“A Teachable Moment”—for Obama

During this entire episode between President Obama, Professor Gates, and Sgt. Crowley, there has been a cacophony, primarily from political conservatives, demanding that Obama apologize for telling the nation that the Cambridge Police acted “stupidly.” Ducking and weaving, the President has avoided such an apology and hopes to resolve the whole incident by sharing a [...]

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Barrack Obama and Professor Gates—two peas in a pod

I, for one, am delighted the incident involving the arrest of Henry Lewis Gates, Jr. has made such a splash in the news—not because it was so embarrassing for the President, which it was—but because I learned so much from it.
When confronted by Sgt. Crowley, Gates, who is obviously a bright man, chose not to [...]

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Recovering Character

I was watching a movie the other day where a man, who had fallen badly, said, “It’s easier to maintain character than to recover it.” No sooner had he spoken the words than I knew I had to write about them.
As a superficial statement, it’s obviously true. It is easier to maintain character than recover [...]

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Your Despair Has a Purpose

When despair comes, ask God, “What do you want me to learn from this experience? What is the lesson you are trying to teach me? Please, give me the insight I need to ‘get it.’”
When you ask this, be still, wait, and listen. Be patient—even when it’s the last thing you want to do. If [...]

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The Value of Despair

If you listen to most, being positive and looking on the bright side is essential to be a winner in life. Isn’t that right? Don’t we hear the following to the exclusion of everything else?

Give 110 percent!
The glass is half full.
Count your blessing—one by one.
You can make it—just think positively.
Name what you want and claim [...]

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What About Failure?

Whenever you talk about recovery, whether it’s from alcoholism, from drug addiction, or from religious abuse—failure is a prerequisite. Without being a failure, there would be no need for recovery. But failure doesn’t have to be negative—not in the long term. The key isn’t whether or not you’ve failed but what you do with your [...]

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