Resistance is futile

“We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships! We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.” Star Trek: The Next Generation is my favorite science fiction TV series, and “the Borg” is my favorite enemy of Captain Picard and…

Mama said knock them out

“I’m gonna knock you out, mama said knock you out, I’m gonna knock you out” This 1990 song was written by rapper turned actor LL Cool J. Apparently LL had the same type of mother that I did because that’s basically what my mother told us.  It was her way of helping us deal with the…

Can I fix you?

My favorite rock/pop musical group is the British band Coldplay.  Their 3rd album X&Y released in 2005 includes a song called Fix You. “When you try your best but you don’t succeed When you get what you want but not what you need When you feel so tired but you can’t sleep Stuck in reverse…

That’s all I can stand, I can’t stands no more!

What do you usually do when you encounter a behavior or activity that really makes you angry?  What I’m talking about could be something as major as the number of kids that will be raised without the influence of a father or something as minor as when your favorite store stops stocking your brand of…

Do you smell something burning?

77% of people in ministry say they have experienced burnout. Here are a few things that might keep you out of that statistic and wondering what that burning smell is. Don’t take yourself too seriously Don’t do anything for someone that they can do for themselves Take time off Develop a hobby Exercise You can’t…

There’s a hole in my bucket

I want to encourage parents and youth workers that your words are not falling on deaf ears. “In one ear, out the other” is a phrase that has been used for decades by frustrated adults attempting to communicate with teenagers.  I’m not saying that never happens, but what I have learned from teenagers is that when…

Don’t solve your kid’s problems

Over the years, I have encountered kids that struggle with how to deal with even the slightest amount of adversity. Some of these were children of parents who tried to build a “problem-free” world for their kid. I have also witnessed kids that navigate challenging situations and come through the experience better because of it….

You are going the wrong way

It’s fascinating to me to see a driver going the wrong way on a one-way street. The most interesting thing is how other drivers choose to engage the wrong-way driver. Some people just do their best to stay away from the car, while other drivers take it on themselves to correct the driver just to…

Sit down and start rowing

When I think about the struggle that kids and their families are experiencing I think about boats. Humans have used some form of a boat for at least 7,000 years. Just think about how many stories and poems have water travel at the center of the literary work. What about the scores of songs written…

The devil doesn’t like trains

My secondary title of this blog is: “Oh, don’t you let the devil ride…” Several gospel artists recorded their version of the song, but it was first recorded in 1969 by Gospel artist Brother Joe May. The song goes on to say that if you let the devil ride, he’s going to want to drive….