Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger… [Ephesians 4:21(a)] Do you cling to any traces of bitterness? Last week I wrote about talking to a younger version of me (Teaching Me). As I re-read my account of learning a scarcity mentality, it felt like I wrote a bit dispassionately. My words seemed somewhat cold […]
Continue readingLife Is Short
Happy Monday! Normally this is word-of-the-week day, but I want to do something different for the holiday. The obvious word for Thanksgiving week would be gratitude. Last week I read a great article in which Chris Guillebeau said, “When you find yourself with time to spare, don’t kill it. Respect it.” Chris’ quote got me […]
Continue readingSmall Business Saturday
Happy Weekend! I’m told that today is a brand new holiday. This very day has been branded “Small Business Saturday.” SBS is our opportunity to kick off our gift shopping by supporting the small businesses that have struggled through recent economic hard times. I’m not sure we need another “special” day, but supporting small business […]
Continue readingSelf-defeating Cycles
Is it possible that Abundance is a self-created cycle? The steps in this picture take the marchers perpetually uphill or downhill. Same steps—it’s all about which direction they choose to walk. I have a feeling the same sort of dynamic works for abundance and scarcity. Last time (Teaching Me) I talked about learning to think […]
Continue readingPavement…
…isn’t all that precious. Does it ever strike you that you treasure the wrong stuff? This week I’m trying to focus on my belief in Abundance. I’m afraid that there’s a big space between my intellectual belief and my habitual attitudes. An objective observer might not conclude that I operate consistently from an abundance mentality. I […]
Continue readingSemi-Regular Newsletter 11.18.10
I wonder a lot about the connection between Jesus’ birth and saving money–otherwise known as the “Holiday Sale.” I’m not sure how such incongruous notions became so tightly linked, but I suppose there’s not much I can do about it. Check out my response in this special edition of Rich’s Semi-Regular Newsletter. This week I’m […]
Continue readingTeaching Me
When we are young or immature, right theology makes us feel superior, but when we are older and more mature, a study of theology makes us feel inferior and unworthy, undeserved, and grateful. Don Miller Do you ever think about the life-changing lessons you learned as a kid? I’m not talking about words and facts […]
Continue readingAbundance
Happy Monday. Around here we’ve got our first snow on the ground—time to get the winter tires on the wheelchair. This edition of word-of-the-week has me thinking about… ABUNDANCE Abundance is an attitude, and it doesn’t come easily or naturally to me. I grew up in a home of scarcity. Our scarcity wasn’t material—it was […]
Continue readingSimple Joy–A Video
This week’s been about SIMPLE. We’ve looked at these topics if you want to catch up: Eyes On The Prize How To Stop Bullying Become Like Children Simple What’s simpler than a boy and his dog? This video captures a big part of what I’m trying to say. The dog looks and behaves very much like Monte, and […]
Continue readingEyes On The Prize
Have you ever seen the sport of curling? Curling, like most games, incorporates complex strategies and techniques, but the basic idea is pretty simple. The object, like other similar games (Crokinole and Shuffleboard), is to score points by getting your team’s markers closer to the target. These games typically involve three main tactics: Slide your […]
Continue readingHow To Stop Bullying
You can’t. You can’t decide how other people think or act. Do you agree? I’m working on some stuff for a group of kids who asked me to talk to them about leadership. Their question: “We’re supposed to be leaders. How can we stop bullying behavior in school?” My honest answer, sadly, is that they […]
Continue readingBecome Like Children
What does it mean to follow Jesus? Personally, I think I make it harder than He intended. This week I’m thinking about simple. I have a nagging feeling that we make a lot of things harder than they need to be. I don’t want to ignore life’s harsh realities, but I’d like to see if […]
Continue reading