Charles Wesley was addicted to writing hymns. He composed over 6,400 of them and felt that he had had a bad day any day in which he failed to write a new hymn. The power of a new song was not lost on King David. He proclaimed, “He brought me up out of the pit…
Most people in recovery had a dramatic turn-around moment. We got into recovery because our past was uncovered. We nearly lost it all. We had no choice. And once in recovery, we look for those magical moments of inspiration. We bounce from podcast to book to seminar in search of the next brilliant idea. We…
NBA coach Kevin Eastman has been around dozens of great basketball players, up close. He was asked what made the difference between really good players and exceptional players. “Exceptional players,” said Coach Eastman, “do the things that are unrequired.” He explained that most players live for the praise of their teammates and coaches. They practice…
A little girl climbed into her daddy’s lap and asked him to build her a dollhouse. Much to her delight, he promised to do so. Then he left town for an extended business trip. When he returned, he entered his daughter’s room, to find all of her dolls and doll furniture packed in boxes. When…
On a visit to America, former Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev was taken to a pro football game. Following the game, he was asked what he thought of American football. Khrushchev replied, “Never have I seen such first-class passion and energy wasted on a third-class cause.” Now, I don’t make it a habit of quoting Russian…
There’s a lot of incorrect thinking about . . . apples. For example, we often hear, “It’s as American as apple pie.” The problem with that is that the apple pie was created in England. And apples are native to Asia. We hear that Adam and Eve ate an apple in the Garden. Of course,…
Do you ever overcome one obstacle, only to find the next one waiting for you? The prophet wrote, “It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear” (Amos 5:19). In life, it’s always to good things to run from the nearest lion. But know this – that is…
The chance of drawing a royal flush is one in 649,740. That’s about the same odds as finding sexual sobriety on your own. And the odds of drawing any straight flush are one in 72,192. That’s about the same odds as keeping sexual sobriety on your own. And if you don’t know what a royal…
There is a close relationship between prayer and recovery. Dr. Rob Whitley, author and psychologist, writes, “New research indicates that regular prayer can have many mental health benefits.” A study completed by Harvard professor Tyler VanderWeele found that young adults who prayed daily tended to have fewer depressive symptoms, and higher levels of satisfaction and…
I think I’m becoming a cranky old guy. At least that’s what my neighbor’s kid said when I told him to get off my lawn. These are just a few of the things that drive me crazier than they probably should: A friend told me to loosen up. He said, “It’s not rocket surgery!” (That’s…