January 5: Look to Jesus

Comparisons are odious. If we compare ourselves to someone higher on the food chain we feel inadequate. If we look at someone who has less money, education, power, looks or toys, we feel superior. Let's not kid ourselves, we all play comparisons. Unfortunately, we're not the only ones.

January 12: Face Your Fears with God

Had you sat next to Jesus in Gethsemane, and known what he would face the next day, you probably would have concluded he wasn't up to the task. If just the thought of crucifixion affected him so dramatically, what would the actual event itself do to him?

January 19: Don't Play Hide and Seek With God

Men have a tendency to isolate themselves. Our culture admires independent tough-guys like Dirty Harry, Rambo, Terminator, Robocop, and James Bond. Nobody gives an inch. Nobody opens up. Nobody gets hurt. Yet, while we may be respected for an indifferent and tough facade, it doesn't lead to intimacy--but it does protect us from rejection. Nobody wants to disclose their real fears and true feelings to a friend and have them walk away.

January 26: The Myth of the Greener Grass

All of us periodically suffer from the myth of the greener grass. Haven't there been times in your life when you thought things looked better on the other side of the fence? In your drive to succeed, haven't you dreamed of a field with less hardship and more rewards? Maybe in the face of some of your marital struggles you think life would be better if you had a different wife. Perhaps there have been occasions when you've climbed over a fence without looking up and getting God's approval.

February 2: Why You Should Honor Your Enemies

Humility is sometimes measured by how losses are handled. Humble men don't make excuses. They don't point fingers. They accept that even a valiant effort sometimes isn't enough. On other occasions it's measured by how victories--or potential victories--are handled. Humble men realize God is the ultimate source of victory. Instead of gloating, or crushing an opponent, they treat them with honor.

February 9: Seize the Moment

Sometimes it's easier to apologize than get permission. Seems that's what Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake figured before the Super Bowl halftime show. It's not like we weren't warned--prior to the event an MTV choreographer promised "shocking moments."

February 16: To Clone or Not to Clone

South Korean scientists described last Thursday how they cloned several human embryos and extracted valuable stem cells from one.

February 23: A Purpose

In their book, In Search of Excellence, Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr., carried out an extensive study of America's best-run companies to discover the keys to their success. The single most important truth they distilled from those companies was simply to "Figure out your value system. Decide what your company stands for."

March 1: The Passion of the Christ

Never in the history of the movie industry has a film more accurately depicted the death of Christ. Not only did Gibson's masterpiece give a clear picture of Christ's suffering, it artistically explained the purpose for his death.

March 8: Same Sex Marriages

Never in the 5,000 year history of civilization has a single society defined marriage between two members of the same sex as the norm for family life. And now judges in black robes are overriding state laws and public preferences by allowing gay and lesbian couples to "marry." They are insisting that thousands of years of human history are outdated as well as the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that voided the ban on interracial marriages and upheld the ban on same-sex marriages.

March 15: Take Good Advice

While Moses was one of history's greatest leaders, he couldn't solve every problem by himself. And neither can you or I. Fortunately, Moses had what we need. He possessed the wisdom and humility to allow others to provide him insight and guidance. Nobody gave him more strategic advice than his father-in-law, Jethro (Exodus 18:13-26). If you think settling disputes in your family is tough, imagine having to settle every dispute for 2.5 million people.

March 22: The Great Angelic Conflict

Every dark and evil character created to evoke fear in readers and moviegoers is only the devil's shadow. No battle scene from the Lord of the Rings compares with the ferocity of the angelic conflict. Even the dreaded Borg, of Star Trek infamy, is assimilated by the devil and his army of demons. The masses slaughtered by Hitler and Stalin represent only a fraction of the lives destroyed by Satan.

March 29: Manage Conflict

Conflict is as unavoidable as traffic in Los Angeles. If you've got two people on a team, or in a family, who never argue, one of them isn't needed. Jesus, the greatest leader of all time, experienced conflict among his disciples, between the disciples, and himself, and between the religious leaders and political leaders and himself. As long as you're engaged in relationships there will be conflict. If you refuse to see conflict as an inevitable part of life, you are likely to view it as an unnecessary interruption of the flow--and you may respond to conflict with frustration, anger and intolerance.

April 5: Overcoming the Three Barriers to Belief

Here's the situation: You want to talk to someone about the Lord, but you're not sure how you should approach them. For years I pretty much just shared the message with people in the same way--of course I adapted the illustrations to fit their background--and felt that I'd fulfilled my responsibility. And then I discovered there are three fundamental barriers people have to spiritual truth.

April 12: Don't Give Up!

There are times when you'll feel the challenges you face are too great, the obstacles too high, the problems too tough, and the conflicts too painful. At such times you'll be emotionally, mentally, and physically spent. During those dark days remember that men and women who persevered attained the greatest accomplishments in world history. They were men who allowed hardship to strengthen their resolve rather than destroy it.

April 19: Have You Ever Seen A Beam of Darkness

Most people believe the words holy and pure are synonymous. They aren't. The word holy describes the essence of all of God's moral attributes, of which purity is an element.

April 26: Make Me A Servant

The words of Jesus fly in the face of a generation that urges us to think of "me" first. Nowadays everyone wants to be the sun, not the moon. We want to radiate light not reflect it. Yet, Jesus taught us to look out for others first and ourselves second.

