I lie. Some days more than others, but I lie. I do not like it. I am not proud of it, but I must admit it: I lie. I lie daily, from early morning ‘til I pillow my head at night. I do not intend to. I do not want to, but I do. My lying is intermittent, unpredictable, and …

 I needed a business development officer and he needed work. I had enough money to hire him, and he agreed to the salary. I wanted him to introduce me to key strategic partners and he was a serial networking machine. It was an arrangement made in heaven. Though we didn’t know diddly about each other, we seemed to click. We …

 At the beginning of my third-grade year, Ms. Gertrude Smallshaw established her authority by thundering on the first day of school, “No talking in my classroom.” Then she talked for the rest of the period and even asked us to respond to questions. At the time I didn’t understand the “no talking rule,” especially when she violated it. In retrospect, …

 Dr. Tim Stearman, leader, pastor, storyteller, conference speaker, humorist and friend, says, “If you really want to listen well, rely on your eyes.” His sermon-in-a-sentence convicts me and helps me. Here are a few of his salient points:  When you listen with your eyes,  Tim went on to say that sometimes listening is simply keeping one’s mouth shut when:  “Yet, …

 When I was a wee lad, one, if not both of my parents would put me to bed at night and the ritual was always the same. They knelt with me by my bed, taught me to fold my hands, bow my head and pray after them a classic children’s prayer dating to the 18th century.  “Now I lay me …

 Sooner or later, somewhere, at some place with someone, you are bound to experience a badly bruised or broken relationship. Best friends quit speaking; families leave churches; individuals quit jobs; married couples separate or divorce to cope with, or in response to, irreconcilable differences.  There are those who grieve broken relationships yet feel they have invested too much to throw …

 What is a declaration? By definition, it is the beginning of a state or condition. Think, for example, of a declaration of war. It is an admission of intent to initiate engagement with another nation through violence. The declaration informs thinking (strategy) and action (military engagement).  How do declarations work in our daily lives? Consider this case study.  Case Study …

 Allianz Life cited the Retirement Risk Readiness Study, April 13, 2020, to buttress their claim that many Americans are not saving—or cannot save—enough money to retire. Fifty-five percent of non-retirees are worried they will not have enough saved for retirement, while six in ten say running out of money before they run out of life is their biggest worry. “Even …

 Where two or more are gathered, there will be conflict. Politics, religion, taxes, policy, immigration, climate change, the environment, you name it, there are and forever will be opposing views. Often, those who hold opposing views may be in your church, business, home, or bed!  Americans have broadcast to the world that we are at an all-time low in finding …

 In a May 1, 1992, interview with reporters, Rodney King, a victim of police brutality, asked a question on national news outlets in response to the “Rodney King Riots.” He pleaded, “Can we all get along?” [Nation and World News, May 1, 2019]. It was a good question. Based on the last 28 years – up to and including 2020 …