KISS is an acronym for ‘Keep It Simple Sam’. What a great reminder that is as things tend to get complicated too often. Even my effort to search for one of my favorite country songs got complicated recently. Looking for “This Kiss” I ended up with another song, “Kiss This” which has a different theme all together.

Eighteen months into their marriage, life got complicated for the young couple. Their first child was on his way two years ahead of “schedule”. They both had careers and were making good money, yet they ...read on

Creed, effectively Rocky VII, is another story of an unknown going up against an unbeatable opponent and gaining respect as a fighter. Starting with Rocky in 1976, the seven film series has grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office! What is it about “the fight” with a very consistent story line that keeps people buying tickets?

What is worth a fight for you? The consistent thread through the Rocky films seems to be manhood – A real man keeps getting up! While walking in the neighborhood recently, a friend and his wife were held up at gun point ...read on

In the hit song “Happy”, Pharrell Williams has an uplifting tune and dance routine with energy to blast through any bad news trying to drag you down. The lyrics say to “Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth; Clap along if you know what happiness is to you.”

Do you know what happiness is to you? Sigmund Freud, the renowned psychologist from the early 1900’s equates happiness with pleasure, specifically the pleasure that comes from satisfying sexual needs. The “pleasure principle,” writes Freud, “dominates the operation of the mental apparatus from the start.” C.S. Lewis disagrees ...read on

“Off with the old and in with the new,” is the common mantra as the calendar turns to the New Year. It is easy to say but not so easy to do. Each year my buddy would draft a plan to not let the busy-ness of life dictate his priorities. But then, each year he would find himself caught up in busy-ness, reacting to circumstances instead of working the plan.

Things were busy last spring. The schedule was tight yet his grown kids were coordinating a trip to Ireland for the family. He was frustrated that he would not be able to join his family on the trip. Then ...read on