Spiritual Growth

It all depends on the foundation it strikes. That’s what will determine our response to the earthquakes of life.    In a large earthquake, some buildings are unfazed and suffer no damage, while others are completely destroyed and left in rubble by the same temblor. The degree of damage and destruction is determined not only […]

What a disaster! How can I ever be happy again?    That’s the headline and lead paragraph to a story earlier in my life when as a CEO I was the subject of intense criticism.    What did I learn? What did God teach me? How did the experience change and shape my life? Let

You have played this game before, right?    Of course you have and I have and if they gave medals for playing the “I’m Boss” game, mine would be solid gold.    We actually start playing boss as children, always wanting something and eventually wanting everything. We have all seen and heard kids walk around

Whew! It’s over. Thank God that storm has passed.    Have you ever felt like that after going through one of life’s trials? I have. More times than I’d like to admit. The good news for me is that God has revealed his perspective and the truth that spiritual growth after a test of faith

Being content in this materialistic, got-to-have-it-now world is easier said than done, right?    I used to think about contentment in terms of “giving thing up.” But God has shown me that contentment is much more than giving up the drive for material and financial success.    Contentment is really a character issue.    God

I wanted the perfect career, perfect marriage, perfect family, perfect house, perfect car, perfect church, perfect hobbies, perfect attitude…the perfect life. And I was willing to do whatever it took to make all of that happen. You know, “try hard…you can do it, Mark.”    So much for MY plan.    Of course perfection is

Worshiping the Activity Management Game    Living an “Activity Management” lifestyle is dangerous.  Even with the best calibration, a wheel spinning too fast will eventually blow out. I know this to be true because it is an important part of my life story and the way God taught me a very important lesson. That’s what

It wasn’t until my knees buckled under my own power that I was ready to receive God as the true and one Lord of my life. On that day my natural self was vanquished with its last breath and I was ready to “play second fiddle.”    When bad things happen in life, we need

Where do you go when the storms of life hit?    Do you escape to a “warm and safe” bunker?    Do you deny reality and hope the storm passes?    Or do you go on a hunt for any diversion you can find—even if it’s unhealthy?    If you answered yes to any of

I endured much pain (self-inflicted) earlier in my life because I did not know about God’s “Even if” and “Even Though” promises. My ability to be strong through the adversity of life back then was pathetically weak. I can see now that it was because I had done nothing to develop a relationship with Christ