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When Life's Pain Results in God's Beauty Question - When did something “break” in your life that changed the course and direction for your day, week, month or season? “We're All in This Together… “ It's a famous song    from Disney’s High School Musical 3 and a tune that is filled with great    joy and celebration for so many people. When I hear it, I pause because for a moment I am filled with regret, then pain, and soon followed by an overwhelming sense of grate-fullness. The date was January 3rd, 2008. Our staff came together to film a music video to the song mentioned above for a fundraising campaign for the church.  We were all asked to do something “fun and silly”. I thought it would be humorous to try to flip another person by locking arms behind our back and then rolling that individual over and placing him on two feet on the other side of me.  It was a good idea until I picked someone who was larger than myself. I tried to roll...

Moving from Stuck on the Ground to Soaring to New Heights Question - What is something that you enjoy doing that always lifts your mood and brightens your day? Last week I was inspired to see the Blue Angels fly over Southeast Michigan. Every time I see them, either live or online, it creates a sense of awe and wonder in me. I still recall the first time I went to an air show when I was eleven years old. We went to see the Thunderbirds, the Air-force version of the Navy’s Blue Angles. After waiting all day to see them perform I was elated to hear the roar of the engines as jets took off down the run way.  To see the pilots turn and roll their planes and then move so closely together was electrifying. I wanted to do what they did. I wanted to soar.  I believe we all want to soar. We long to feel joy, freedom and elation. We all hope to rise above the normal and experience new heights and adventures in life. Whether it’s playing a sport, dancing on a stage, p...

Stepping Out Into the Uncomfortable Question- When have you ventured into something that you knew would make you uncomfortable but once you were in it, you were so glad you stepped out? Rain…. I don’t enjoy it, especially when I’m out on a run. Something about it just takes me out of my “I’m faster than anyone” mindset.  One morning this week I awoke early and decided to get my exercise before the forecasted rain began to fall. It was dry when I headed out but half way down my street the rain drops started to careen off my face. I felt a slight sense of deflation and irritation as I put my head down. I chose to press on knowing the thrill of finishing would far outweigh the comfort of turning back.  Soon, the rain became more persistent and my head and clothes were soaked through and through. Just keeping my eyes open amidst the crashing drops was a chore. As I kept my pace and my strides resulted in miles gained, a sense of exhilaration and even, I ...

Question - When was the last time you made a mistake that you wished you could instantly erase? We all make mistakes, some big some small. We often wish they would just go away. A few weeks ago I was playing a video game with my son Parker and after a really close race (which I won) we both tackled each other and began to wrestle. The problem was there was a cup of coffee close by that got knocked over in the process. No big deal if it was on the wood floor but it happened over the brand new rug we had purchased last summer. Oops! We both freaked out and the next 30 minutes were consumed with soap, wet towels, stain remover and baking soda. It slowly came out but there was much uncertainty about what would remain. Would the carpet look like it did before the spill? Only time will would tell. Fortunately, after several days of subtle attention the stain disappeared and a crisis in our family (and marriage) was averted. We all make mistakes. It’s a fact of life....

Being in Charge in a World Where You Are Not Question - Think of or describe a situation when you were not in control and someone else was making a decision that directly impacted you?  The older I get, the more I realize how much is out of my control. Another person’s decision may have a direct impact on my family, my job, my health, my finances and my quality of life. If you are a parent, your sense of control goes from high in the Early Childhood years, to moderate in the Elementary years to descending through the single digits as they journey through Middle and High School. Finally, they are off to college… See ya. The other day we looked outside to see eight teenagers in our backyard hanging out with our oldest son. It was a moment of pause for all of us. In a season of social distancing and quarantine, it was shocking to see so many individuals so close together right in front of us. We didn’t freak out. We waited to debrief the situation when he came insi...

An Obsessive's Journey Away from Worry to Wonderful Question - What is a thought, worry or concern regarding something you have fixated on that has impacted your ability to enjoy life? One of my favorite movies is one titled “What about Bob”. It’s about a love-able character name Bob Wiley who has many issues in life including multiple phobias. There is a scene where Bob leaves his house at the beginning of the movie and while walking through the streets of his city, completely terrified, he recites the line over over to himself, “I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful”. It’s amazing how over the last month and a half I have found myself repeating this same line over and over to myself. “I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful.” I struggle with obsessive tendencies. Worry comes my way naturally. I fixate on a potential problem and I immediately jump to the worst case scenario. Recently, I have been replaying what I have touched, who el...