To me, these daily readings are like handwritten notes I place into ancient seafoam green bottles and toss into the sea. As the water carries them away, I’m filled with hope as I imagine them washing ashore at just the right time for your heart and your art.

I recently got to the end of a long day and told my wife how exhausted I was. 

“What would restore you?” she asked.  It was the perfect question. And I didn’t have a clue.

We often refer to the moment of a breakthrough solution or idea as “when lightning strikes”. That sounds exhilarating, except for the fact that it’s not wise to hang out in a lightning storm.

Ever wonder why self-help books regularly top the bestseller lists? Perhaps it’s because we live in a world that sells us a self-centered life—and then convinces us we’ll get what we want through a self-made life.

I recently came across this stunning description from Madeleine L’Engle about the birth of an idea. I’m excited to share it with you. 

How would our lives change if we practiced gratitude in the midst of the unknown rather than making it dependent on a desired outcome?

As my super-talented creative designer and I considered potential images for these readings, I was drawn to a particular outdoor scene. It seemed the clear choice. But thankfully before we went with it, she did a little more research…

How do we take a project from initial idea to completed creation?  The world offers endless answers. None fully work.

Notice how time seems to accelerate the week after Thanksgiving? It’s the ever-present sense that, even though we just finished celebrating Thanksgiving, we’re already behind for Christmas.

I’ll admit it. I’m a big fan of the original Star Trek television and movie franchise. I’m referring to the ones with Captain Kirk, Spock, and Bones as played by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelly. My favorite quote occurred when Spock would raise his eyebrow and say, “There are always possibilities.”

This Thanksgiving, as you recount what you’re thankful for—include this good news:

The Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken, to tell the captives they are free, and to tell the prisoners they are released. (Isaiah 61:1 NCV)

We love discovering the protagonist’s origin story. It helps us understand how things began and why characters behave the way they do. It gives us empathy . . . and orientation. 

My counselor is in his eighties. Gary is one of the wisest, kindest, and most alive humans I’ve ever spent time with. During his more than fifty years of counseling thousands, he has seen it all. And he is certain that the deepest desire of every person is to be fully seen, known, and loved. 

Our world is growing more virtual every day. We spend greater amounts of time staring at our screens than interacting with real people . . . or engaging in real life.

When you get an invitation for a party, you don’t go the day the invitation arrives. You go on the day of the party.

We live in a world of two competing stories.
Story 1 is the original story Adam and Eve were created to live in

A to-do list is a great way to remember and prioritize all that must be done today. But it’s a terrible way to measure the success of a day.

Your voice isn’t simply the vibrational sound that comes out when you talk. It’s one of the most powerful aspects of who you are.

We live in a “just do it” world. Charge that hill now. Move that mountain today. By whatever means necessary. Don’t slow down to ask God. Just get it done. 

C. S. Lewis says, “The soul is but a hollow which God fills.” Which means if we don’t allow God to fill our soul, something else will. The world has endless options.