All of us have leadership within us. You don’t need to be a president, prime minister or high flying executive to exercise leadership. There has been so much written on leadership that my purpose in this little article is not to try and teach you some fancy theory or practice but rather to suggest that you have the courage to let what is in you come out.
I believe in two things (well actually I believe in a lot of things but I have just two to prattle on about in this paragraph!) I believe in life long learning. Every day I try and read 10 pages of a good book to feed me and listen to 15 minutes or so of good audio to inspire me. I passionately believe I will never be done with learning. Do you feel that way too? Secondly, I believe that my leadership skills can always use a little stretching. After 30+ years of leadership in a variety of contexts I still feel as if I am only just beginning. Read the rest of this entry »
Thanksgiving is my kind of holiday. Apart from the “thanks” part, the primary purpose of this celebration is eating. That is the one thing I do quite well.
Thanksgiving is the beginning of a feasting frenzy that would make Richard Simmons sweat to the goodies. Any thoughts of dieting at this time of the year are merely blowing in the wind. Hopefully, not in my direction.
Our Pilgrim Fathers came up with the idea of a Thanksgiving feast. The Pilgrim Mothers were too busy doing the wash and caring for the children to think of any more work. Read the rest of this entry »
I was reminded recently that the only thing growing in my family tree are fruits and nuts. Personally, I am not sure if I am a fruit or a nut. Just do not ask my wife.
I had been away for so long I had forgotten many things about my family. My recent visit served as a refresher course reminding me why I had moved away in the first place. Memory sometimes pays little tricks causing us to remember the “good old days” and forgetting that sprinkled in among the good are ample portions of what I call good-challenged moments and characters.
I cannot speak about anybody else’s family; my family seems to run the gamut between good and bad. I certainly have some wonderful relatives but then, I also have those who are on the other side of that description. Overall, they serve to make my family what it is today. Read the rest of this entry »
Patty is my friend. She lives in a beautiful home by a lake. Within 30 minutes of her home she can drive to eight castles built hundreds of years ago in Europe where she lives.
But for Patty, being a Mom is a constant every day challenge. Her son is ADHD – he is in his twenties now but still after all these years he is an enormous challenge to his wonderful Mom. His behavior has had his parents up many nights searching for their teenager or dealing with his latest drama.
But Patty has learnt to be thankful – in finding something to be grateful for she has kept her heart from growing cold and embittered. Of course the reason that Patty can do that is she can always find someone worse off than her even though sometimes life feels like a living hell
Now Patty isn’t always “up” – sometimes she despairs as we all do at times and all I can do for my friend is simply be there – she doesn’t need me to try and “fix” anything (although I’ve given my two pennyworth at times and often regretted it). But to be there is to mirror the very essence of the God we love and serve. The fragrance Patty and I often smell is the one that tells us that God is Emmanuel – “God with us.” Just to know God is there for us is sufficient to get us through a trying day or a trying time..
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Recently, I needed to make a trip to visit some relatives. These days, the way the economy and gas prices are it turns out to be cheaper to fly. Even though, airlines no longer serve the delicious food of which they became famous.
Several aspects about airplanes that give me cause for alarm. The person who designed the modern-day airplane must have used one of the dwarfs for a model. I’m thinking, Grumpy. The seats, for example, are not built for the average posterior. I know I need to go on a diet but my airplane seat does not have to remind me of that auspicious fact.
The restrooms do not have any room whatsoever to rest in them. The last one I was in I had to step outside in order to change my mind. What were they thinking when they designed and built these restrooms?
Personally, I think it is a conspiracy on the part of the entire airline industry to harass those of us who are diminutive challenged. Read the rest of this entry »
Is it just me, or do others have trouble catching up? Just when it looks like I am almost caught up with some project or my to-do-list, something happens setting me back a few paces. One step forward, as they say and for me 17 steps backward. Or, so it seems.
I don’t have any problem whatsoever catching a cold. I once even caught a fly in my mouth while preaching, and it is as easy as New York style cheesecake to catch the dickens from the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Catching up is another matter all together.
Two things happened last week that brought this to my attention.
First, I took someone out to lunch. That in itself is not outstanding. My wife tells me I am out to lunch all the time.
Have you ever tried to impress someone by taking them out to lunch and insist on paying for lunch? That is exactly what I did this past week. Why I ever try to impress anyone is beyond my wife’s wildest imagination, but I try, much to her chagrin.
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Two dates in our planner are certain. The day we are born and the day we die! In between we receive a gift which doesn’t depend on our wealth, our family background, what neighborhood we live in or any other personal circumstance. The gift we are all given is “TIME”. Time is finite. None of your friends has more or less than you do. In fact time is the greatest equal opportunity all of us have. Do you know anyone who has a 25 hour day? “I wish” I hear you saying. Wouldn’t you as a busy parent love to have an extra hour a day? Well you can, if you take time to think.
What do I mean by think? If you want to be different from the crowd then thinking is the way to go. I guarantee you that if once per day you think for 15 minutes about how you want to construct you day your will find that your planned day will be at least an hour more productive than your unplanned one is now.
Maybe another day I will tell you some of the things that you can do – once a week, once a month and once a year to be more productive than you are now. However for now, let’s concentrate on that wonderful gift called a day! Read the rest of this entry »
Storm clouds were brewing like fresh morning coffee in the normally placid parsonage this past week. I will not say that things got out of hand, which is not to say they did not. I just will not say.
I sensed a growing controversy between my wife and myself. Its genesis came about because of some silly mix-up, I assure you. Usually, mix-ups come about because of some misunderstanding and boy, do I sure miss my understanding. I have misplaced mine for so long I honestly cannot remember when I had it last
If my memory serves me, and it has not to date, the last time I had a glimpse of my understanding, I was standing at some altar repeating the words, “I do.” After that, life has been a glorious blur.
The faux pas between us simply was a matter of attitude. My better half took the high road and I, per usual, took the low road. The reason I take the low road is simply that when I fall, and falling for me is inevitable, I do not have far to plummet. Read the rest of this entry »
I was sitting in a restaurant on a Friday afternoon enjoying a leisurely repast with some friends. Somewhere in the middle of our conversation, my cell phone went off. Without even thinking about it, I reached into my shirt pocket, pulled it out and answered it.
It was then I was struck with an awful thought. I am now a child of this contemporary technological world. I never thought I would succumb to this sort of thing. But here I am; I’m not the man I used to be, and I’m not even sure I’m the man I want to be.
On my way home, I thought about how far I have come in this modern world. Then, for some reason I thought of my old grandfather. He died in 1974 and every once in a while I think about him. This was one of those times.
What came to my mind this particular time was when my grandmother got a new contraption for their home. Grandfather was not enthused about some of these modern advances. Read the rest of this entry »
Did you know you signed up for a marathon? “Me?” I hear you say – “yes you!” Well that is if you are one of a common species called Parent. Do you remember that first 24 hours as a parent? A thousand thoughts went through your mind including “how did I get into this! Every hiccup, cry and diaper change left you with the question – “Did I do it right!”
The Chinese have an expression – the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with the first step and you can be sure that in parenthood that first step is taken when your little one arrives on time, early or maybe late (that might give you a hint of future behavior – Being Late!) is a significant step. For most parents, particularly new ones, it ushers in several decades of worry! We worry what they are eating, what they are not eating. Who they are hanging around with (even when they are three years old!) We worry about their grades, there boy or girl friends, there hairstyles and everything else under the sun. Read the rest of this entry »
CWAHD.com
was designed to assist dads in their quest for a work at home job or business.
The idea for this website actually came from my wife. Since the creation of
her website for Christian Work at Home Moms, 
