I’ve heard people say, “I don’t wanna just survive, I wanna thrive.” In a scientific study from 2015, Psychologists Judith Mangelsdorf and Michael Eid state: “A survivor is a person who lived through hardship or disaster. A thriver is more than that. It is someone who not only goes through an exceptionally positive or threatening life event, … Continue reading Adversity Gives Us Wings
Suffering — Blessing or Curse?
The idea of God-approved suffering is a hard pill for many to swallow. Then there are those who argue, “Does He SEND the suffering or just ALLOW it?” Wow, that’s a deep question, and as I’ve stated on many occasions, I’m a storyteller, not a theologian, so I won’t tackle that one. What I would … Continue reading Suffering — Blessing or Curse?
“I’m a Big, Brave Boy”
My grandson, Joshua, will be six years old next month, and is in kindergarten. While he’s one of the smartest in his class—just ask me, I’ll tell ya—he never attended preschool. As is the way in our family, we teach kids while we play, so they learn and have fun. It’s not really something we … Continue reading “I’m a Big, Brave Boy”
You Are Not Ugly
Fat… Ugly… Stupid… Worthless… Yeah, growing up I was called all that and more. Why? Because I was a bit chubbier than the other kids. I look back at pictures of myself and think, “I wasn’t fat. How could children hurl such ghastly names at me?" But they were kids, not that this is an … Continue reading You Are Not Ugly
Ditch the Haters
You can choose which voices to listen to, did you know that? I've had a thousand creative dreams since I was a teenager, almost none of which came to fruition. That being said, I refuse to keep those in my inner circle who bring me down, or disrespect my vision. Disagreeing is a different topic, … Continue reading Ditch the Haters
Poem For Lost Loved Ones
My cousin Rick and his wife, Lisa, lost both their teenage sons. My friend Christy lost her son in his early 20s. My friends Mike and Tammy lost their teenage son, leaving my buddy Matt, their older son, lost, without his little brother. My cousin Stacy lost her son when he was 16 years old, … Continue reading Poem For Lost Loved Ones
Sweet Genevieve & Judas Priest
Last night my son, Trey, and I attended the Judas Priest/Deep Purple concert in Kansas City, which is about 2 ½ hours away. We were really excited about the show, and found it hard to sit still before it started, so we walked around, bought some water and a couple of t-shirts, and then started … Continue reading Sweet Genevieve & Judas Priest
That Time I Almost Died Last Night
I was almost killed in a car accident last night, which kinda puts things in perspective, ya know? Gimme a minute to explain. With my daughter and son-in-law being separated, my wife, son and I are living with my daughter, five-year-old grandson and 10-month-old granddaughter. It’s a lively house, to be certain. We all get … Continue reading That Time I Almost Died Last Night
The Only True Failure Is Quitting
You’ve had enough, right? You’re on the verge of losing it…like TOTALLY losing your cool, maybe more. Maybe your life. I’ve been there, believe me. Last year I told my wife, “I think the cheese is slippin’ off my cracker,” which was my weird way of saying I felt like I was losing my mind. … Continue reading The Only True Failure Is Quitting
Sleep Through The Storm
“Then he got into a boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly a terrible storm came up, with waves higher than the boat. But Jesus was asleep. (Matthew 8:23-24, emphasis mine)” Jesus' disciples were freaking out, man. A massive storm hit while they were crossing a lake, and they thought they were gonna … Continue reading Sleep Through The Storm
