Anniversaries

Hard to believe, but Cynthia and I celebrate our sixtieth wedding anniversary this month. You read it right . . . that’s ten years more than half a century! I remember looking upon those who celebrated their quarter-of-a-century anniversary as folks who were about a hop away from a Zimmer frame.  And here Cynthia and […]

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Love without a Net

Anne Morrow was shy and delicate. Butterfly like. Not dull or stupid or incompetent, just a quiet specimen of timidity. Her dad was ambassador to Mexico when she met an adventurous young fellow who visited south of the border for the U.S. State Department. The man was flying from place to place promoting aviation. Everywhere […]

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The Three Most Powerful Words

Almost always, the answer was the same. “How did your game go?” I’d ask. “Good,” he would reply. “How did you do?” . . . “Good.” The response wasn’t a curt put-off, nor was it a rote reaction. It was offered honestly, and almost always with enthusiasm. . . . It didn’t matter if the […]

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What Must Change and What Never Will

Virtually every week, I come across people who long for the simple life of yesteryear. But I’ve learned that one’s perspective makes all the difference. Some look back and remember the best of times—an easier pace, closer ties, cleaner movies, and deeper, more honest relationships. Others remember only the worst of times—inconveniences, prejudices, and inefficiencies. […]

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Two Suggestions for Becoming Great

There’s something beautiful and innocent about the answers children give. Why? Children simply speak the truth—as best as they understand it. I love these answers that some kids gave to questions about the Bible. See if they don’t prompt a grin: “Noah’s wife was named Joan of Ark.” “The fifth commandment is, ‘Humour thy father […]

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The Reckless Phony

LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. (Psalm 15:1-2) Read 1 Kings 11:1-6. Mark Twain said, “Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows anybody.”1 Phony living could happen […]

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The Enduring Value of a Mentor

There we sat, a cluster of six. A stubby orange candle burned at the centre of our table, flickering shadows across our faces. One spoke; five listened. Every question was handled with such grace, such ease—each answer drawn from deep wells of wisdom, shaped by tough decisions, nurtured by time. And pain. And mistakes and […]

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True Teamwork: What It Takes

As a lifelong admirer of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, I have devoured more than a few biographies about him. Among the best was Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, a volume that presents Lincoln’s brilliant political act of enlisting into his cabinet some of the men who had run against him. Surrounded by a […]

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The Dark Side of Greatness

“There lies the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen . . . [and] now he belongs to the ages.” Of whom was this said? One of the Caesars? No. Napoleon? No. Alexander the Great? No. Eisenhower? Patton? MacArthur . . . or some earlier military strategist like Grant or Lee or […]

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