Adversity
A Material Myth
We live in an age filled with unparalleled advances in technology. These have made it possible for people everywhere to have access to multiple luxury items that make everyday life easier than ever. For those willing, food and clothing are available at much lower costs. Transportation and communication improvements have created a society so mobile…
Read MoreResilience
The year 2020 has created such a downward emotional spiral that everyone keeps trying to guess what will go wrong next. January seemed to take forever, and then February added tension and whispers of problems. March brought the COVID-19 pandemic to our doorstep, and April ushered in all its consequences. Just when everyone had absorbed…
Read MoreTraining Camp
Training camp does not evoke images of ease and comfort for anyone who has taken part in one. Paul “Bear” Bryant’s legendary training camp in Junction, Texas after he took the reins as head coach of Texas A&M included all-day workouts in 100 degree heat—without offering the now customary water breaks—followed by team meetings in…
Read MoreStriving, Quarreling, and General Disagreeableness
In only six months, the year 2020 eclipsed the chaos of any other year in recent memory. It opened with the impeachment of a president and quickly pivoted to a fast and furious primary cycle, only to find COVID-19 furiously stalking the world and, through shelter-in-place orders, turning a robust economy into an economic catastrophe.…
Read MoreAn Exalted Nation
Before Athens clashed with Sparta or Rome defeated Carthage, the quest for geopolitical power dominated international relations as nations vied for control of neighboring regions to gain power over natural resources or strategic economic routes. Since that time similar concerns have dominated the rise of global leaders. While the scale of power has increased significantly—geographically,…
Read MoreBetter Than Gold
A crisis provides many opportunities for people of all stripes to display or fail to display wisdom. Whether personal, national, or global, a crisis presents an array of choices with the possibility of vastly different outcomes—but also typically with a lot of unknowns. During these times leaders often emerge, and pretenders wilt. However, one major…
Read MoreIn Dust and Ashes
For most people, the book of Job records the account of one of the most patient men who ever lived. He endured the loss of his children, his wealth, and his health, and yet he refused to curse God and would not be bullied into saying that he deserved all of this for some sin,…
Read MoreGreat Things We Cannot Comprehend
The technological advancement made possible by modern science boggles the mind. The information available at our fingertips on a smartphone we take for granted, despite how brief a time we have enjoyed this technology. Rarely do we consider that we now hold in the palm of our hands far more computing power than what put…
Read MoreMagnify His Work
Whether we admit it or not, we all tend to lose more than a little bit of perspective when we face a touch of adversity. After all, I may or not have thought that my life was coming to an end the last time I found myself in the throes of a twenty-four hour stomach…
Read MoreRighteousness in Perspective
When we find ourselves in the midst of difficulty and distress, feeling sorry for ourselves can quickly dominate our mindset so much that we decide we are being treated unfairly. It often proves to be our natural first reaction. When we do not get that promotion or raise, we assume that whoever did undermined us…
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