A generation ago, friendship happened naturally. Neighbors lingered on front porches, children played until the streetlights came on, and friendships were woven into the rhythms of everyday life. Today, many of us are more connected than ever, yet in this Paradoxical Life, feel more alone. Researchers have begun calling this phenomenon the Friendship Recession: a …
Tag: Levi Lusko
Friendship Recession
As I have mentioned before, for those of us serving in academia, the new year does not really begin in January. It begins in August, or, increasingly, sometime in July when campus parking lots begin filling up again. As I begin year three in Campbellsville, I find myself in a familiar season of reflection. Summer …
Warriors for Light
Having already written about the Reticular Activating System, or what I prefer to call the Divine Activating System, I will not revisit all of that content today. However, after a message from Eric Gilbert, a morning devotional, and even a set of song lyrics converged around a common theme, I found myself wondering whether there …
Paradoxical Life
This post has sat in my unpublished folder for several years, not because I lacked resources, but because I had too many. At the time of writing, I have more than a dozen references for it, and if I delay any longer, that list will only continue to grow. The challenge is that the journey …
Anchored Hearts
In 1985, teenager Marty McFly hopped into a DeLorean and rocketed back to 1955 thanks to the eccentric brilliance of Doc Brown. Decades earlier, Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast had sent listeners into a panic, believing aliens had landed in New Jersey—a moment that raised enduring questions about media influence and ethics. More recently, television …
Second Mile Spirit
Imagine entering a college classroom and seeing three pairs of shoes lining the middle aisle between tables—men’s hiking boots, women’s running shoes, and children’s Spiderman light-up sneakers. As the class began, I asked for students willing to demonstrate walking in these shoes. Thankfully, Angie quickly volunteered, placing her feet in the men’s boots, she used …
Bitter or Better?
With over 700 random phrases/ideas for blog posts filling journals and the computer, it is not unusual for writing to occur anywhere from 1-4 months ahead of when the blogs actually post. Some ideas need time to simmer and connect with other concepts, others come more quickly, but because of the delay, it’s often interesting …
Intrusive Thoughts
You’re not even worth a slice of pizza, Julie! Believe it or not, that thought played through my mind recently and I’m not joking. Although I am laughing it off today because I recognize that it was an exaggerated and Intrusive Thought, it was a very real one that played over and over in my …
Buried or Planted?
Over the last few years, it has been my experience that I should pay careful consideration when a word or phrase grabs my attention. I’ll jot a note of this phrase, sometimes in my phone or journal, other times in the margins of book notes or journals, but it is important to cultivate the Habit …
Bucket List
Have you ever created a Bucket List, if not in a written form, at least entertained a thought that someday I’d like to have accomplished (fill in the blank)? I’ll even settle for a checkmark beside the item: Watched the 2007 Rob Reiner movie starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman entitled The Bucket List. See, …
