I recently preached at The Church of the Cross, in Bradenton, Florida, where Pastor Stan Pavlovich is one of my closest friends. Before the second of three services, I met a dear lady named Mary. Mary is an amazing woman. This 87-year-old Navy veteran of the Korean War has many talents, including baking. Mary gave…
The topic in my seven Freedom Groups a few weeks ago was “Triggers.” As part of the exercise, I had the guys in each group tell us what their primary trigger is, that makes them want to act out. The list began with the traditional H.A.L.T. triggers (hungry, angry, lonely, tired). I added two more:…
Life coach and best-selling author Mike Bayer has written a great book for those seeking a higher level of freedom and success. In One Decision, Bayer proposes one decision that is critical for anyone seeking to reach her complete potential. You can buy the book or you can read the next line. That one decision…
A close friend returned from an extended mission trip in Asia. He came home with great stories and deepened faith. And one other thing. A pair of chopsticks. Talk about annoying. Every time we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant, he ate everything but the soup with chopsticks. And he wasn’t even good at it.…
There’s this funny thing about the Christian life. The more you help others, the better off you are. Let’s apply this principle to prayer. We find this interesting little verse toward the end of the Book of Job. Despite Job’s great losses and pain, the rest of his life became the best of his life.…
A man was surprised with a gift that was dropped off in his driveway – a brand new car. He was so excited that he cleaned the car daily, vacuumed the carpet faithfully, and waxed the car meticulously. The only thing he didn’t do was drive the car. He loved to tell his friends about…
There is this little verse in the New Testament that we often miss. “Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’” (John 4:7). When Jesus made this request of the woman at the well, he was teaching us a bigger lesson. How many times have we been expecting Jesus Christ to quench our thirst when…
There is an old acronym in recovery called H.A.L.T. It reminds us that we are often triggered when we are (a) hungry, (a) angry, (c) lonely, and (d) tired. Let me add two more: B.S. We are at risk when we are bored and stressed. 1. Boredom We get into trouble if we aren’t into…
Next season, The Bachelor will resume its 20-year run on network television. Because some years have had multiple seasons, this will mark the 25th season for the top-rated show. As you probably know, the premise is that a man picks his wife from among several women who essentially audition for the job each week, in…
Many of the men I meet ask the predictable question, “How do I know if I really have an addiction?” Let me suggest four criteria for any addiction. A need for more of the behavior to achieve the desired effect. Feelings of withdrawal when unable to engage in the addictive behavior. Repeated unsuccessful attempts to…