You can find the best-kept secret to a satisfying life in two words- "Thank you." Strange as it seems, focusing on giving something sets you up to get something. Give thanks and get fulfilled in so many ways.

Are you ever surprised when God uses something small to teach you a big lesson? More than a few times, this has happened to me. One particular time was an early sunlit morning while sitting on an elevated deck overlooking a gently flowing creek. My view was through the midsection of various hardwood limbs, and the lesson came from what was between me and the rippling water below.

Have you ever tried to throw a ball with your back out of sorts? When one part of your body isn't working properly, it affects the whole body. When there is no unity, there is no attractiveness and practical function all but leaves! The body simply cannot function optimally.

Called by God?

What does a twelve-year-old boy know about “the call of God”?

Even as I ask that question, I’m confident there is no simple answer! A calling is much more than knowing something intellectually. It goes far beyond the brain’s activity and visits places in your being that you never knew existed.

Recently I lost the man in my life that looked the most like Jesus of anyone I've ever known. Lucky for me, he was my dad. I get it. Not everyone has the privilege of their dad and hero being one and the same. For that privilege, I am immensely grateful!

My mom was diligently working in the kitchen when I marched into her space with a chip the size of Texas on my teenage shoulder. A mom has a way of “knowing” things. Before I could speak a word, her right hand shot up and out. Her flat palm projected toward me with that universal sign - STOP! And, of course, I did! It was either comply or die at our house. Then she delivered the best advice I would ever learn. She said, “you need some fresh air”!