If you’ve been waiting for a “sign” for God that it’s time to stop a certain sin in your life, this is it. There’s no time like the present to repent—stop and turn in a different direction. I have an early morning breakfast duty at school each day, and the cafeteria is full of middle…
Category: Christian Living
How a Simple Pause Might Turn the Tables
Life speeds by at a quick pace. Have you ever rushed into something that you later wished you had stepped into a bit more slowly and cautiously? I can think of one particular time when I let something unkind come out of my mouth in the heat of a moment, and I sure wish I…
When the Hard Way is the Best Way
Some of the middle and high school classes I teach are journalism courses. As part of those classes, my students and I produce and publish a regular newspaper at our school. The day we get to fold and deliver newspapers is always a great day. Students are seeing the fruits of their labor, and they…
A Tiny Bit of Time, a Monumental Difference
Coming at you with a little practical piece of advice today, and it has to do with finding and using pockets of time. Here’s what started me thinking about this… Well, I went to a parochial school from kindergarten through seventh grade, and as part of our religion curriculum, we memorized Bible verses. I can’t…
One Simple Answer for Fear, Stress and Anxiety
Sometimes the best advice is more simple than you might think. Case in point: My classroom is right next door to the tech team at my school. It is one of my greatest luxuries! My classroom is also full of computers, so issues do pop up here and there. But almost anytime we have an…
Living a Slow Life in a Hurried World
Last summer, I spent some time in Africa. It was incredible! Well, except for some travel blunders on my journey across the ocean. My plane in Kansas City, Missouri, hadn’t even backed away from the jetway before a thunderstorm rolled in and delayed our takeoff. And, of course, a chain reaction ensued… I didn’t get…
The Truth About Life’s Small, Simple Moments
My church did a sermon series about legacies last fall. Our pastors used various stages of David’s life to teach about how to leave a legacy with eternal significance. On the final week of the preaching series, my pastor talked about how a legacy is managed moment by moment. Although we think about BIG things…
The Surprising Role You Didn’t Know You Have
In the book of Hosea, we read about God’s communication with the Israelite people, who have been unfaithful to Him. Hosea even uses the phrase, “spirit of prostitution,” more than once when talking about the nation of Israel. In this context, God’s Word is referring to the covenant relationship between God and His people. When…
How God Prepares You for His Work in the World
One of my jobs at the school where I teach is serving as advisor of the student newspaper. A couple of my classes are journalism classes, and they are responsible for planning, writing, designing and publishing a monthly high school newspaper. As I prepare students for embarking on our first edition of the newspaper each…
10 Ways to Successfully ‘Stack Days’ With Jesus
This concept of “stacking days” has been on my mind recently. Have you heard someone use this term before? It basically means focusing on discipline and consistency rather than perfection and results. For example, an athlete stacks days by showing up to the weight room every day during the off-season, and even by lifting weights…