Sledding and shoulders…

It snowed in middle Tennessee in March! 

Actually, it iced about an inch, then it snowed about 3 inches. It was fun to watch, because it doesn't happen that often in Tennessee, especially in March.

So, as part of the day we decided to go out and sled in it, as a family. We got all bundled up and added more layers on that - it was about 16 degrees, with a strong windchill. We were ready and went out to sled, throw a few snowballs, etc.

It was all fun and games until…

Next Steps…

Next steps can mean many things to many people. Next steps are not always bad, nor are they always good. Next steps can have a challenge or can be simple.

Everyone has to take the next step…

Burnout…

This flame is cool. I like fire. Watching something burn is fascinating and it’s neat to see the constant changing of a fire as it burns. The colors are awesome and bright, and the flame flickering is mesmerizing. Fire is just one of those things that I could watch for a long time…the little kid comes out in me, for sure!

We all need fire to keep ourselves going, in whatever role, we're in - parent, employer, employee, child, student, etc.

The problem is…the flame goes out…

I'm better than you...

I love moving sidewalks, on many levels (I don’t mean escalators, when I say many levels - that is a different post with many other thoughts.). I think these crazy moving sidewalks are cool, a great time saver, fun to ride, a little scary, but mostly I love them, because I beat all those people walking on the regular carpeted area of the airport. Losers!

I wish I was a bird...really

Wait - should that be "I wish I were a bird?" 


When I go through a day that has challenges beyond what I like or a time where I have a lot on my mind or my heart, I look at the birds.

I know I talked about birds before, but I couldn't get this thought out of my mind…

Stopping on Main street…

What’s the main thing you stop for?

I’m not talking about traffic, but life. What causes you to pause and pay attention for a moment? What makes you change direction in life? What decides the next step for you? What’s the main thing in your life?

This sign is likely in every small town in America, but when I saw it the other day, I stopped to take a picture and had a flood of thoughts come to me.

Snowflakes and Differences…

A couple different edits of the same view...

This picture shows hundreds, maybe thousands of different little snowflakes. I took it with my iPhone to see how clearly it would turn out, and was amazed at all the different shapes that it shows. I then began to look closer, and realized that many had similarities but were also very different…

Signs you're in trouble...

Beware of the dog…

I saw this sign while out inviting people to our church with some of our teen boys. I’m only semi-afraid of dogs. They need to be big fanged dogs for me to truly get that tingly feeling of soon-I’m-going-to-be-mauled-and-die. Mostly, I don’t even notice the signs, except for this one…

I'm positive...too...

You've probably seen this picture before...I want to be the optimist. 

Some that know me, realize that I’m a half glass full to full glass kind of guy. I most always look at the positive side of life and realize that the bad side of life is for a purpose. Life is not fair and I don’t like it sometimes, but I really believe that there is a purpose for the tough times and bad things that occur in life, even if they are my fault.

I’ve had a lot of things running around in my head lately, so here are some things that I’m positive about…

Pure joy!

Joy, Joy, Joy...

There's a Christmas song that says "Joy, Joy, Joy!" I don't remember the name of the song, and I know that it is mostly referring to Christ's birth, but as I think about it, we should be repeating these words everyday.  We are often caught in the doldrums of what we do each day and we get caught up in the "disaster" or "business" of our day, forgetting to have joy!

Humpday Humor...

I have no idea who did this, but it's brilliant and hilarious...

I hope that you enjoy a little bit of humor today...

Failure stinks…

Don't know where this picture came from, but it was a fail! 

Who loves to fail? 

No-one does. 

It’s not fun! It often hurts and often causes great challenges from the failure. If I truly had a choice, I would never fail again and be perfect in every way, but the reality is, we fail!

People fail at marriage, at parenting, in a job, in ministry, in friendship, at sports, in their finances, during pressure, etc…

Failure isn't something we look forward to, but it’s something that’s going to happen…

Security Notice...

I saw this sign a while back and then I looked at the building. It had at least 6 or 7 of this same sign posted at each door and along the main outside walls.

My immediate reaction?

Where are the cameras?

Did they have a camera at each door? On each corner of the building? On a pole?

I looked around and didn’t see a single camera, anywhere.

