From Seth Godin: “Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up. Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around. I hope a new ebook I’ve organized will get you started on that path. It took months, but [...]read more

I’m not the greatest speaker in the world. In my line of work, that is inspirational speaking (speaking associated with faith but different than preaching) there are a lot of speakers better than myself. I count Rob Bell as one of these, and Francis Chan has always amazed me. My pastor, Rick McKinley is one of the best speakers I know. And in my travels to different churches, I’ve met dozens of speakers you have yet to hear about who astound me.  But I speak. And when I prepare a talk, I’ve discovered I prepare differently than the average speaker. To be honest, I’m not strategic about this, it’s just how my mind works.  But first, here’s what I don’t do, and it’s a common mistake: I don’t present and defend a point. In other words, if my point is that we need to engage the fatherless, I don’t open by saying we need to engage the fatherless and then list reasons. Thousands of speakers do this,...read more

I’ve a plan in the works to have a singer/songwriter share songs on the blog on Sundays. Until I have something original, though, I’ll just be sharing good music for your Sunday morning. I’m hoping this, a cup of coffee and the Sunday Times will be a nice addition to your morning. Today I’m featuring Jakob Dylan, son of Bob Dylan and former frontman for The Wallflowers. His new record Women and Country could easily pass for a new and improved Bob Dylan. It’s influenced heavily by T-Bone Burnett, who produced the record. Burnett brought out the songwriter in Dylan, for sure. Some of you will also recognize Neko Case singing backup. Enjoy.read more

Today concludes the blog series from the book Father Fiction. Thanks for coming along. Today’s blog is from a chapter on the importance of intentional friendships, and argues that if you’re screwing up your life, it might be because you are hanging out with the wrong people. Bound to be some controversy here. Regardless, here’s the excerpt: “…Last month I visited a prison in Texas. I had the chance to guest-teach a class in a progressive rehabilitation program. I taught, but mostly I listened. As the guys told me their stories, their reasons for being in prison, I noticed a common thread. They had been affected by their community, by the people they hung out with. Almost all problems and successes in life boil down to relationships. These guys had gotten themselves into relationships that led to trouble. Either they had joined gangs or hung out with drug addicts or met girls who took them down a bad path. ...read more