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 One of the major problems facing people today is dealing with their insecurities.  That is, the damaging idea that one doesn’t measure up physically, emotionally, or intellectually. How those insecurities are formed varies greatly but the results of being insecure are usually the same: stress, anxiety, and hurt feelings.

I found the carcass of this bug (image) near my front door this morning. I don’t have a clue what it is (if you know, please leave me a comment and tell me). Although you can’t see it, there’s an opening at the top of this brittle shell as if whatever occupied it is no longer there. The thing is almost see through.

It made me think of how many of us feel sometimes, as a mere image of what we once were. It can be one empty, hurting, disappointing feeling. We’ve got to fight that! Continue reading →

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This is a funky picture of the knob that leads to my youngest daughter’s bedroom in our home, the place where she had lived for over 20 years. But, she moved out a couple of days ago and is ready to start a new chapter in her life.

On the other side of that door is now a semi empty room filled with memories. I won’t lie to you, I have a flood of emotions threatening to gosh out when I turn the handle and enter the place. So I am delaying the inevitable!

So I am wrestling with the idea of how to let go when all I want to do is hold on?

Maybe you’ve journeyed through a similar trail. Or maybe your ‘letting go’ has nothing to do with a child moving out of your house, but with someone who passed away, or with a pet you lost that was like your companion… regardless… how do we let go when all we want to do is hold on? Continue reading →

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When you feel like giving up, DON’T!

One thing about harvesting pineapples after you’ve planted them is that they take a while to produce results.

Take the two in the picture on the left. They are about the juiciest, sweetest pineapples you’ve ever tasted; but those puppies took about 3 years to get that way.

My wife and I have 28 other pineapple plants in front of the house and they all take about the same amount of time to produce. I’ve heard (but haven’t confirmed) that if you put an apple core in the middle of your plant, the acidity of the apple will act as a catalyst to help the plant produce quicker. But for the most part, pineapple growing is a ridiculously long slow process.

There’s a delicious BBQ place near where I live called Slow and Low. The name says it all. Their amazing food takes a while to get that way.

The same with life, anything worthwhile is often long in coming and requires discipline, patience. Continue reading →

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My wife and I went to a Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band concert last week. It was in our bucket list to do. I was decked out with a bright colored hawaiian shirt and an even brighter colored big parrot hat on my head. We had an absolute blast!

What’s in your bucket list? Maybe you don’t call it that, but there are a few things you really hope you can do one day. Great! Do what you can to get there and then, when the day arrives, there are 3 things you can do to make it a memorable time.  Continue reading →

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I know the above image looks kind of cluttered but that’s because I like to collect unusual things and put them in my office. That’s a picture of part of my library, by the way.

I realize that many people nowadays will read books in their iPads and Kindles but I like the old fashion hard copy ones.

Someone said that a mind that has been stretched by an idea will never return to its original dimension. Continue reading →

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I had a dream the other day that I was writing a blog about peeling a mango and savoring every bite of it. Sounds crazy but I do have off-the-wall dreams sometimes.

Of course I realize that Mangos are not everyone’s cup of tea. The fruit and its texture does require an acquired taste, but even if you don’t like mangos, keep reading, this can definitely be profitable to you.

My family and I love mangos. I grew up with a mango tree in our back yard so whenever I can get a hold of a good one it’s heavenly chow time! My mango eating secrets can be relatable to living to the fullest.

First, slice both fat meaty sides (not too close to the hard seed) and then slash the meat into six sections. One slice north and south and two slices east to west.

Then, with clean hands and using both thumbs as a spoon, hold the slice with both hands and scoop up each to the six chunks of meat out of there. This reminds me that life is to be lived by the chunk. Continue reading →

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When my friend left flowers (above image) on my desk recently they were brilliant, fully opened, and colorful. But a few days later they had wilted.

I didn’t pay much attention to them until someone walked into my office, sat down, and said, “You see those flowers? That’s exactly the way I feel!” She went on to share her heart. I tried to give her some perspective in life and a few encouraging Bible verses and thankfully she was feeling better by the time she left my office.

But her comment about my flowers reminds me of how fickle our lives can be. We can feel we are at the top of our game one day and totally down in the dumps the next. Continue reading →

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There are surprises you like (birthday gifts, flowers, fun snapchats) and others you don’t.

Every day early in the morning, when I drive back from taking my darling wife to work, I see a woman and her 2 little boys walking to school. She usually has little white headphones in her ears as she walks with her tots.

Last Monday, as usual, they were taking their long walk obviously unaware that school was closed for the week! Had she forgotten it was the first day of spring break? What plans did she have for that day that were going to have to be cancelled? What was her reaction when she saw the sign (above pic)? I almost turned around after I passed them by just to see the priceless expression on their faces. The kids were probably screaming with joy while she scrambled in fear about what to do with them for the day and for the week… just guessing.

The Bible emphatically says that Jesus is coming soon. Will you be pleasantly surprised at His arrival or shocked and troubled by it all? Continue reading →

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I was at a farm with a friend recently. As he began to round up the geese they became extremely loud and aggressive; as you can tell that last goose in the picture was seriously honking and letting me have it.

This loud commotion made me think of the Middle East brouhaha (cool synonym I found for noise). That area is a constant hot-stove of conflict! And, after America rained some tomahawks on a Syrian base for their forbidden use of chemical weapons, and after Russia and Iran threatened us not to use that force again, people (especially us Christians) started thinking about Jesus’ return to earth one day. Continue reading →

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My birthday (one of many) was last week. And the volunteer crew that cleans the buildings in our property every week surprised me with their version of a birthday cake. They lit donuts on fire… I couldn’t have been happier. I felt so special!

Being favored is about that, about being singled out so a person can feel privileged and blessed.

You may think, Well, getting a birthday cake with candles is what’s supposed to happen when you have a birthday. But I say, “Not necessarily, not if people don’t like you.” You get zero, zilch, nada on your special day if you’re not loved and a lump of coal at Christmas. Being cherished is definitely a prerequisite for getting donuts and candles. It’s all in how you look at it.

What if I told you that the reason many good things happen is because God favors those He loves? If I asked you to stop reading so you can write 3 quick distinct instances of God’s recent favor on your life, would you be able to jot them down right away?

Life is about perspective. Continue reading →