At some point, by the grace of God, many of us have the opportunity to be influenced by an encourager. Very often, encouragers challenge us to imagine a future. They present possibilities. They inspire confidence. I once heard the following story about my grandfather and have since thought about it many times. My grandfather, John… Continue reading When the Encourager is Missing
Tag: My Story
Getting an Education from the Classroom to the Street
I need to be reminded that “the sovereign Lord is my strength” (Habakkuk 3:19). God has always wanted his people to depend on him. Yet, life at street level is often difficult. In fact, it can be very difficult. Years ago, I went to seminary. I studied and worked hard. I took courses in biblical… Continue reading Getting an Education from the Classroom to the Street
Steve Jobs and Those Seemingly Irrelevant Experiences
The Wall Street Journal recently printed a portion of Steve Jobs’s 2005 commencement address at Stanford. Sometime those experiences, skills, courses, can seem irrelevant. Yet, quite often, later in life they turn out to be a valuable part of who you are. I naïvely chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and… Continue reading Steve Jobs and Those Seemingly Irrelevant Experiences
Being Judgmental Doesn’t Have to Take So Long
It was October 1995. I had been in Bethesda, Maryland, at a seminar for almost a week. Finally, it was time to go home. Late that afternoon, I flew out of Baltimore and changed planes in Chicago. After landing in Chicago, I boarded a connecting flight to Austin. As I sat in my seat waiting… Continue reading Being Judgmental Doesn’t Have to Take So Long
Stuck in a Memphis Bathroom
I was stuck. Years ago, I had just finished taking a final exam at Harding Graduate School of Religion (Memphis). The test was not complete until late afternoon. I decided to spend the night and stayed at my friend Gary’s apartment. Gary worked nights and I would have the apartment to myself most of the… Continue reading Stuck in a Memphis Bathroom
Rookie Mistake
I thought I would simply go to Target on Friday morning to pick up a GPS that was on sale. I couldn’t believe the price. Turned out to be more complicated than I thought. We were in Dallas for Thanksgiving. We were with my parents, my brother, and my sister’s family. We spent the night… Continue reading Rookie Mistake
Strenthening the Soul (13)
With one finger, he lowered the electric window of his Cadillac convertible. He was smoking a big cigar. He was a prominent businessman in our town. In our little church, he was our big giver. I was a young minister, newly married, and had been preaching in this little church for only a few months.… Continue reading Strenthening the Soul (13)
Life Happened at Safeway
When I was growing up, much of my life was spent at Safeway. All three kids went with my mother for the weekly trip to Safeway on Buckner Boulevard in Pleasant Grove (Dallas). We entered the store and got a cart. I can remember the various stages of riding in the cart, standing on the… Continue reading Life Happened at Safeway
When Baby and “Poppie” Came Without Clothes
I got back from Nashville this morning at 2:00 AM. Charlotte and I were there for the birth of our first grandchild. Brody was born on Thursday at 5:03 PM. Of course he was born without clothes. A nurse wrapped Brody in a swaddling blanket. For several days in the hospital, he was wrapped in… Continue reading When Baby and “Poppie” Came Without Clothes
What Story Do You Tell Yourself?
This morning I readSeth Godin’s blog and really liked what he said. He asks a very important question: What story do you tell yourself about yourself? I know that marketers tell stories. We tell them to clients, prospects, bosses, suppliers, partners and voters. If the stories resonate and spread and seduce, then we succeed. But… Continue reading What Story Do You Tell Yourself?