Articles

  • Out of Shape!

    Carol and I had been in California for several months while I was helping a church through a major change. During that time, although I did walk an average of 2 miles per day, I did very little other exercise. Arriving home, I had the satisfaction of helping a church and many folks who were

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  • A Blowout!

    Have you ever had a blowout? Everything seemed to be going smoothly until … oh, wait a minute. What I’m talking about is a flat tire – not an interpersonal eruption. Both can be heart-wrenching, but the tire blowout is easier to fix. Usually. We were in the Columbus, Ohio metroplex when one of the

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  • Where Have I Been?

    I was stunned when I realized I hadn’t written a blog for almost 2 months! Yes, I was busy, but … well, instead of making excuses, here are some events that took up my time. In early April, I received a call from a pastor who needed my help. The church leadership was considering transferring

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  • What Did I Say?

    Some years ago, when I was teaching an adult Bible Study class, I saw one man’s eyebrow raise after a comment I had made. I realized he disagreed with what I said, and I wanted him to have an opportunity to air his thoughts. “Mike, what did I say that you disagreed with?” Not wanting

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  • Actively Listening Enhances Our Writing

    In my previous blog I said that learning to actively listen can make us a better writer. Let’s look into it. In her book, Listening: Its Impact at All Levels on Reading and Other Language Arts (1979), Sara Lundsteen said, “Listening is the foundation for speaking, which is the foundation for reading, which is the

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  • The Art of Conversation

    On October 5, 2015, Larry Alton wrote: “6 Tips to Rule the Art of Conversation.” Tip #5 is: “Let the other person do the talking.” On July 21, 2014 Eric Barker listed 7 points of having a good conversation with #5th being: “Great Conversationalists Listen More than Talk.” Brett and Kay McKay wrote “The Art

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  • Life is Changing for a Lot of People

    What’s happening? Approximately 3.7 million young adults are graduating from high school, around 4 million are graduating from college, and about 1.65 million will continue to pursue their masters degree. Oh yes, and about 30% of the American work force will change vocations. Life is definitely changing! Another thought to consider: about 80% of our

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  • What do You Do?

    What do you do when you realize that you haven’t kept up on your writing? I just now asked myself that question because with what I’ve got going in life, I realized that I haven’t written a blog since May 8. Let’s see now … that’s 12 days ago! Should I feel ashamed of myself?

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  • Inspiration Happens in the Most Unusual Ways

    I was sitting in my office in Lemon Grove, California, looking out the window. I was waiting for the next person I was going to interview, and watching for the next trolley to rush past. I had about 10 minutes and was also wondering what my next article would be about. About that time, the

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  • I Want to Write a Book, but ……

    “You want to write a book, okay. But what’s your concern?” I inquired. “I want to write a book, but the thought scares me. I’ve never written anything longer than college and university papers, and I think trying to write anything more than 20 pages is beyond my ability.” We discussed his interests, background, and

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