What’s the message?

Ouch - 3 lessons from a bee sting...

I got stung again…

I know, stop complaining about a little bee sting, it’s no big deal. I get it, but if you read my blog, you know that I seem to learn crazy lessons from just about every little thing that happens to me, including a bee sting.

In the last 4 months, I have now been stung twice, and I don’t remember getting stung since I was a kid, and I was likely tougher then...

If you read my first post about my bee sting on the head, you know that I learned a few important things.

In this case I learned some more…

Jumpy leaders…

Have you ever had someone frighten you, as you walked by a doorway or empty room. They jump out or make a big noise and you stand there in terror with your tonsils in your hands. It’s a heart-racing event that my children love to do, and it’s highly uncomfortable. It’s not the position you expect to be in, nor do you want to be in it. 

It’s way out of your comfort zone…

3 lessons from a blade of grass...

You see that bit of grass (almost directly in the center of the picture). Little blades of grass and weeds grow anywhere.

I see this all the time. Mostly, I think it’s a nuisance, or about how in the world did grass grow in the middle of a street, parking lot or patio - it’s amazing that they get there.

Today is different - a friend of mine saw a blade of grass like this one and he said “Never give up!”

Let the scars come…

Really, I hate to get a cut. I’m a big wuss and have to show everyone in my family, that there is a gallon of blood flowing out of me, every second. Even a paper cut hurts, in fact, they may be worse that a broken leg - so glad I do everything electronically now - hard to get cut by my Mac keyboard. 

Well, there is a point to this one - sorry about the rabbit trail…Scars are very valuable…look at this old violin - it’s pretty beat up, but is still worth $325.

Are you like this match?

This match is awesome. I thought it might be a cool picture, but after I took it, I realized just how amazing it really is. Look at the flame. Look at the brightness of the red hot end. Look at the way it's burning down.

Are you like this match?

I see several important ways we should be line this match...

Rub-a-dub-dub thanks for the grub. Yeah God…surely there's more...

The title of this post was the meal prayer prior to a business lunch with a group of about 50 business professionals that I attended.

The man that was scheduled to pray is not religious and not a Christian, per his own introduction prior to his prayer.

His intent was to accomplish the task he was asked to do and to be humorous, so I think, since I can’t judge his motives completely.

I’m not offended, hurt or angered, but I’m disappointed, not in him, but in the overall direction of our country to make God a casual being with causal references.

Should this be the case in our society?

Broken Turtles...round 2

This is a re-post from two years ago, but it has been one of the most viewed of all I have written - I'm not sure why...hope you enjoy it...

The picture that you see is one that I took a while ago, when I was taking a walk in my neighborhood. This is not photo-shopped or edited in anyway. It’s what I saw and I had to stop and watch for awhile. I had a bunch of considerations come to my mind when I saw Mr. Turtle:

3 more lessons from Lego…

Lego is more than just a store experience, like I wrote about here. It’s a lifestyle impactor. 

I know that sounds a bit odd, but look at some things that I have learned from these little blocks…

Puddles and splashes...

The folks in this picture likely didn’t expect to have such a deep puddle to deal with, but they made it through, and it was cool for me to watch them roll within the deep waters.

Made me think about several things from this picture…

Leading by intimidation...

I once had a boss that couldn't lead. 

He would try, but he just wasn’t cut out for it.

No one respected him.

He would try harder, but he would fail worse.

He decided to lead by intimidation…

Lego Learning - 3 lessons from the store

I have recently been to a Lego store several times…not always for my youngest son. I noticed some important things, as I was in the store, that most stores ignore. All stores want customers. All stores want success and growth. All stores want to be profitable.

Lego has it right…even its name - Lego comes from Danish words “leg godt” which means “play well.”

So here’s what I learned…

3 Simple Lessons from Snow-days!

Tennessee often has 3-4 foot snowdrifts.

It has many storms each winter, and it cripples the entire State with each one.

Snow-days are rare, so kids take advantage of them; enjoying skiing the fresh powder. 

As you view the picture, a blizzard is rolling through, leaving at least 1/4 inch of snow…

It shuts down Tennessee and schools close immediately.

The little show that Tennessee gets taught me a few lessons…