What do you long to change in your life – that something that will make you a better person? We never stop longing to be better people, do we? There’s always some aspect of our behavior or personality that we wish we could change. Within a few minutes in a bookstore’s self-improvement section, you will find a variety of motivating titles: Reinventing Yourself, Becoming a Life-Change Artist, and this ominous title, Change or Die.  In fact, today I discovered Joel Osteen has a new book entitled, Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week. Who doesn’t want to know how to be happier?...

According to an article in the April 2, 2009 issue of USA Today, the following percentages of U.S. adults say is their idea of the American Dream is: Being free to accomplish anything.  Being free to say/do what they want.  Making children financially better-off.  Being financially secure. We think if we move a little faster, if we work a little harder, we will achieve this elusive thing called the American dream. We chase and chase and run and run until we fall from exhaustion. Then we rest a moment, climb up, and begin the chase all over again. We call this “living the good life”. The...

A man sat down to supper with his family and said grace. He thanked God for the food, for the hands which prepared it, and for the source of all life. But during the meal, he complained about the freshness of the bread, the bitterness of the coffee, and the sharpness of the cheese. His young daughter questioned him, “Dad, do you think God heard the grace today?” He answered confidently, “Of course.” Then she asked, “And do you think God heard what you said about the coffee, the cheese and the bread?” Not so confidently, he answered, “Why, yes, I believe...

When I think of camping, sleeping on the hard ground, cooking over a fire and wearing some dirt and grime come to mind. Camping is roughing it, right? But, some wealthy British people are challenging that perspective. Instead of roughing it in the wilderness, these aristocrats who frequently took African safaris vacation with the best of accommodations – soft beds, fluffy pillows and all the modern conveniences. They call it “glamping”. This form of luxury camping has made its way to the United States. In 2010, KOA Campgrounds saw a 25% increased in demand for luxury lodge rentals.  Glamping...

John Maxwell has written a book entitled Failing Forward. I like that thought! How do you fail successfully? Can you remember a time of failure in your life? How did you learn from it? If we were to break down Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter 9 we would discover a pattern in Israel’s history. This pattern is found in Nehemiah 9:16-17 (NIV) 16 “But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. 17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in...