Language is tricky: it frames our thinking – and, often, our lives – in unusual ways. What we say – and, what we mean when we say it – is both descriptive and prescriptive: it can explain where we are today and it can forecast where we think we’re going […]

            If you’re into history – and we all should be! – the drama woven into the scene was palpable. The setting: Israel, circa 30 AD. It was the week before the Crucifixion, and things were heating up between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. Tensions were high – as they are today. The occupation by the

            Allow me to act as a diagnostician for our cultural cohort, coming off a wild Easter season: we are virtually punch-drunk (def: dazed, stupefied). Our pastors worked overtime to distill their Easter service message for the Resurrection crowd, while our president produced his own R-rated media blast to stun the world. In the meantime,

            Be careful what words you choose to use. Right now, king is a word with emotion attached. Nine days ago, thousands of people across America participated in nationwide protests under the banner of “No Kings.” Over the last few days, Christians around the world renewed their faith history from Good Friday to Easter. In

            Betrayed.             You can’t find a story worth telling – or, hearing – that isn’t seasoned by betrayal. Sleep comes quickly if your bedside book tells only happy tales of people whose sublime pursuits are never opposed by someone they once loved and trusted. Has betrayal been part of your life story?             Every

            Let me lead off with a confession/reveal: I have no significant link to Irish forebears. Both of our daughters were given names with an Irish lilt (Shannon and Erin), but the only “green” in our family comes out on St. Patrick’s Day, if at all. Was St. Patrick’s Day – last week – meaningful,

Solomon is a reliable source of wisdom. According to God, he was the wisest man ever (that, from the Only One Who has known every man who ever lived). Catch Solomon before his late-in-life decline – attributed to too many wives who did not share his faith in Jehovah – and his insights are still helpful.

What are your plans for the rest of the year? I’m thinking about putting together a very special travel opportunity for a select group of friends: I’m on the lookout for an island with tropical weather and clean beaches, with no airport or reliable internet coverage. All screens would be banned, but books would be welcomed.

Jesus said it to his Twelve Apostles – at the Last Supper, in the Upper Room – but His charge to them became His charge to us, through 20 centuries: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” (John 15:16). Have you been “chosen and appointed?”

Are you getting started in any relationships that you hope become a continuing engagement? Here’s a coaching suggestion: avoid beginning any statement with “In my opinion…” and, second: resist the temptation to ask the question: “What’s your opinion?” Why might those be deal-killers?