A few years ago, my wife called to tell me she had just gotten a ticket for speeding in downtown Atlanta. On the phone, I told her how sorry I was, but I was thinking, Finally, you get to find out what it’s like! She continued, “I can’t believe this, and here’s the worst part: I [...]

Thanksgiving Dinner is a magical meal. Something glorious happens when cooks take ingredients that would otherwise not be good and turn them into something delicious. Take carrots, for instance. No one says, “For Thanksgiving, I want carrots.” But when Grandma grates those carrots, then adds flour, sugar, eggs, and a layer of cream cheese frosting, [...]

Let me tell you about the worst fishing day I ever had. It was a beautiful day on the river in the north Georgia mountains. Nothing was biting, but that wasn’t what made it so bad. I was standing on the side of the river in my special spot with my fishing pole and a [...]

The recent social media battle between Chick-Fil-A and Popeye’s was fun to follow, but for me, Chick-Fil-A wins because of the time I got to spend with its founder, Truett Cathy, when I was a young man. I was  blessed to call him a source of wisdom in my life. In fact, much of his counsel [...]

It's strange to be thankful for battles, isn't it? I mean, who wants battles? Aren’t we all hoping for smooth sailing? That is, after all, what we think of when we hear the phrase “Promised Land,” right? Not necessarily. When the Children of Israel stood waiting to take the Promised Land, they were facing several [...]

I remember the day I almost drowned.             I was a little guy, maybe seven or eight. Our family--my parents, my sisters, and I—was visiting friends who had a house on Lake Chatuge, just over the Georgia state line in North Carolina. We were having a picnic at a place [...]

Did you know that although adult elephants weigh between three and eight tons, they can be contained by being chained to a stake in the ground? It starts when the elephant is just a baby. Someone will put a chain around the elephant’s leg and attach it to a stake. A small elephant doesn’t have [...]

I knew it was coming. My wife and I hopped into my truck, and I pulled away quickly, hoping my son wouldn’t see his mom burst into tears. At only twenty-two, Chase had saved enough money for a down payment on a house. Determined to move out and live on his own, he applied for a [...]

I have a special gift. I am able to lay my head on a pillow and be asleep within twenty seconds. I can go to sleep that fast. My wife is envious of this super power because she does not have this ability. Instead, she will sit awake, and as she sits awake, she seethes [...]

A few years ago, I traveled to Brazil with a buddy of mine, a businessman from Milwaukee. As we were checking in for the long flight at the Delta ticket counter at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport, my friend said, “I want to do something.” He gave the lady checking me in his frequent flyer number and [...]