Category: Reflections

Jiminy Cricket famously advised Pinocchio to wish upon a star. It’s a cute song, but I’m not sure it’s wise to accept life coaching advice from a bug. I don’t believe in wishes any more than I believe in the twenty-seven versions of Santa Claus that recently invaded our house. There’s a star in the Christmas […]

On December 10, 1986, Elie Wiesel delivered one of the influencal speeches in history. The occasion was his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize. Wiesel looked back to himself as a small boy entering the Holocaust and asked, “Can this be true? Who would allow such crimes to be committed? How could the world remain […]

 You do what you are. That’s sort of backwards from the usual message, but I think I like it. My friend Jon Swanson writes a great blog called 300 Words A Day. I encourage you to add it to your reading list. Jon has this great way of using everyday stuff to talk about following […]

Today’s my twenty-seventh anniversary. In case you don’t recall, December 5, 1987 was a crisp, cloudy Saturday in Colorado. I thought I’d put up some outdoor Christmas lights. I almost completed the job before life changed forever, literally in the blink of an eye. I took a ride in an ambulance and reurned home five […]

“Does a dream HAVE to serve others?” I’ve heard the question before as I share my definition of a dream: A dream is a God-inspired desire to use your unique gifts and talents to serve others and change the world. “Isn’t it okay to want to do something for myself, like climbing a mountain just […]

What are you waiting for? After a recent talk, a guy told me he was a little disappointed because the staff at his recovery program wasn’t providing as much motivation as he’d anticipated. He offered a sports analogy. He wanted a coach constantly pushing, yelling, forcing him to do his best. Apparently that worked for him as […]

Limits provide a built-in excuse. Unlimited doesn’t exist. Resources are limited. People don’t always follow through.  Somebody gets hurt. There’s opposition and criticism. On the other end, opportunity does exist. We can find ways to serve, ideas to develop, and dreams to follow. Somewhere along the line I learned this nasty tendency to practice my limits. […]

I’m trying to discern the proper response to recent events in Ferguson. It’s clear to me that these developments highlight systemic, long-term injustice that goes far beyond one specific incident. I absolutely believe non-violence is the only solution. Rioting and looting only intensify fear and mistrust while confirming false stereotypes. Jesus didn’t call us to […]

“There’s only one winner—either you win, or you’re a loser.” The guy was adamant. Life’s a competition, a battle, and there’s only room for one person at the top. If you don’t fight for that spot, you’ll get squashed. You exploit weakness, because if you don’t someone else will. I listened and tried to understand […]

Happy Saturday! I encourage you to grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and be inspired by a 20-minute video. I invite you to leave a comment concerning your reaction to the guy in the top hat. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now […]

Last time I wrote a serious story about My First Handcycle. As always, there’s a bit of humor and a few more lessons just beneath the surface of the story. It’s true that I resisted handcycling, mostly out of fear. I was sure I’d fail. But secretly, I wondered what it would be like. See, […]

I sat on my first handcycle in March, 1999. You can read the story of The First Ride, but it’s fair to say that two blocks in thirty minutes wasn’t exactly a rousing success. (Amazing how primitive that bike looks now.) I’d just spent more than ten years whining and giving up. But when I […]