“I failed, again.” You’ve heard that line whispered in your ear, right? It comes from Satan, aka the “Voice Villain.”    We know that despite our best-laid plans, setbacks are inevitable. But they still produce angst, extreme doubt about our self-worth, and muddle our relationships in life. Yep, fear of failure is not easy to accept, especially when God tells us NOT TO FEAR 365 times in...

They talk too much! This is the SHORT list of artists who have used “You talk too much” as the hook in one of their songs.    It’s a turn-of-phrase that can be directly connected to the line we all know that means we have said something inappropriate and embarrassing: “Open mouth, insert foot.”    You get the idea.  It seems impossible to avoid talking too much, right? I’ll...

When I lived a fast-paced and stressful existence as a CEO in my mid-thirties, I was constantly battling anxiety, emotional confusion, temptations, and anger. I failed to deal with the issues early before a negative pattern developed. With each new wave of anxiety my mind locked onto the wrong things and I slid a bit farther from God and the truth.    My life was just like stop-and-go traffic...

Do YOU want to live with 100% CONFIDENCE? Confidence where you trust him no matter what is happening around you? Confidence that has you living with expectancy that he will show up? Confidence that seeps out of your soul for others to see. Here is a snapshot of what 100% GOD CONFIDENCE is NOT: It is NOT living without worry and fear. It is NOT always doing the right thing. It is NOT a life free of...

It’s true!  I actually lived out this famous malaprop from baseball legend Yogi Berra early in my faith walk and the consequences from freezing at the fork were horrific.    My indecision at the fork was tantamount to making the wrong choice because it guaranteed that I would not take God’s choice. Bad choice at the fork means bad consequences down that road.   I lived that...

Early in my faith walk I was NEVER content. No matter how much money I made…or houses I built…or cars I bought…or vacations I took…contentment for me was elusive. It is only now that I can see how my character was at risk during those years. Here’s why…    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...

It’s true. Early in my faith walk I was in a constant state of panic over what MIGHT HAPPEN. Over what was AROUND THE CORNER. Over what challenge WAS NEXT.    It was a horrible way to live and it nearly destroyed my walk with God.    Our culture has taught us that fear and worry, just like stress, are part of the package we get in life. We are told to endure the constant pressure...

Early in my faith walk I never stopped to reflect on my spiritual journey and get God’s direction. And I paid the price by running off the road and stalling too many times to count.    After making a commitment to know Christ and walk with him, I began to see the need to “search for learning” along the road of life. And that’s what I’ve been doing for over 20 years now with countless blessings...

Whew! It’s over, the trouble has passed.    That’s what I used to think earlier in my faith walk when a trial or test ended.    I was wrong. God wants us to do more than celebrate “surviving” our trials like we’re passing a freeway-clogging accident. The “more” is asking him to identify opportunities to grow our faith for the journey’s next leg.    Why do we have to ask?...

It’s true. And it was scary.    It happened during my run as a Corporate CEO when I was swept away by hopelessness. I had accepted Christ 20 years earlier, but never fully surrendered my life in obedience to him. There was a sports car in my mansion’s garage, but I was spiritually bankrupt.    It was the perfect storm for despair–no joy…constant pain…unrelenting anxiety—and it...