Being thankful stands in stark and debilitating contrast to entitlement. If we sense that we are entitled to something, it is then presumed to be ours by right. If it is ours by right, then there is no legitimate need to be thankful for it. Our overriding mentality and our general orientation to life becomes marked by a sense that we are owed, and … [Read more...]
Playing with the Fire – Thinking we’re That Good
At times we tend to like to “dance with the devil,” “push the envelope,” and “play with fire.” At some level we’re all dare-devils. There comes those moments, either frequent or infrequent when we become a bit bored with the everyday stuff of everyday life. And in those moments we want to shake it up and spice it up. There’s an utterly profound … [Read more...]
Bobbing and Weaving
We all dance. Every one of us diligently works to side-step those things that we find less than palatable or downright ugly. We cleverly work to circumvent, defuse and detour around all of the many things that we find unsavory and therefore prefer not to deal with. In essence, we bob and weave and we tend to do a lot of it. Certain times … [Read more...]
What we Worship – The Things We Bow Down to
Uniqueness – Not as License
In a culture that advocates for a broad array of freedoms, we sometimes struggle with understanding the appropriate parameters for the exercise of those freedoms. When we are presented with something new that we wish to explore, we may have a difficult time understanding how far we can explore this thing without impeding on the rights of others and … [Read more...]
Uniqueness – Looking Beyond Labels to See Strengths
Too often we label our “uniqueness” with other less than flattering adjectives such as “weird,” “odd,” “bizarre,” or something similar. Some expressions of uniqueness are done in less than wise and informed ways that may make themappear a bit questionable and therefore generate hurtful labels. These labels then can be inordinately diminishing in … [Read more...]
Trust – The Personal Characteristics that Build it Strong
If I take trust out of a relationship, I have effectively gutted that relationship to its death. Trust is an indispensable ingredient in relationships, regardless of the type or nature of the relationship. Without trust, we have absolutely nothing left. When it is gone our goal is not to rebuild the relationship, rather it is to rebuild trust so … [Read more...]
Traditions- A Sorely Needed Grounding
Traditions are too frequently viewed as antiquated, outmoded, outdated, and entirely outclassed by all that is vogue and new. They are something of a dusty past that is better relegated to the catacombs of days gone by. Traditions are museum fillers that we might visit when nothing else seems to capture our fancy. Yet, traditions give us a … [Read more...]
Tom’s Clocks – The Privilege and Opportunity of Time
One thing we tend to do with time is fight it. We see it as the immovable and unstoppable adversary that grants us no reprieve, that is entirely unsympathetic to our causes, and that is relentlessly ticking off time until our time is out. Because of its very nature and character, and because of our perception of time relative to our life we are … [Read more...]
To Love or Not to Love – That is the Question
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Craig Lounsbrough
M. Div., LPC