May 3: Dedication to Work

I realize there are times when we all have to put in extra hours. But when work deprives us of time with God and our families and strips away our health—we need to slow down. Doing so demands a dose of faith, a belief that God will multiply the results of our efforts when, in obedience to him, we work fewer hours. Remember, God worked six days and then rested on the Seventh. He commanded the Israelites to follow his example and promised to reward their obedience. The same God will reward our obedience when it flows from faith.

May 10: Grab What's Important

The list of successful people who have self-destructed grows tragically long. When the veneer of achievement is stripped away, even those who are rich and powerful long for something more. In spite of all the evidence pointing to the fact that money and possessions can’t satisfy, most of us don’t get the picture.

May 17: Update Your Map

I’m absolutely convinced the process of growth rests on our dedication to truth. Take for example, a map. If I wanted to drive from Portland to Denver I know I’d have to drive in an easterly direction. But getting to Denver in a reasonable period of time would require more than just following the rising sun. I’d need a map.

May 24: Keep Your Priorities Straight

Success now days isn’t measured simply by how well a man does in one area of his life, but by how well he does in many areas. Areas like work, family, recreation, community concerns and church. Most of us could make it in one area, but how can we succeed in all of them. If we focus on one, we sacrifice the others. It’s like juggling not only three balls—but ten balls. And sometimes the ball we ignore, the one we drop, is the most important one.

May 31: Ethics, Morality, and Integrity

There is nothing people want more in a leader than integrity. Yet, to understand integrity we have to comprehend three words that are often used interchangeably: “Ethics, Morality and Integrity.” Each has a distinct meaning and when properly used, they bring clarity to a crucial but often misunderstood reality of life.

June 7: Reagan's Shining City

Ronald Reagan spoke of America as a shining city upon a hill for all mankind to see – a beacon of light in a dark world. Following the heels of Jimmy Carter, who had described America as a country suffering from a deep malaise, Reagan never for a moment expressed skepticism in the American people.

June 21: Follow the Leader

No leader can role model faith in God until he has developed a consistent dependence on God. Once a consistent faith is established, others will see it. Indeed, opportunities will arise when others can’t help but see it.

June 28: The Benefit of Value Driven Practices

Value driven men reap a great benefit from God. David said they “will never be shaken.” The more we allow biblical values to drive our practices, regardless of what may happen around us, we can live with the confidence that the right principles have shaped our values and guided our decisions. That confidence will give us emotional and spiritual stability. It will enable us to lead others in a way that honor God and strengthens our influence for his kingdom.

July 5: The Founders' Sacrifice

When reflecting on the fourth of July, it’s important to recognize the great sacrifice made so many years ago. It’s also important to recognize the sacrifices made throughout the years to uphold America’s freedom. But more than all of this, when reflecting on July 4th, look at what you can learn from these fifty-six men: they were willing to lay down their life for freedom’s sake with the belief that God would protect them.

July 19: Using Your Power to Serve

In his book, Transforming Leadership, Leighton Ford observes, “Next to truth, the power question is the most important issue for the leader. And it is precisely in relation to power that the leadership of Jesus stands in the greatest contrast to popular understandings of leadership.”

July 26: Never Minimize Sin

Former national security adviser Sandy Berger says he regrets the way he handled classified documents, calling the whole thing "an honest mistake." Really? An honest mistake? Taking documents from a safe room from which neither documents or copies of documents are never to be removed was an honest mistake? Former President Clinton defended Berger and said, "We were all laughing about it . . . . People who don't know him might find it hard to believe. But ... all of us who've been in his office have always found him buried beneath papers.

August 2: Keys to Manage Conflict

Conflict is unavoidable. If you’ve got two people on a team and they never argue then one of them isn’t needed. Jesus, the greatest leader of all time, faced conflict among his disciples, between the disciples and himself, and between the religious and political leaders and himself. As long as your team is on the move there will be conflict. Since that’s the case you would be wise to view conflict as an inevitable part of life.

August 16: Bless Your Kids

A study of maladjusted students in a large Oklahoma high school reveals the importance of verbal affirmation. The counselors in the school first developed close relationships with ten of the school’s most troubled teenagers. Next the counselors asked the kids, “How long has it been since your parents told you they loved you?” Only one of the students could remember hearing it at all, and he didn’t remember when.

September 27: Cultivate We-ism

Teamwork lies at the heart of what it means to be strong, because through teamwork a force is created that’s greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, a family unit is stronger than any one member of the family. Me-ism is an attitude that says, “My needs are more important than anyone else in the family.” Team members who suffer from me-ism love the limelight. They complain when they don’t get their way and gloat when they do.

December 23: Avoid Distractions This Christmas

The Christmas season can be a time of year when I feel like I’m going full speed from the moment I climb out of bed in the morning until I fall asleep at night. Days can be spent trying to tie up loose ends at work, buy gifts, and attend parties.

December 31: Smile Back at 2005

The Christmas season can be a time of year when I feel like I’m going full speed from the moment I climb out of bed in the morning until I fall asleep at night. Days can be spent trying to tie up loose ends at work, buy gifts, and attend parties.