“The human heart,” said John Calvin, “is a perpetual idol factory.” An idol is defined as “an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.” And we’ve all had them. Some bow to multiple idols every day without even knowing it. In America, we’ve even made a TV show out of…
Gordon MacKenzie, with Hallmark Cards, did an interesting study. While leading art workshops at elementary schools, he asked first graders, “How many artists are in the room?” Every hand went up. MacKenzie asked the same question to a room full of third graders. Half the hands went up. And when he asked sixth graders, only…
I’ve never met anyone who knew more about marriage than Gary Smalley. That’s why I put a lot of credence in this quote. Smalley observed that most marriages are 80 percent good and 20 percent bad. What makes the difference is which part they decide to focus on most. When we meet our future spouse,…
I have a dear friend who was able to fulfill a lifelong dream by attending the Super Bowl this year. What a great day! Until it wasn’t. After the game, someone stole his wallet. Shortly thereafter, he tore the meniscus in one of his knees. We’ve all been there. We’ll all have bad days. The…
Diana Nyad stared out over the ocean from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when she was nine years old. “Where is Cuba?” she asked her mother. That day, Diana’s fascination with Cuba took root. “One day,” she told herself, “I will swim there.” At the age of 29, Diana attempted to become the first person to swim…
When the prophet Jeremiah observed the potter molding and fixing clay, he noticed something interesting. “Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot” (Jeremiah 18:4, The Message). God…
Psychologist Vicki Medvec did an interesting study on Olympic medal winners. She found that athletes who won bronze medals were happier than those who won silver. The reason? The silver medalists were consumed with how close they came to winning gold, while the bronze winners were just happy to win a medal. Victory is not…
Recovery is all about the next step. But we also need to live today with the end in mind. In his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey writes, “Begin with the end in mind. All things are created twice.” You create your better future by imagining what it can be, and then…
We each live two lives – the one we learn from, then the one after that. David agreed. He reflected on the difficulties of his past: “It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I could learn your statutes” (Psalm 119:71). Have you made mistakes? Of course you have! Consider the life you…
Henry David Thoreau said, “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to escalate his life by conscious endeavor.” Translation – you can do just about anything if you try hard enough. I have observed that the day recovery starts is the day we go all in – never before. …