Recently, a few NBA superstars went public about their battles with mental health—namely, Toronto Raptor’s Demar DeRozan, Cleveland Cavalier’s Kevin Love, and Washington Wizard’s Kelly Oubre Jr. Good for them. And good for us. Mental illness continues to carry a stigma. A broken bone is proof of injury, but with mental illness, an x-ray proves…
My mom told me years ago, “Jarrod, love people. I believe we were placed on this earth to love and serve people.” I think of her words often. And I think God gave me that kind of heart. Sometimes I want to give that heart back. To love is to risk and get hurt. But…
I want to share with you a 40-minute podcast interview I agreed to do with Word of Life last week. If you want to listen to it on the go, you can go here (Episode 65) In this interview, I tossed my proverbial fig leaf to the side and got cringe-worthy transparent and honest. At…
Do you get anxious, nervous, or fearful at the thought of speaking in front of a group of people? I once did too. Still do at times! I’m sure that no matter how anxious you are about an opportunity, you don’t want to just “get through it” or “get it over with.” You want to…
Am I getting it right? I have a 13-year-old, 12-year-old, 11-year-old, and a 7-year-old. Two boys and two girls. And these kinds of questions abound! Am I doing enough? Am I scarring my kids for life? I’m convinced that what I refuse to do as a dad is more important than what I do. My…
“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.” – W. Clement Stone Years ago, I finished up some business in Oklahoma and was headed to the airport. Christie was nine months…
Oh, to be twenty-one again. No thank you! When I was 21-years-old, I’m not sure I listened to anyone. But maybe I would’ve listened to the older me. Who knows? Either way, I would’ve needed a good firm talking to for the message to get across. So what might that little talk sound like? What…
A couple of days ago I posted 3 Reasons To Skip Passive-Aggression. I hope you found it helpful. But what about those who are passive-aggressive toward you? Here are a few options: 1. Give the benefit of the doubt. So you read or hear a passing comment that seems barbed toward you. Yet it’s vague…
Passive aggression. It’s the plague of relationships. And you can find it in all its glory on social media. I loathe passive-aggression. I’m careful not to do it. When aimed toward me (we all know when it’s meant for us), I refuse to give it any mental or emotional calories. Another post on how to…
Between my mid-twenties to early thirties, I wanted to be married. Today, I am married to my best friend. We will have been married fifteen years this June! She is a gift. But let me take you back to when I was unmarried. In fact, after recently doing a message series on marriage, I heard…
Sons want to capture their dad’s awe. Daughters want to capture their dad’s attention. John Elderidge, in his little booklet, You Have What It Takes: What Every Father Needs To Know, states it this way: “Little boys look to their dads to answer the question: ‘Do I have what it takes? Am I a man?’ Little…
On a previous post I talked about the cursed dry-mouth in public speaking. I recommend that post as a precursor to this one. I shared the top 3 ways you can prevent having dry-mouth 36 hours before you stand before your audience. Your audience can range from an event, to a meeting, to a tough…
Are you stressed? Drained? Depressed? Exhausted? I’ve found myself in these flames too many times. You may or may not be a fan of the Bible, but I want to take us there to meet a prophet named Elijah. Elijah experienced a debilitating episode of burn-out. Much to learn from him. I often turn to…
I look to hire people not with just a bachelor’s or master’s degree, but a “suffering degree.” In interviews, I ask candidates to share where they’ve suffered, how they navigated it, and who they are now as a result. I care more about the suffering degree than the others. Having all the degrees is a…
“Please make me good at this.” I prayed those words in 1997. Exactly 20 years ago to the month. I’d just been hired as a student pastor. But my prayer was about public speaking. I was terrified of public speaking throughout my college years. I would meet with professors and ask them not to call…