MINDSHARE is one of the most powerful forces on the planet as myriad images and choices constantly snake across our mind’s cinema. Marketers spend BILLIONS of dollars to develop MINDSHARE because they know that market share comes AFTER mind share. Think Kleenex. Coke. Q-Tips. Xerox. Band-Aid. What do you think the MINDSHARE is for a “Plate Spinner” at the circus who frantically spins multiple plates...

Last night I saw an image that will never leave my mind. I was watching a documentary on the 1970s war in Lebanon and was awestruck by an image that came out of nowhere. It would be a good guess if you’re thinking the image showed carnage, war, death, or destruction. But it was none of those things. No blood. No pain. No graves.    The image that is now seared into my mind forever is a city...

Most Christians know about the dangers lurking behind the Get-Rich-QUICK mentality of our time. You know, those fantastic “deals” that flash surface logic that belies a nefarious underbelly. Get-Rich-QUICK schemes by definition have trouble written all over them and are fairly easy to spot in their dramatic entry and over-the-top allure.    Of course we should pay attention to that temptation...

We will always and forever hear this line: “DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF.” We will hear it at home. We will hear it at work. And we will hear it in our private thoughts about God. But no matter when or where it shows up, that line will be a LIE! An immutable law of our universe is that a whole is the sum of its parts. But that is not why SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF is an important part of the Christian...

I used to think that there was no way God was monitoring my motives…and I was WRONG. I learned this lesson the hard way while living without considering my motives each day when I checked in with God. It took me several years to figure out that those conversations with the Lord of Heaven and earth are compromised if we do not include our motivation.    Why? Because when we do...

We all have a keen sense of our expectations for the people we encounter on the road of life. People close to us like family and good friends; others we work or worship with on a regular basis; and strangers who come into our lives on the freeway or in a restaurant.      Just yesterday I was stunned and crushed by a business colleague’s careless behavior that missed my expectations...

I love restoration shows on television! I’m ALL IN if a story delivers on three ACTS: ACT I     Start with something run down or not operating as it should.    ACT II    Develop some kind of restoration strategy and action plan.    ACT III   Conclude with a dramatic reveal of the “new” prize.    Just yesterday I wondered “where...

Even though it sounds a bit sensationalized, it is not. Retreating to the balcony has dramatically changed my walk with Christ. Transformed my life. And, yes, saved it in many respects. The story is built around a balcony metaphor and pivots off God’s instruction to examine ourselves to “search me and know my heart” (Psalm 139:23).    The goal is to get perspective on my life’s bigger picture...

There is a good reason REGRET is one of the most powerful words on the planet—IT HURTS! The most common definition tells the story:    “A painful experience and/or memory from the past.”    Most of us have regrets from the past that we carry around with us like carpenters tote their tools. That’s unavoidable. But we can work hard to keep them from ruling our life in the present....

The Fight-or-Flight response is our body and mind’s physiological response to a perceived or real threat to our safety or survival. And it’s REAL! Consider this… You are snorkeling above a majestic coral platform, suspended in the safe confines of a cozy cove in the Caribbean’s shimmering cobalt ink. The coral attracts you like a magnet and, in an instant, one of its knife-like fingers awakens a surprised...