ARROGANCE in man is ABHORRENT, especially when it produces judgmental thoughts of grand superiority that “LOOK DOWN” on others. It gets worse.    Being arrogant with that kind of judgment has an evil twin and master chameleon hiding in plain sight. What is it? A barrier to believing the best in people that OVERLOOKS their good and ELEVATES the “bad.”    This scourge shows up in...

I had a heart-pounding conversation with a close friend yesterday that, INITIALLY, had the two of us SHAKING IN OUR BOOTS. What caused all of that shaking? News that his family farm and related business were being declared a toxic waste site by the Canadian government and confiscated by the bank. He told me the gut-wrenching story through tears laced with fear. Sixty-one years in business…gone. The...

Have you ever looked hard for something where you KNEW it was located, but come up empty? Where you were embarrassed when someone pointed to a spot only a meter away and said, “Hey, it’s right there”? I have!    Most of the time it turns out that the object of my search—usually my keys—was hiding in plain sight.    Our faith walk with God has its own HIDING-IN-PLAIN-SIGHT challenge.    It...

This just in from our global tribe of nearly 800,000 online followers: A close Christian friend said I have the “WRONG KIND OF DISCIPLINE.” What does that mean? The word DISCIPLINE represents a sweeping force in life that holds the power to transform people, projects, and the planet. It is also WIDELY MISUNDERSTOOD.    Let’s start with the word’s deep roots in the Christian faith that make...

We all have bosses.   The two-year-old who tests the boundaries set by well-meaning parents.    The teenager managing her online profiles the way SHE thinks is best.    The head-strong CEO who thinks he is boss of EVERYTHING—not just the business but his entire life (me early in my faith walk).    Playing boss creeps into the life of every human being...

This just in from our global tribe of 771,000 online followers: “Mark, how do I know when I am legitimately sad and when I have self-pity?” This question does not come as a surprise to me at all.    We are seeing an increase in self-produced pity around the world that “validates” negative circumstances and marinates our soul with hardships—past and present.    The sin of SELF-PITY...

There is a whole lotta inciting going on around the world today. Just watch the news or, better yet, grab your digital surfboard and jump on an internet wave to witness the reality of inciters revving up our CANCEL CULTURE to warp speed. incite / (inˈsaIt) / to stir up or provoke to action.    Christians are being incited every day like everyone else on the planet. That part is clear. Less...

I spent most of my career as a corporate CEO working in the food sector of our economy ANTICIPATING the unforeseeable; managing the unimaginable; and dreaming the impossible. If I misdiagnosed the REAL PROBLEM and tried to fix the wrong thing, we would not “eat.” The same danger animated my faith walk. I was misdiagnosing the REAL PROBLEM and nearly succumbed to spiritual starvation by not knowing...

After relocating to the other side of America, a close friend of mine quickly learned that CHAMELEONS were everywhere! He was mesmerized by their ability to change colors based on their environment—from sunbathing on a dark wooden fence to lying in wait for dinner under a soft bed of green ferns. Google taught him that their skin does not change colors. Their camouflaging trick is the result of chemical...

The world has become a cruel game show that NOBODY EVER WINS. Yet the line to be a contestant keeps growing longer and the yearning for its prizes continually gnaws at the hearts of would-be players. Millions of souls on this planet are attracted to this crazy game by the unfounded belief that winners get the right/perfect friends, jobs, and mates. The right/perfect car and mansion. The right/perfect...