Borrow a Map

On this pilgrimage to discover what it means to Truly Flourish and live a life of meaning, the traveling imagery has arisen often, and there are notes all over my reading any time a reference like Blindspots, Detours, and Dirty Windshields appear. However, this week may have been a Defining Moment when I began my …

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Mentoring Communities

When my friend and colleague, Laci reached out on that cold January day a few years ago, she had no understanding at that time what her call was unleashing. Perhaps she regrets that call now, but since we are still chatting regularly, my hope is that she still finds our conversations as beneficial as I …

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Digital Philosophy

Within me exists a tension between what I am discovering on this pilgrimage to determine the characteristics of a flourishing life, and the realities that our current culture (along with a very real enemy) is doing everything it can to stack the odds against us flourishing in any area, whether it be personal, professional, or …

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Spiritual Discipline

Is there a title you have embraced or been assigned that felt like an appropriate fit? Have you ever resisted a label or designation that seemed to miss the mark? Perhaps, like me, there is one particular classification that gets under your skin such as Single, spinster, never-married, or childless. Even the department of transportation …

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You Too?

Has there been an occurrence when you are actively listening to another person in a conversation, and your intent is not to interrupt, but truly Listen With Your Eyes; however, your mouth just blurts out, “You, too?” Often, this simple expression opens the door to a new Friendship Conversation that validates your experiences or feelings …

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Friendship Conversations

In researching the characteristics typical of people who are considered to be flourishing at life, it should be no surprise how often someone’s ability to thrive is connected to the individuals with whom they have created Relational Equity, or as Shawn Anchor terms it in his book, The Happiness Advantage, social capital. As I continue …

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Find Your Flame

As someone who is employed in higher education, there is no greater delight for me than to be a witness to the moment when who God created a person to be sparks a lifetime calling to a vocation. To be clear, this is not a frequent occurrence in my life of a Defining Moment; rather, …

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Lasting Lyrics

Respectfully Mystified once more! After nearly five decades into this life journey, it seems as if there would be a diminishing effect to being utterly flabbergasted at how God chooses to “speak” into my life, but once again, I sit here in open-mouthed wonder at the unique approach my Savior employs to communicate with me. …

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Pot Roast

I’m not exactly sure when I first read the Pot Roast story; however, I believe it came from a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. According to Forbes, “Chicken Soup For the Soul began in 1993 when motivational speakers, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, decided to incorporate 101 inspirational stories that they and other speakers …

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