♦ Keep your eyes peeled. “Situational awareness” is that 007-like sensitivity to warning signs or threats. ♦ Don’t pass the buck. Heroes don’t wait for others to take action; they step up and quickly. ♦ Put others first. “When someone dives into a frozen lake to save a child, they’re thinking altruistically, not, ‘Hey, what’s…
Aspiration is what we want to have happen––our hopes and goals. Inspiration is the incentive we have to try to get our hopes and goals accomplished. For example, if we want to photograph a beautiful sunrise, we will get up early, find the ideal spot, and set up our camera. Why we want a picture…
I taught visual arts for many years, first to elementary-age school children and college students from the university who were completing certification to teach art. Later I taught classroom teachers learning to integrate the arts into their curricula. I always reminded teacher-education majors and in-service teachers that they are not just teaching their subject matter,…
When a person dies within a short period of time after his or her spouse or other loved one has died, we will often hear someone say, “She or he died of a broken heart.” Now, medical researchers have found a way to actually measure the effects. They are able to measure how under extreme…
Love is often misunderstood as something that “happens” between two people through a romantic attraction, or that love is a “closeness” felt among family members. That theory of love is very limited. The love of God is much broader. He has commanded us to love everyone. That seems impossible! We all know evil people who…
William Penn (1644-1718) was a Quaker involved in the colonization of what became Pennsylvania. He said, “Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong even if everyone is for it.” Men of Integrity, January/February 2013, p.2/6 Integrity means being honest with ourselves, other people and with God. It means standing…
German physicist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742-1799) once said, “Never undertake anything for which you wouldn’t have the courage to ask the blessing of heaven.” Antiquary, 15 March 2009 (UTC) The above quote made me wonder how many of us go about our lives thinking we are in charge. We decide what we are going to…
“Steven Curtis Chapman has earned more awards than any other Christian vocalist in history, yet he acknowledges the sting of criticism never goes away. He has said what other recording artists have also expressed, ‘One thousand compliments plus one criticism equals one criticism.’” Between Heaven & The Real World, Steven Curtis Chapman, 2017, p.182 Criticism…
The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels are a picture of disciplined excellence. This aerial acrobatic team of pilots mesmerizes audiences throughout the country with their precision flying formations and stunts. Each air show is a visual reminder that the team has spent thousands of hours practicing for what the 11 million annual spectators see. But even…
“Doing well” refers to the state of our physical, mental, spiritual and financial health. “Doing good” refers to how other people and situations are affected, depending on what we are doing on their behalf. But do we have to be doing well to do good? My mother-in-law was one of the most generous people I…