Month: November 2017

Categories
Forum Columns

The spirit of Thanksgiving is thankful living

Happy Thanksgiving, readers! I continue to receive encouraging words from you and I am so thankful and blessed by each of you. I started writing this column one year ago today and I had no idea the positive impact it would have, but God did. I pray it will continue to grow.

As a child I told people that Memorial Day was my favorite holiday and the Indy 500 was my favorite sporting event. The reason was they signaled the start of summer vacation; no school for three months! My favorite holiday, however, has always been Thanksgiving, by far. I love fall, football and all of the traditional Thanksgiving food (including the fact there are no fruit cakes at Thanksgiving). Add family to the mix and it becomes the perfect holiday.

Click HERE to continue reading.

Categories
Prairie Heights Sermons

Simple Questions

Categories
Forum Columns

Our only hope for getting better

I am so blessed and thankful to have grown up in North Dakota. The people of the upper Midwest have a strong work ethic with a tough and rugged determination. My son, while at boot camp for the U.S. Army, discovered that not everyone has the same determination and commitment that we learn in this part of the country.

If you grew up in this region, you also learned that the answer to every problem is the same: suck it up, work harder and get over it. And if that doesn’t work, drink the problem away. What you don’t do is let anyone know you have a problem. You do what you have to do and plow your way through it. And when you don’t reveal it to another person, you don’t admit it to yourself or to God. But I’ve discovered it’s really tough to live in isolation, hiding that problem when it simply does not, will not, get better.

Click HERE to continue reading.

Categories
Prairie Heights Sermons

Simple Questions

Categories
Forum Columns

Who is Jesus to you?

Do you have a place where you go or drive by and when you do, you have emotions and thoughts that go in several different ways?

Maybe it is a house you once lived in. You have some good memories there and you also remember the day that your phone rang in that house and you found out your grandpa had died in a tragic car accident. Or you drive by your old high school and you think about the great memories you have from marching band or running track and your mind also flashes back to that is where you met Joe and he introduced you to alcohol and you struggled with alcohol addiction for many years. Cemeteries and churches can be places like that. Maybe it is the building where you were sworn in as a member of the U.S. military.

Click HERE to continue reading.

Categories
Forum Columns

Questions can unlock your future

I used to think that a great teacher always had great answers. Now I realize that a great teacher is someone who asks great questions. The right question at the right time makes all the difference in helping people grow.

I used to think as a leader I had to have all the answers. Now I realize my job as a leader is to ask great questions. Management expert Peter Drucker said, “My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions.” The right question at the right time makes all the difference in helping an organization make progress.

Click HERE to continue reading.