In my younger days I learned the value and importance of setting goals. For a goal to be valid it must be specific and not general, and it must have a time limit, as this creates a sense of urgency. However, there is another element that I did not learn until later in life, and that is to ask God for His help and to bless it. I would often set goals that I did not reach, and I came to realize that His timetable was better than mine. Granted,…

There is a statement that I have frequently made over the past several months that may be hard to believe, but it is nevertheless true. Here is the statement: There are more than 100 million Americans in our nation who would like to go back to the days when we felt safe in our country, did not have to lock our doors at night, did not have to take the keys out of the car ignition, and felt safe walking the streets alone at night, even in our large cities.…

If I were to ask you what is the central question of life, what would be your answer? In most cases this question is sub-conscious and is not expressed verbally or in writing. The way I see it, the central question of life is “What’s In it for Me?” It is just human nature to always want to know what an idea, product or service will do for me when we are asked to make an investment of time or money in that product or service. Another way to say…

The other day I heard a humorous story. I’m not sure if it’s true, but I thought it was sure worth passing along to you. The reason I say this is because sometimes we get so caught up in our problems that we forget to stop and smell the roses. The story goes that a man who lives out on the West Coast made the decision to visit all the great churches in America and, as you probably know, there are lots of them. He first visited the great churches…

If you have very young children or grandchildren, I have some ideas to share with you today that could make a real difference in their futures. Let me begin by sharing something that I read just this morning that really got my attention. It was an article with this heading: “Reading Among Kids Plummets: Advancements and Ingenuity Helping Kids Love Reading Again.” It is no secret that a child who learns to read well at an early age has a leg up when it comes to making good grades, staying…

It has been said that “an honest confession is good for the soul,” and I know this is true. Often after being introduced to an audience, the first thing I say is that I am “just a sinner who has been saved by God’s Amazing Grace.” The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” This verse is true, like the entire Bible, because this is the nature with which we were all born. I am sure you know the story…

The human mind is a wonderful tool that God has given to each of us. Everything we see around us that is made by hand came as the result of some person or persons who used their wonderful mind to bring it about. It really boils down to this: If we act on good information, life is good. If we act on bad information, life can be very challenging. If you have ever wondered why some people make bad choices, I believe I can shed some light on this important…

In my opinion, some of the best writing I have ever done is the first chapter of my new book titled, “Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot.” We shoot ourselves in the foot when we say or do anything that is not in our own best interests. The bottom line is that we can choose our choices, but we cannot choose the consequences of our choices. It is really quite simple: When we make good choices, the Law of Cause and Effect is working for us, and when we make…

Several months ago, I thought about my public speaker friend by the name of Dr. Charles Jarvis from San Marcos, Texas. It has been some time since I have had any contact with him, so I am not sure if he is still living. One of his stories that I truly love is about this old boy who took his dog to the dog show. After he was assigned a number and got settled in, he went up to the chief judge and said, “This dog that I have brought…

When you were in school and growing up, did your teachers ever give you “challenge” work? This is work that was one or two grades higher than where you were at the time. Of course, the purpose of this was to stretch your ability and skills to cause you to grow and reach higher. This has happened to me, but it was self-imposed. When I married my wife Janis, she had a pretty good library, and I have benefited from this. One of the books she had was titled, “A…