Boss

Daniel and the limits of obedience

“Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best.” – John C. Maxwell In a previous post, I explained the debt a man owes to his employer. (If you weren’t paying attention then, you can read it here.) In that post I presented a general rule that employees should […]