One blueberry bagel, double toasted, with fruit spread on the side. This morning I was eating a bagel in the same local cafe where my son, Kile, and I talked about life over breakfast for more than three years. Here is the back story. My dad was mostly absent from […]

300 feet. 2 seconds. These numbers may not mean much to you, but if you were a pilot sitting on the deck of an aircraft carrier, they would mean a great deal. 300 feet. That’s the entire length of a runway in front of you. That’s all the distance available to […]

When I hear the phrase Give me a double, I don’t think of alcohol. I think of my buddy Mark. No matter which restaurant, no matter the type of food, no matter the time of day, he always ordered a double. If it was breakfast, he’d order double bacon. If […]

Perhaps you’ve heard of EGR people. It’s not a personality type—like an ENFP or an 8 on the Enneagram. EGR folks are those who require extra grace. Extra Grace Required. EGR. Somebody like this. These are the folks who simply grate on our nerves. Perhaps it’s because of the way […]

“Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” That’s what the inscription on Sam Walton’s grave reads. Not “Wal-Mart founder” or “Billionaire philanthropist” or “Man who transformed the modern economy” or “Everyday low prices.” Epitaphs always fascinate me because you see how people want to be remembered. Here are a few […]

Two good friends and I started a magazine in the late 1990s. Over the years, I’ve been a part of plenty of things that didn’t go well, but this one was a smashing success. The magazine was called Life@Work and the idea was to explore the Bible and work. What […]

AA few months back, two funerals occurred in the same week in our community. Both were men I knew who had lived a long life and had great community reach. I assumed the funerals would be pretty similar. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The first funeral was as impressive […]

Most of us have a few bad annoying habits if we asked those closest to us. Talking with food in your mouth? Having a loud group conversation on your speaker phone in a public place? Rude interrupting during conversations?  Not a focused good listener? I will not divulge mine at […]

Most of us have a few bad annoying habits if we asked those closest to us. Talking with food in your mouth? Having a loud group conversation on your speaker phone in a public place? Rude interrupting during conversations?  Not a focused good listener? I will not divulge mine at […]

“Trust in God but tie up your camel” reads the ancient Arabian proverb. In other words, have faith, but don’t neglect common sense. Too often we split these concepts and treat them as if they were mutually exclusive propositions. We drive a wedge between bold faith and simple common sense. […]