Knowing vs. Being Known

Knowledge is a much-rewarded commodity in our culture today. Striving to know has been a large part of my journey in life. Also, I have found that knowledge can be used as a weapon for arguments or making myself appear smart. It is then that knowledge becomes less...

Teachable

My friend is mentoring a disadvantaged boy who wants to be a doctor. We discussed character traits that would be key in this boy's development. I told my friend that moments of teachability were crucial in my own character development. However, I must admit that...

What? Me Surrender?

 I heard a business speaker suggest that moving toward success required the following steps:    A wake-up call — commitment to change    A clear goal    Surrender — to a coach, to a system or to values   ...

Control Yourself, Bob

"You will always be a parent but you don’t need to always parent" — wise words from a friend suggesting that self-control is a helpful virtue when parenting adult children. Restraint — holding back — is a much needed area of...

Am I a Pharisee?

Sometimes it is just easier to be a Pharisee — justifying my thoughts and actions as righteous. I can easily point out the good I do and hide the true attitude of my heart — the sin that lives there. The fact is that I want you to believe that I am a good...

Weakness Denied — A Good Strategy?

Society's message that acknowledging weakness is not a good strategy often resonated with me. Power and control seemed more desirable. In fact, during college a peer gave me this advice, "As you lead, don't ever show your weakness." Unfortunately at...