Living Real

I was startled to hear all that’s gone on with Tiger Woods the past several days. My emotions have run the gamut of anger — at him, his wife, the media — to sorrow over the loss of so much for such temporary things. Today, I’m being challenged by those in the world of Twitter [...]

Reading in Jeremiah this morning, I came across this verse: Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you. Jeremiah 20:12 Now, I can relate to that. Jerry’s been telling the people what God’s been saying and no one is listening — but even worse, now instead of just [...]

An excellent post today by Perry Noble tells us how to pray for our pastors. I encourage everyone to read it and pay heed. In a nutshell, and without the explanations, the list is simple. Pray for your pastor’s: Walk with God Integrity Marriage Sanity Health I encourage you to go and read the entire [...]

One thing I find odd about Christmas and Thanksgiving is that people notice hunger and poverty at these times. People who never think about the homeless or poor suddenly do at these times. They even notice that there are people who are doing without sitting beside them at church week in and week out. One [...]

What does it mean to “hold someone accountable”? Last year at Catalyst ’08, I listened to Jud Wilhite and Mike Foster, authors of Deadly Viper Character Assassins talk about accountability. They talked about it being a matter of having the other’s back, not judging. What they talked about was as men traveling alone on trips for conventions and such — the [...]

Lots of talk in the “Christian” world about “being accountable” and “holding someone accountable.” I hear it a lot. Not sure I see it much though. I’ve seen it done differently and not done at all – even though it was supposed to be happening. I’ve had “accountability partners” before. Never heard from them.  Huh? Nope. Not once did I [...]

I have been challenged the past several weeks by some words.  "In the same way, when you obey me, you should say, "We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty." In my black & white mind, I agree wholeheartedly. I confess, though, in my flesh, I want more. I want people to see [...]

The problem: arthritis in my hand — at the moment my left thumb. The pictures said there's little cartilage in the joint at the base. The solution of the moment: cortisone.  I don't know how many of you have experienced a cortisone shot. I got one Wednesday in the relatively tiny joint at the base [...]

I don't know if you know about Margaret Feinberg. I'd heard her name and seen her picture before, but at Catalyst I was introduced to her when she stood on the stage and declared that her book Scouting the Divine would be given to everyone attending. Just to give you a clue — that's roughly [...]

Do you ever wonder if God really cares about you personally? I mean, He's so busy with major things like earthquakes and tsunamis and poverty and slavery and all that stuff. Why would He even bother with your headache or your paltry problem with needing to find a different car or truck?  Let me assure [...]

Jon Acuff is a man whose words entered my life about a year ago and whom I met earlier this month. I listened to him in a workshop with Anne Jackson and Carlos Whittaker talking about life "Off the Blogs".  One thing that struck me about what Jon said during that time was that he [...]

You, my friends and family, are wonderful! So many of you complimented me — some even saying I’m photogenic (those who did should schedule appointments with your optometrists!) After listening to you and looking at the photos myself several times, we have chosen “The Photo” When Ramblings from the Shower: Integrity, Faith, and other Simple [...]