Integrity Builds Courage – Household Words:

Manly Exploits and the Manly Heart. 2 Samuel 23:8.

Pictured: Yellowfin tuna from this fishing guide’s website: https://alphonsefishingco.com/fly-fishing/species/yellowfin-tuna/ Once, after a day of deep-sea fishing, I joined my friend Doug at a stainless steel cleaning table. Ours was one of four tables, each surrounded by men cleaning fish and swapping stories. It was amazing to see the huge redfish and yellow-fin tuna and amberjackContinue reading “Manly Exploits and the Manly Heart. 2 Samuel 23:8.”

When You Need Courage. Proverbs 28:1.

Have you ever been afraid? Fear is a difficult emotion. Sometimes fear is vague, dull, and unfocused: you feel anxious, but you’re not sure why. Other times it is acute: you know EXACTLY what you’re afraid of! Fear, whether in the form of fright, worry, anxiety, terror, or dread, affects everyone. What is the answer?Continue reading “When You Need Courage. Proverbs 28:1.”

Sing. Matthew 26:30.

Think of the film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. Jesus was a tough, courageous warrior who went to the cross for you and me. He was scared enough that He sweat blood (an actual condition known as hemahydrosis)—but He did not run. He did not call 10,000 angels to rescue Him. He went forward boldly,Continue reading “Sing. Matthew 26:30.”

NOT AN EASY LIFE. Luke 2:34-35.

When I was a child, I decided everyone gets an equal amount of hurt and happiness—that our pleasures and pains balance out. My parents told me I was crazy. Both of them went on about how much worse some people had it. What if no one loved you? What if you were paralyzed? What ifContinue reading “NOT AN EASY LIFE. Luke 2:34-35.”

When You Need Courage.

Do You Need Courage? Part Two.

Remember where courage comes from? Integrity. If you obey God, you will have courage. If you disobey, you will be afraid. After Israel defeated Jericho, the men marched against the kingdom of Ai. But the men of Ai overpowered them, killed 36 of them and chased them away. “As a result, the people’s hearts meltedContinue reading “Do You Need Courage? Part Two.”

Do You Need Courage?

Courage does not mean having no fear. Courage is moving forward in spite of fear. When times are tough and the future is in doubt, we need courage. How do you get courage? Obedience. Integrity means “wholeness.” In math, an “integer” is a whole number, right? If you have integrity, you are a whole person.Continue reading “Do You Need Courage?”

New York State of Mind.

New Yorkers are known for being tough, argumentative, even rude—common traits in a densely populated city. But they have another trait that may not seem to fit: they don’t want to get involved. If a purse is stolen, it’s “I didn’t see nuthin,’ I don’t know nuthin.’” No one wants to help. But sometimes justice requiresContinue reading “New York State of Mind.”

Aaron and Moses: Two Kinds of Leaders.

When the Israelites complained, Aaron made an idol and they partied like drunken frat boys. God told Moses: “Go down at once! For your people you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted wickedly. They have made for themselves an image of a calf. They have bowed down to it, sacrificed to it,Continue reading “Aaron and Moses: Two Kinds of Leaders.”

Passive Voice of Biblical Proportions.

You know what passive voice is? It’s the opposite of Jocko Willink’s “extreme ownership.” Writers and English teachers deride passive voice because it is an attempt to conceal the cause of things, such as when you say, “the lamp fell and broke,” rather than “I broke the lamp.” In Exodus 32, Aaron employs passive voice.Continue reading “Passive Voice of Biblical Proportions.”