Sit on that chair and don’t move a muscle….Those were the words of my mother when I was conscripted into accompanying her to the beauty shop to get her hair fixed. In the 1960’s women did not get their cut, they got it fixed. I am not sure how they broke it during the preceding week, but nevertheless that was the language. Thankfully trips to the beauty shop for me were very rare, but occasionally neither of my dear older…
The news read as follows on May 20th of last year: Phil Mickelson’s wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and the three-time major champion said Wednesday he will suspend his PGA Tour schedule indefinitely. Not long after that somber revelation, Mickelson discovered that his mother was also diagnosed with cancer. It has been a tough year for him.When Mickelson dropped his last putt on 18 yesterday at Augusta to win the Master’s, I was thrilled for him! The…
Last year our mom and pop video store near our home sold their inventory of movies and closed their business completely. Now this month Movie Gallery is selling inventory and preparing to close their doors as well. The entertainment business continues to change everyday. I recall the days of renting a vcr for the weekend, because we did not actually own one! A few years later dvd’s became the industry standard for movies. . It appears to be a…
I love to give unique gifts. I prefer giving things that are unpredictable and totally out of the box. Jan has gone on trips that she had no clue I was planning. I have sent packages to friends that they were not expecting. It is so fun to run across some random item in a store and intuitively know that it would make the perfect gift for a loved one. Books that fit the interests of the recipient are…
Several years ago I was introduced to a term from writings generated by the Church Growth Movement called the Homogenous Principle. Mega churches like Willow Creek in South Barrington, IL experienced exponential growth, because they evaluated their market, and targeted a certain portion of the population. I realize that a single church cannot touch people from every walk of life. In our situation, we are not geared up at the present time to reach out to people who live…
Trey Morgan is one of my favorite bloggers. I highly recommend his site. www.treymorgan.net. He recently wrote on one of my pet topics, so I am going to share a portion of that particular entry here instead of reinventing the wheel. Here is what Trey had to say: It’s a well known fact that waiters and waitresses all across America hate working the Sunday lunch shift, because of the way they are treated by “Christians” who eat out after Sunday…
I feel quite certain that a lot of us have experienced vacations that can be likened to the experiences of Clark Griswold and family, who are portrayed in National Lampoon’s box office hit, Vacation. All of the best laid plans go by the wayside and things just don’t come together. And of course all of us no doubt have a Cousin Eddie among the ranks of our family. I have a different idea for a vacation. I suggest that we…
Full of praise and full of themselves…That is the phrase that occurred to me today as I reflected on still another story of a prominent speaker whose interpersonal skills are severely lacking. I frequently hear people tell me how stunning and wonderful some speaker is that they heard at a church or at a seminar somewhere. And sure enough those individuals are generally outstanding orators. In many cases, those skilled speakers are lacking in the people skill department. My favorite…
There are porcupines among us. There are difficult people among us who will shoot their quills for any and all reasons. Several years ago Marshall Shelly wrote a book for ministers about dealing with difficult church members entitled: Well Intentioned Dragons. It is a pretty insightful work. More recently Paul Meier published: Don’t Let Jerks Get the Best of You. It too is a great resource. Why do such books do well? There are porcupines among us… Both above…
I love do things on a whim. In fact, I thrive on spontaneity. Such inclinations keep Jan sitting on the edge of her seat. She of course is more inclined to live an orderly life that is carefully planned. Poor girl… She has not had a normal day in almost in 26 years. Last Sunday afternoon I was on my way to the conference I was scheduled to attend in Libertyville, IL just north of Chicago. As I made my…