August 2nd, 2010

Are your dreams far away and undefined or within reach and rich with detail? I just spent a week with my youngest grandson, Tyler. He is one of the most positive little people I have ever met. His answer to almost everything is an enthusiastic “OKAY!”
“Want to climb a mountain?”
“OKAY!”
“Want to ride the four wheeler?”
“OKAY?”
There are some exceptions! I asked him if he wanted to get a flu shot and couldn’t find him for an hour.
May 4th, 2010

We are finally on the other side of the Great Tennessee Flood. Our home is high and dry but many of our friend’s homes were substantially damaged and some lost everything.
Diane and I went for a twenty mile bike ride yesterday to survey the damage. The entire valley we usually ride had been covered with water. As we rode we were reminded of what makes America great and what will keep America great.
Resourceful people with stubborn resolve.
Everywhere we went we saw neighbors helping each other meet this disaster head on. They were using creativity and muscle to salvage what they could and to keep their families safe. We saw people who had tractors and shovels and chainsaws making impassible roads passable. People with boats were rescuing strangers who had been caught by the rising water. They were doing all this before the government lifted a finger.
I am not criticizing the government. In this difficult time the government of Tennessee did a great job as fast as they could. What I am doing is I am praising the kind of people who see what needs to be done and are willing to do the work to “get er done!”
March 30th, 2010

Tonight I am going to GAG!
GAG is an acronym for Guts and Glory, a small group of unusual men that meet every week in my home. . My GAG buddies are unusual in the respect that not one of them is satisfied with the status quo. Each of these motivated men want to live better, healthier, more vibrant lives. They want to live fully alive.
February 24th, 2010

Today was a tough day. I lost my drivers license at the airport. Didn’t realize it until I had cleared security. I went back out to look for it and found it lying beneath the “check in kiosk.” I discovered that if one goes through security twice one evidently becomes a national security risk. After much grumbling and lack of gratitude, (Helllooo! I did FIND my license!) I settled into my seat on the plane and read the following story.
After 50 years of service in Africa a weary missionary couple descended the gangplank of their boat. Their disembarking was delayed by a throng of press and well-wishers welcoming president Theodore Roosevelt back from his most recent safari. As they made their way through the crowd the husband expressed to his wife how discouraged he was.
January 11th, 2010

I broke out in a cold sweat. I would be speaking to five hundred managers of a Fortune 500 company only ten minutes from now—and my notes were still in my hotel room on the ninth floor. I sprinted to the elevator, diving like Indiana Jones through the doors just as they closed. Whirling to face front, I frantically pressed the button for the ninth floor. Then I crouched, panting like some predatory cat, poised to spring through the doors the second they opened.