Last week, the story of Jack and the Nebraska football team won your vote. I have a feeling I know which will win this week as well. Which of these is your favorite? [...]
There was a lot of press after the suicide of Rick Warren’s son – some supportive, some reprehensibly critical, some just web filler. I’ve been hesitant to add more noise, except that I’ve had a history with depression. Perhaps my story will encourage you that you are not alone.
I cannot pretend to know the depth of pain that Matthew Warren endured. But I have a bit of an idea. When I was 27 years old, I felt like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, despairing under that broom tree. “Enough of this, God! Take my life.” I’d spent seven years trying to overcome my own personal stew of family dysfunction, addictive behavior and the thousand natural shocks that the artistic temperament is heir to. During that time I worked on healing my eating disorder, I saw a therapist, prayed a lot, memorized Bible verses, and attended every Christian healing seminar that came along. Whenever they had a prayer team after church, I went up, cried, fell over, and got back up. It was the nineties: the golden age of self-help.
But the summer of my 28th year I could not get back up [...]
18Apr, 2013
I’ve been working on some material for Father’s Day this week. Perhaps a little early, but it’s had me thinking about the many great dads I’ve seen in the world. And I’ve seen plenty. My friend Paul Young (who wrote The Shack) has an unbelievable family of terrific kids. My dear friend John MacMurray back in Oregon is one of the greatest dads I’ve seen.
But I’ve also noticed some kids who are really messed up. Often, these kids come from great families with lots of money, and even families with parents who are Christian leaders.
Secretly (until now), I’ve noticed a common theme amongst well-adjusted kids [...]
After the terrible attacks that took place at the Boston Marathon on Monday, we’d be tempted to think the world is a terrible place. And in some ways, it is. But what we don’t often consider at times like this is how many good people there are surrounding the bad.
From the destruction we’ve heard stories of marathon participants running past the finish line to local hospitals where they donated blood. Another man was caught on video rushing toward the explosions and ripping off his belt to create a tourniquet for a wounded victim. One reporter told the story of a man who was rushing in and out of the danger zone, carrying people a hundred yards to [...]
I love living in San Diego.
The weather is – well, you know – incredible and the fish tacos are to die for. I love that we don’t take things too seriously around here and that I actually get to live twenty minutes away from Bob Goff. (How great is that?)
But, despite the great weather and delicious cuisine, there is one small thing that bothers me about living on the West Coast [...]
“Once there was a tree and she loved a little boy…” is how Silverstein begins his beautiful children’s book. What a terrific first line. What a terrific book.
The little boy and the tree play together, make crowns from leaves and play hide and go seek. The boy loved the tree and so the tree was happy.
But as time went by and the boy grew older and became [...]
Phil Robertson, a character on the reality series Duck Dynasty, talks about his relationship with Jesus [...]
The majority of you loved the in-laws video last week, making that our winner.
What about this week? [...]
Sometimes we have no idea what a simple prescription can do. The doctor tells you, “Just take this pill, and magic will happen.” You do it, and you get well. Things change … very simple.
Here is a simple prescription that I wanted to share with you: in whatever situation you find yourself, whether at work or in your personal life, something to focus on with all diligence is “tone.” Your “tone” is the way that you talk to someone, especially when they are doing something wrong, or not doing something that you want. We all have a tendency at some level to get aggravated and amped up a bit, depending on how much we are hurt, frustrated, or afraid. But, the kicker is this: the more our tone is negative towards someone, or angry, or escalated, the less chance we have of getting the outcome we desire.
The reason is when we are angry or negative, it causes [...]
I’m big on vision. I believe people are more healthy when they are heading somewhere. One of the main questions I ask people is, “What do you want to do with your life?” If a person has a solid answer to that, I know they are more likely to be healthy. And if they don’t, I love to sit and dream with them about whatever it is that lights them up. Often, there’s healing in the simple act of dreaming.
So recently, I began to ask myself the same question. What do I want to do with my life? And my answer was very clear. I wanted to build a home fit for a family, a tree-house office out back, and an upscale barn that could house coaching sessions for teams along with house concerts for artists.
I can see it in my mind. I know what my [...]
