Forget the personal trainer; what I need is a personal encourager. Wouldn’t it be nice to receive that call every morning? From someone whose whole job was to encourage you? Someone who would remind you of the God who loves you dearly, in spite of your sins? Someone to tell you why you shouldn’t give […]
But what about the person who can’t get by without “the many”? Sure, it’s nice to sell one car, but selling only one per month won’t put food on the table for an automobile salesman’s family. And writers can’t get by with just one chapter; nor will they stay in print for long by selling […]
It’s one of the most famous parables in the Bible, the man who left the 99 sheep in open pasture to search for the one who was lost. It was probably not a good business plan. A marketing consultant would point out that commercial success lies with the many not the few, certainly not the […]
Spent most of the night crossing the Grand Canyon. Only, half the time, I seemed to be in caves and tunnels. And not the solid rock, large-open-space caves of Carlsbad, New Mexico, but those crumbly, shifting, sandstone ones of the Palo Duro. My tunnels were narrow, barely enough room for a single person, and sometimes […]
Is it just me? Or is life moving faster than it once did? Way faster. Sometimes I look at a calendar or a grandchild, and I wonder who pushed the fast forward button. And what bothers me most is the fear that I’m contributing to the dilemma. You see, I think hurry can be a […]
Do you remember Valentine’s Day as a child? All those cards? All with your name on them? Do you remember how you felt? I thought of it yesterday when I received dozens of high tech birthday wishes. Seemed like every time I got on Facebook or checked text messages on the iPhone, there was another one. […]
On February 22, 1732 George Washington was born on a plantation near Fredericksburg, Virginia. And on the same date in 1949, I was born in Canyon. Have always been proud of the association with our first president. As have other friends of mine who share the same birthday. Seems we all grew up having Washington-themed […]
The sounds of spirited, engaging discussion, and rolling, rumbling thunder. I heard each last night. The first during Udo’s last session at the Saddoris home, and the second as I drifted off to sleep some hours later. Both are favorite sounds, sounds I can’t seem to hear enough; both leave me smiling. Because thunder means […]
Audience matters. Thought about it yesterday when I watched Udo speak to different groups, then last night when I listened to the Prairie Dogs at the Ambassador. Good performances – speaking, singing, playing an instrument – are affected by the people off as well as on-stage. My writing students talk about it. I remind them […]
My friend Udo Middlemann is in town today. Has come all the way from Switzerland via a stint in New York City. Udo, who has advanced degrees in law and theology, is maybe the brightest guy I know. Certainly, he’s the most perceptive. Comes by it naturally; he’s Francis Schaeffer’s son-in-law. What I like best […]