If a picture is worth a thousand words, a purpose is worth a thousand possibilities. José Salvador Alvarenga set out on a Mexican fishing trip in November 2012. Fourteen months and 6,000 miles later, he was discovered on a remote island halfway between Hawaii and Australia. With living as his only purpose, Alvarenga drifted aimlessly [...]
Obedience joyfully submits, no matter how unjoyful and unsubmissive you feel. Obedience starts at home. I hated obedience as a kid, but as a young parent it’s my favorite. With all the complaining, eye-rolling, and stonewalling that come with kids, it’s no wonder obedience is our Heavenly Father's favorite too (1 Sam. 15:22). I wish [...]
Trials are your obstacle course to faithfulness. It was so long ago that I still looked like a Baywatch lifeguard. Well, sorta. Walking down a dusty gravel road on a sunny Texas morning with sweat pouring down my face, I was wondering what in the world I was doing. Seriously, why was a shy rural [...]
You can’t touch even one memory for a day, but even one memory can touch you for eternity. I was 25 years old and clueless. So wise, yet so humble, or so I thought . . . but I was so wrong. Ever been there? My friend, Floyd Woods, had just returned from a Jamaica [...]
Your legacy isn’t what you take with you to eternity, it’s who you take with you. And it’s not what you leave behind, it’s how you help others leave their own legacy. If your kids chose A-to-Z character qualities, what would they choose for L? Laughter, Leader, Learner, Legacy, Level-headed, Likable, Limitless, Listener, Lively, Longsuffering, [...]
Kindness oozes from your pores when it flows through your veins. How is it possible? How could Corrie Ten Boom forgive her cruel Nazi concentration camp captor when she saw him after the war? How could Sharletta Evans forgive and embrace her son’s killer as if he was her own child? And how about you? [...]
Excellent leadership starts with excellent followship. By following the example of Jesus, we can find excellence in others and emulate excellence for others. Excellence requires a what, a why, and a how. Your what determines your path. Your why determines your passion. Your how determines your success. Jesus followers, though, add a key fourth element: [...]
Integrity does the right thing, even when others won’t, can’t, or attack you for trying. Leadership can be lonely, but leading with integrity puts a target on your chest. Integrity is a light that exposes darkness, and darkness will do anything to avoid the light. It’s happened to me too. I’ve been falsely accused of [...]
Laughter isn’t the opposite of anger; it’s the opposite of hopeless and joyless. There’s nothing like an infant’s laugh. Their little giggles melt your heart and make you wonder what they’ll be like when they’re grown. Hearty laughter helps your body by relieving stress, triggering endorphins, and easing pain. But humor also helps your soul. [...]
Flaming liberal . . . a term never used to describe me. But I wish it was in one area – generosity. If you ask my kids who’s the most giving, humble man they know, they’ll say, “Grandpa Alba” (my dad). As a kid, I wondered why my dad gave away so much to others. [...]
