There’s a quote attributed to actor John Wayne that says, “Life is hard. But it’s even harder when you’re stupid.” Wisdom isn’t needed when you live in the moment and react to what you feel. But it’s a necessity if you choose to navigate for a better tomorrow.… Read the rest
As life is leveraged, is your dream growing? Don’t live life with regret. Dream big. Don’t let your childhood sense of imagination get tabled, or even worse, lost. God is not finished. What He birthed in your heart when you were a child, was no accident. He’s now grown you to a place that it can happen.… Read the rest
The shortest pencil is better than the longest memory. As one of my former pastors would always say to me, “Let it go.” There’s a sense, as a leader, that we must develop a sense of amnesia. As the circle of influence grows, so do the critics. So whether you make a mistake, or someone is criticizing, learn we must, but letting go is not an option.… Read the rest
The greatest sin for a Christian is lukewarmness. Jesus said, “Because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16). The first time I read this, it was painful, but I believe Jesus is encouraging us not to let the world come between our love and desire of Him. He is the fulfillment and the fullness to everything. Read His Word. Talk to Him in Prayer. And watch what He will do.… Read the rest
The goal in life is not to be liked, but to love another – with His love. It’s always about giving, not getting. It’s about focusing on the investment, the people, not the return for self. As Paul said, “And the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).… Read the rest
The gladness of the heart is spending time in the Spirit. How much time do you give to prayer? How much time do you stop and just ponder in God’s Spirit? Our greatest joy can only come from the One who gives joy – and that is God. Don’t let a day (that He made) end without at least telling Him, “Thank You.”… Read the rest
Billy Graham, at a college graduation commencement stated, “Time is the capital that God has given us to invest. People are the stocks in which we are to invest our time, whether they’re blue chips or penny stocks or even junk bonds.” The greatest investment we can ever make with our time is people. Who are you investing in?… Read the rest
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the expression, “Time is money.” It’s not. Time is much more valuable than that. You can always make more money, but you can NEVER make more time – thus, you must learn to understand it. Time is a GIFT.… Read the rest
We need to lead with a compass, not with our calendar. A full calendar does not necessarily mean a full life. You can be busy, running from this to that, but the great question is, to what are you running – and is it worth it? Your time should inspire you, not tire you – which one are you?… Read the rest
Stephen Covey, in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, writes: “Time management is a misleading concept. You can’t really manage time. You can’t delay it, speed it up, save it or lose it. No matter what you do time keeps moving forward at the same rate. The challenge, then, is NOT to manage time, but to manage your self.”… Read the rest
A.W. Tozer wrote, “Time is a resource that is nonrenewable and nontransferable. You cannot store it, slow it up, hold it up, divide it up or give it up. You can’t hoard it up or save it – when it’s lost it’s unrecoverable. When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.” Don’t waste time – invest it – and its best investment, is always people.… Read the rest
Tell your time where it should go, rather than wondering where it all went. We all know the adage, time flies, but that doesn’t mean it has to be in control. Maybe we cannot control every tick on the clock, but we can control how they tick. “Be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the best use of your time” (Ephesians 5:15-16).… Read the rest
The late Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” She is so right. The power of the tongue. The ability to sing praises as well as shout curses under the same breath. May we always choose the former.… Read the rest
It’s been said that we should never look down on anyone unless we’re lending a hand to help them back up. Thus, if there’s one thing we must stop doing, it is any and all comparing of ourselves to others. The only comparison we really have is in the reflection of Christ. And that, my friends, would result in us always looking up.… Read the rest
I’ve always loved these words: “Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character” (T. Alan Armstrong). Thus, what they believe becomes the fruit of how they behave.… Read the rest
Successful people never blame. They make no excuses. They will not point their finger at anyone but themselves. They accept responsibility for what they can and cannot do. For they know the moment you start pointing the finger, passing the buck, you surrender all and any great opportunities at hand. Accusers and excusers are always the losers.… Read the rest
If character is what you do when no one is watching, then perhaps sportsmanship is that conduct with everybody watching. And frankly, the sports industry would probably survive without sportsmanship, and from my perspective, it has. But how refreshing it would be if more parents and coaches, more administrators and journalists, and especially more players realized there is room to win with flare and style, and maybe even get rich, but still keep the values that first brought all of us to the game in the first place.… Read the rest
“Take pride in yourself. Be your own person. Don’t do things because everyone else does them. Don’t be part of the crowd. Dare to be different. Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe to be right, even if it means standing alone” (Jack Lambert). And truth be told, if you’re a follower of Jesus, you’re never alone.… Read the rest
John Milton, one of the great authors of the 17th Century, wrote, “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” And the Bible agrees, “For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).… Read the rest
You will always improve your performance by improving your attitude. Attitude is everything. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances” (Viktor Frankl). Our attitude will either propel us or defeat us. For life is really not so much about what happens around you, but rather what is happening within you.… Read the rest
Former NBA superstar Moses Malone once stated, “I’ll always be Number 1 to myself.” At first it may seem arrogant, but I contend it’s quite biblical. For isn’t that what Jesus said? “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Until we embrace the gift that we are in Christ, we will struggle in the context of authentic, true community. The output of our love is always determined by the input of His.… Read the rest
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. As Lee Cockerell, former Walt Disney World EVP, so eloquently said, “It’s not the magic that makes it work; it’s the way we work that makes it magic.”… Read the rest
I think being ‘gifted’ is often defined poorly, as if it’s about one’s talent, ability, and performance. For me, being ‘gifted’ is a measurement of heart, effort, and desire. I’ll take the later over the former any day.… Read the rest
Perseverance is one of the greatest attributes to success. As the apostle Paul told us, we are to fight the good fight and finish the race. For nothing is impossible if we simply stay the course. Who knows what our next step might bring. How our circumstances might change. I will tell you this: If you give up, if you quit, you will never kiss the cup, hold the trophy, enjoy the celebration, get promoted, and reach the finish line. Quitters never win. Samuel Johnson said, “Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.”… Read the rest
When common sense tells me I no longer have a chance, when I have been playing at my worst, and all the breaks have not been going my way, I still approach each day as a glorious opportunity to get going again. You see, regardless of how my immediate moments unfold, there’s always new opportunity, new possibility in the next.… Read the rest