Enchant Somebody Today
How do you change people’s minds, win people’s hearts, and lead people’s actions? You enchant them. Enchantment is the latest book by former Apple ‘evangelist’ Guy Kawasaki that is more than worth the read. Its a kind of relational primer from a supremely skilled practitioner. But its not so much about relational techniques, although it [...]
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On Doing Something…
I’ll tell you why I am in favor of New Years Resolutions, even though I know how often they fizzle out. We were made to do something. We were made to make a difference. One of the great illusions of life is that I will give myself credit for being better than I am merely [...]
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“God bless America–and to hell with our enemies!”
What a heartbreaking tragedy in Arizona. Some folks at our church had very close ties to some of the shooting victims–its amazing how quickly what can be a distant news item can be when it becomes personal. How prayer is needed for all the families and friends involved. How prayer is needed for our country. [...]
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If you’re busy, or tired, or unspiritual, or feel like you haven’t gotten Christmas right…
If you’re busy, or tired, or unspiritual, or feel like you haven’t gotten Christmas right: where should you look for Christmas? Look where you least expect it. Look when you least deserve it. Look to ordinary moments in surprising locations. Look for the sign of the shepherds. In the bible, angels come to shepherds and [...]
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Finding Joy at Christmas in the next sixty seconds…
“and you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger…” ‘Swaddling clothes’ are one of the best parts of the Christmas story. I’ll tell you why. This announcment is made to the shepherds. Shepherding was not considered a high-class job. It was actually on some lists of unclean occupations. “Mommas, [...]
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The Calendar and Christmas
We used to get advent calendars when out kids were small. The idea, i guess, was to get them excited about Christmas by opening a candy a day. but there is a tie between the calendar and Christmas that can serve your soul this advent season. In sixth century, a Scythian monk living in Rome [...]
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What we want is not joy. What we want is unforced joy.
I watched the end of the World Series a few nights ago. I live in the San Francisco Bay area, and it has been transformed for a few short days by nine men running around a field. People are nice to each other. Strangers aren’t strangers. “Did you see the game? How about those Giants?” [...]
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The Church: What’s happening
I was at the Catalyst conference in Atlanta last week, and did wall-to-wall interviews with a bunch of church leaders in the Monvee Tent. Which was not air-conditioned. In Atlanta. Not that I’m complaining. The best part was the opportunity to meet with and learn from a whole flock of wonderful thinkers and leaders, and [...]
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Taking (some) of the guilt and confusion out of spiritual growth.
When I first read Richard Foster’s The Celebration of Discipline, I did not like it. Its twelve chapters are organized around 12 spiritual disciplines. I felt like I was already not reading the Bible and praying enough–now I have ten more activities I have to feel guilty about? Guilt, while very necessary to convict us [...]
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Lessons from Winston
More than a decade ago, I brought our kids home from camp, and Nancy was sitting in the front yard with a tiny Yorkshire terrier puppy. We did not have a good pet track record. I will say no more on this front. I asked Nancy–”Did we actually agree that we were getting a dog?” [...]
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