I admit that I should have offered this tribute three months ago. In 1994, the 24-year-old actor began a ten-year run as a star of Friends, which paid him $1 million per episode and made him one of Hollywood’s most famous stars. But behind the scenes, addiction was ruining his life. At his lowest point,…
I am writing this from 30,000 feet. Beth and I are on a flight from Sarasota to Houston, where I am speaking at a men’s event. I always bring along some things to read on the plane. For this trip, I grabbed from my shelf a book called Georgia and the Carolinas. It is full…
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality” (Ephesians 5:3). Are you familiar with the Modesto Manifesto? That was the agreement that Billy Graham and his inner circle made with each other in 1949. Among other things, it included a commitment that none of them would ever be alone with…
Sometimes, it’s what you don’t do that makes the difference. Someone asked a concert violinist how she became so skilled. She gave a two-word answer: “Planned neglect.” She explained that she neglected everything that didn’t contribute to her goal, which was to be a master violinist. Successful recovery requires planned neglect. In order to grow…
Can you stay sober for the next 30 days? I remember when such a goal seemed crazy. It was on par with becoming an Olympic swimmer, NASA scientist, or watching a Hallmark movie without jumping off a tall building. Impossible. I love what Nelson Mandela said. “It always seems impossible until it is done.” The…
Harvard professor Arthur Brooks has spent years researching the seemingly inescapable association between achievement and satisfaction. Most of us have been duped into thinking that we are just one deal, one raise, or one dollar short of true happiness. The pursuit of personal wealth, or homo economicus, consumes most of us. One study found that…
“So Elijah did as the Lord told him, and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land” (I Kings 17:5-7). Does…
“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another” (John 1:16). I read about a motorcyclist roaring down the coastal highway in the Philippines who didn’t realize that the zipper of his backpack had come open. The man was making a business transfer with a large amount of cash. The bills began…
Let’s play Bible trivia. Question #1 – Who were Igal, Gaddiel, and Shammua? Question #2 – Who were Joshua and Caleb? The answer to both questions is the same. These five men were among the 12 spies whom Moses sent to explore Canaan, to see if they were able to take the Promised Land. Igal,…
A month after my heart surgery last year, my cardiologist gave me the simple formula for living a long life. He said, “Eat what you don’t like.” Mark Twain took this a little further: “The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do…