Sympathy vs. Empathy

For 35 years it has been my privilege to walk beside south county families as they encounter all the aspects of normal living. On the positive side, I have seen babies born, I have attended tons of graduation parties, I love going to the weddings and reunions and it...

PD: Faithful with a Few Things

A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call that a dear friend of mine had passed away quite suddenly of a heart attack. Her name was Pat, but I always called her “PD” (her initials). We met in church back in the early 70’s. I had just come to a saving knowledge of Jesus...

77 Habits of Highly Ineffective Christians

In 1989, Stephen Covey wrote his acclaimed book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. That book sold over 20 million copies and has influenced untold thousands of executives all around the world (including me). Almost ten years...

Re. Re. Re. Re.

Repurpose. Reconsider. Reevaluate. Regenerate. At the start of a new year, there are so many “re” words and concepts to consider. But one of them in particular has been on my mind all week: Redeem. The dictionary definition says it means to buy or pay off, to recover...

How Much Is Enough?

I have a friend who rather regularly bemoans the fact that her family’s household income isn’t as great as that of others in our area. I did a little checking and it does seem that the real median income in 2016 for a household in the US was a bit over $59,000. ...