The Kiss of Encouragement

Painter Benjamin West tells how he loved to paint as a youngster. When his mother left, he would pull out the oils and try to paint. One day he pulled ...

A Pat on the Back

A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae away from a kick in the pants, but it's miles ahead in terms of results.

Think Big

Looking through a peephole is no way to stay motivated when you're moving toward a goal. The big view is important. It takes big dreams--big goals--big ...

He Walked Away Crushed

Several years ago, my second son, Steve, tried out for the high school football team. One day he walked into my office and proclaimed with great excitement, ...

Friends Light the Way

No problem is ever as dark when you have a friend to face it with you.

Constructive Criticism

"Criticism," said Ralph Waldo Emerson, "should not be querulous and wasting, all knife and root-puller, but guiding, instructive, inspiring--a ...

Cheering for Church

Like a victorious locker room, church is a place to exult, to give thanks, to celebrate the great news that all is forgiven, that God is love, that victory ...

He's My Shepherd

For more than fifty years, my father was a pastor and conducted numerous funerals. I particularly remember the tragic death and funeral of my best friend's ...

How to Be a Friend

Often the most loving thing we can do when a friend is in pain is to share the pain--to be there even when we have nothing to offer except our presence ...

In Support of Dreamers

The Tyranny of the Rigid

On May 24, 1965, a thirteen-and-a-half-foot boat quietly slipped out of the marina at Falmouth, Massachusetts. Its destination? ...